Daniel Yamakaitis Final Paper Human Resources Management December 17
Daniel Yamakaitis
Final Paper
Human Resources Management
December 17, 2018
The State department is one top civil servant agencies in the United States that not only serves the American Citizens here in the United States but also those abroad. I have chosen the focus my case study of the Human Resource Management of United States State Department because of my interest in Foreign Policy. The United States State Department employs over 75,547 employees, most of whom are foreign service workers, while rest are career civil servants. The State department has its own merit system set up , with its own tests for positions of Foreign Service Workers. These foreign service workers are classified as Generalist and Specialist. Therefore just like in human resource management , foreign service workers are classified in their duties whether have broad range of expertise in a topic or specific area of expertise.
The Mission of United States State Department is shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world and foster conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere. This is enhance by the goals and mission of the Bureau of Human Resources which is the Department’s ability to recruit, train, deploy, retain and motivate the very best people with the right expertise. According to Department’s first Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) the central tenet of State Department’s strategic vision is to strengthen the department’s global diplomatic and development capacity to achieve the President’s foreign policy agenda. Of critical importance are the corresponding resources necessary to support this staffing strategy. The second QDDR, finalized in Spring 2015, further focuses the Department’s diplomatic and development efforts. It provided a roadmap for progress towards their vision that we are safer when the world is safe, more prosperous when the world prospers, and secure in our dignity and democracy when those values become universal.
Therefore the services the United States State Department provides are critical for safer, more prosperous and secure country. In order to achieve these services, the United States Foreign Service worker must be recruited from the best of the best in our county. The ability to recruit the best makes it easier for the Bureau of Human Resources to train to enhance their diplomatic ability of these new employees rather having to train them in to be diplomats. With high trained workers they are able to focus on motivating their employees to work to the best of their ability in foreign service.
The Structure of State Department is specified in their organizational chart where the leadership at the top is the politically appointed Secretary of State who is a part of the Cabinet of the President of the United States. Below the secretary are also the appointed undersecretaries who advise the secretary of state in different policy areas. In offices of the Secretary of State and Undersecretaries are career foreign service workers who remain in these offices even when the political appointed leadership changes. This is critical for foreign diplomacy and transition of leadership. Having merit based workers who remain in place when there is a transition of power allows for United States Foreign Services to continue without interruption. The State Department of the United States has unique influence on different arenas in the world from foreign aid, to promotion of democratic values and finally securing the world along with United States from different threats to face it.
When it comes to Bureau of Human Resources in the Department of the State the training they provide to advance Foreign Service Generalist and Specialist in their career is very high repute. This training program called FS Career Development Program (CDP) which has been designed to ensure that FS Generalists and FS Specialists being promoted into the senior ranks of their cone or specialty have the necessary experience to be successful. Along with this program is the FS Specialist Career Tracker, a software application, that provides a user-friendly format for employees to document and track their careers. The CDP helps when employees enter the mid-level ranks, and becomes a cornerstone of robust counseling by Human Resource officers, who help employees with their career planning efforts. Through this program the Department reviews employees’ “self-certification” records to determine eligibility for consideration for promotion into the Senior Foreign Service or, in the case of some specialties, to the “pinnacle” of that career track.
The participation level for the CDP is 100 percent for the FS. The CDP has helped pinpoint training gaps. For example, the demand by FS Generalists and FS Specialists graded below FS03 for access to the FS03 leadership training course has led to the creation of courses for more junior employees. Therefore the Leadership and Management School began offering two training initiatives that target new supervisors and entry-level officers. The first course called “Fundamentals of Supervision,” is now required for all newly-appointed first time supervisors. The training course gives supervisors the tools they need to be more effective and to create a productive and supportive environment for their employees.
In another area, Office Management Specialists’ (OMSs) and trainers’ experience with the CDP certification requirements has prompted Human Resource officers to advise OMSs to enroll in approved courses at the appropriate time to improve their training certification success rate. The State Department ensures that all FS employees receive appropriate leadership training, and FSI is tailoring training options to the changing needs of the Service. The Department is added tips on supervising employees coming out of high stress posts to the leadership course, recognizing that not all employees have a chance to take the separate course on that subject.
The State Department’s strategic recruitment focuses on developing a pipeline of competitive and qualified applicants who possess needed skills, including foreign language proficiency, and whose diversity reflects that of the national professional workforce demographics. The Department continuously promotes its recognizable employer brand and has an aggressive FS recruitment program that incorporates traditional and non-traditional recruitment marketing and advertising programs that focus on undergraduate and graduate students, alumni of targeted universities, and experienced, skilled professionals throughout the United States. Diplomats in Residence (DIRs), Outreach Specialists, and a marketing consultant identify, educate, attract, and engage prospects from diverse educational, cultural, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds, as well as with specialized experience.
The Department continues to implement its strategic advertising campaign, using online advertising and social recruitment media to promote its employer brand and specific career opportunities and educate prospects about the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) and FS Specialist fields. The Department was the first government agency to launch a careers recruitment mobile app (DOSCareers) to provide prospects with easy access to tools and resources that help them understand career possibilities, connect with DIRs, and prepare for the FSOT. One deciding factor in launching DOSCareers was research indicating that underrepresented groups have adopted smart phone mobile technologies at rates above the general population. The mobile app, which received high ratings in trade and popular media, was downloaded more than 20,000 times in the first year and is currently at more than 64,000 downloads. In 2016, the Department expanded the mobile app content to include a more in-depth overview of careers. With target audiences accessing information using mobile devices at a staggering rate, the Department has moved its recruitment materials towards an all-digital environment
In 2014, the Department launched a practice online FSOT on its website. Prospective candidates who take the practice FSOT receive feedback on their likelihood of passing the actual test, which includes recommendations for how to improve their score. As of November 2015, 27,641 persons had taken the practice FSOT. The Department’s careers website (careers.state.gov) is one of the most highly rated U.S. Government careers sites and is rated much higher than commercial careers sites
When it comes to the State Department they are top notched when it comes to recruiting and training that most other government departments have followed their model. This has allowed the department to remain one of the most prestigious organization in United States Government. It remains one of the top organizations to provide government jobs in the United States. While at same time the State Department continues to improve their human resource management practice.
