Pardee Works: Careers in the Foreign Service
Written by Mia Knezevic (BA IR ’26)
On Wednesday, April 15, PardeeWorks hosted the event, “Careers in U.S. Foreign Service,” where students had the opportunity to hear from Foreign Service Officers Brian Gibel, Director of the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State; and Jenny Palmer, Cultural Affairs Officer at U.S. Embassy Riyadh; in a conversation facilitated by Mark Storella, Pardee Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy.
Brian and Jenny discussed their career paths as Public Diplomacy (PD)-coned officers and shared career advice with students interested in entering the foreign service or working at the State Department more broadly. They talked about the Foreign Service Officer Exam (FSOT), and differences between the foreign service, civil service, and government contracting. For example, while foreign service officers primarily serve overseas, moving from post to post every 2-3 years, civil service officers get hired for a specific job at the Department and mostly work from Washington D.C. Government contractors are similarly hired by the Department, as well as other U.S. agencies, to work on specific short or long-term projects.
Both Jenny and Brian emphasized that there is no one linear path to being employed with the Department. Brian entered the foreign service with an interest in teaching and in China, and has since served three tours in China, three in Korea, and one in Pakistan. On the other hand, Jenny worked as a contractor with another federal government agency out of undergraduate school, and since joining the foreign service, has served as Spokesperson in Beirut and Moscow, and in various roles in the Middle East. Jenny encouraged students to “try lots of different opportunities [internships, classes, etc.] to see what fits your interests best.” Brian shared that having a career in the foreign service is a “different kind of lifestyle,” and that being “adaptable, resilient, and a good listener” are important skills for aspiring diplomats.
The event had a great turnout, with over 30 students in attendance, many of whom were eager to ask questions and engage with the speakers during and after the event. Chloe Rowen, an MA student in Global Policy at Pardee, found the event to be both informative and inspiring. “I recently realized that the Foreign Service was a path I could take after grad school,” Chloe said. “It seemed like a far-fetched idea, but after this panel, I realized it doesn’t matter too much about where you start. It’s more about personal motivation, and you can learn more on the job.” Overall, students responded to the event enthusiastically, valuing the opportunity to interact with career diplomats in such an intimate, conversational setting.
Pardee Career Services hosts PardeeWorks series like this one to support students with their career exploration and help them gain insights from practitioners through curating panels of speakers from diverse fields related to international affairs.