Alumni Career Profile Questions

 

Name: Ryan L. Palsrok

Current job title:  Consul / Deputy Chief, American Citizens Services, U.S. Embassy Beijing

Class year: 2001

Major: Theater, Acting & Directing

 

 

Where did your interest come from to work in this career?

Living abroad during my childhood instilled a curiosity in me for other cultures and people that has yet to subside.  It also helped me appreciate my privilege as an American, giving me a desire to offer something back.

 

What are typical entry level positions in your field and what does a career path look like?

The State Department has two primary personnel systems:  1) The Civil Service and 2) The Foreign Service.  Both offer challenging and rewarding careers working for peace and the advancement of U.S. foreign policy.  By working at the State Department, you might become expert in a specific pressing issue – such as climate change, nonproliferation, or internet freedom – or you may develop into a leading voice in the bilateral relationship between the United States and another country.

 

Civil Service positions are usually based in Washington, DC.  Entry level Civil Service positions exist in a wide variety of fields, from public affairs to international law, from intelligence analysis to interior design (want to decorate an Ambassador’s residence?).  Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) make up the majority of American staff at one of 265 U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic missions around the world.   FSOs select one of five career tracks:  Consular, Economic, Management, Political, and Public Diplomacy.  Over the course of a career, FSOs will live in numerous countries, perfecting several languages and serving as the face of U.S. interests abroad.

 

Lean more at www.careers.state.gov.

 

How did you find the current position you have?

I began at the State Department as a contractor.  Hired to help implement a multilateral treaty governing intercountry adoption, the work enabled me to gain the experience necessary for a fulltime position with the Department.  After being brought onboard as a Federal government employee, I switched positions every few years, bidding on then arriving in Beijing last fall.

 

A career as an FSO begins with the Foreign Service Exam.   If targeting a Civil Service or contract position with the State Department, it is helpful to cultivate your contacts.  Knowing someone can give you a leg up, as he/she can inform you about an opening within an office or the specifics of the work.  Generally speaking, networking is essential to finding the right job in Washington.

How are you using your Middlebury degree?

Middlebury’s liberal arts education equipped me with the creativity, confidence, and collaborative and problem solving skills necessary to succeed and develop as a leader.  The college’s focus on writing has been particularly critical, as strong writers are rare and do stand out.  Public speaking ability honed at Middlebury has been helpful for conducting media interviews, speaking at conferences, and effectively conveying ideas to colleagues or an overseas audience.

 

What experience should a college student obtain to be marketable?

Languages – pick one.  Studying abroad or gaining other overseas experience is also extremely valuable.  To market yourself to an organization like the State Department, seek cross-cultural experiences.  For example, while at Middlebury, you might join an international student organization.  Equally important is media and political experience.  Helping run and generating online content for a Middlebury website or social networking page, writing articles for the campus newspaper, or participating in student government will provide you with tangible experience you can point to on your resume.

 

What skills do you think a person needs to be successful in your position?

• Strategic thinking (seeing the way through a complex situation)
• Writing
• Creativity (is there a better way?)
• Activating skills (jump starting something and gaining movement)
• Public speaking
• Collaboration and listening
• Negotiating and conflict resolution
• Foreign languages
• Empathy

 

What do you like best/least about your work?

The work is fulfilling.  For example, when assigned to the State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues, I worked to broaden U.S. treaty relationships on international child abduction.  When dozens of American families recovered children from overseas as a result, I knew that the efforts of my colleagues and me had made a real and immeasurable difference for these children and their families.

 

One of the challenges working for a large organization is navigating through the bureaucracy, particularly one that is sometimes adverse to risk.  New policies require clearances by dozens of key players and offices, and sometimes involve the interagency process.  It takes patience, persuasion, and determination – and many of the other skills previously mentioned – to charter a new course.  Of course this challenge can also be a source of excitement, given what may be at stake.

 

What does an average day or week look like for you?

No two days are alike.  One day I might visit a U.S. citizen detained in a Chinese prison, the next I might be called to identify the remains of an American at a Chinese morgue.  I assist U.S. citizens who have been victims of crimes in China, conduct welfare visits with American children, and speak about security in China with university groups and American business representatives.  I often meet with representatives of other foreign missions in China, such as the Canadians, British, or Australians.  Regular coordination also takes place as well with other sections within the Embassy, U.S. consulates in China and embassies around East Asia, and with the State Department’s headquarters in DC.  Meetings with Chinese officials remain vital in our efforts to assist and protect U.S citizens in China.

 

What books, web sites, or other resources should students take advantage of now to learn about the field?

If you are considering a career in public service, view the website of the Partnership for Public Service, www.ourpublicservice.org/OPS.  The nonprofit organization offers tips for applying for Federal government positions, as well as information about each government agency.

 

One of the best ways to prepare for the Foreign Service Exam is to the read the international section of the New York Times every day.  I further recommend Dean Acheson’s classic memoir Present at the Creation: My Years in the State Department.

 

What do you think is the next step in your career plan?

I will be in Beijing for two years before taking on another assignment either in Washington, DC or abroad.  It could be anywhere from Bujumbura to Kathmandu.  Regardless of where I am posted, new challenges will undoubtedly present themselves, as well as new opportunities to affect change.  I remain passionate about public service and plan to continue a career in and around government.