U.S. Department of State 2025 Office Management Specialist Test (OMST) for Diploma

Eligibility Criteria

Conditions of Employment

• Be a U.S. citizen and accept assignments based on the needs of the FS.
• Be able to obtain a Top Secret Security Clearance.
• Be able to meet the minimum medical qualification standard.
• Be able to obtain a favorable Suitability Review Panel determination.
• Be at least 20 years old to apply; at least 21 years old to be appointed.
• Be appointed prior to age 60 (preference eligible veterans excepted).

Foreign Service Office Management Specialists (OMS) serve in key roles at U.S. embassies and consulates globally and at domestic locations.  An OMS must adhere to the highest standards of integrity, dependability, attention to detail, teamwork, and cooperation while accepting assignments based on the needs of the Foreign Service, experiencing frequent global travel.

Specialized Experience 

Specialized experience demonstrates that the applicant has acquired, and is able to apply, a combination of specific knowledge, skills, and abilities appropriate to the Foreign Service Office Management Specialist position.?All qualifying specialized experience must be of a progressively responsible nature and must have been acquired supporting office or programmatic goals. Duties must have included at least 60% administrative tasks for each position. Specialized experience must be from the last 10 years to qualify. 

Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: 

• Managing schedules and calendars, arranging meetings, conferences,?events, and travel. 
• Planning and assisting with events and visitors, tracking budgets, expenses, vouchers, and submitting and monitoring supply requests. 
• Developing?and implementing administrative procedures. 
• Analyzing technical, operational, and administrative functions for the purpose of recommending process improvements or increasing program effectiveness. 
• Formulating and implementing knowledge management and records management policies, such as?developing and maintaining databases, records management, and conducting research. 
• Providing computer hardware/software support and troubleshooting, to include maintaining office equipment. Skill in web-based navigation, virtual communication and social media platforms, and common Microsoft Office applications. 
• Preparing materials, documents, handouts, or presentations (e.g., PowerPoint) for meetings, including proofing and editing documents for others. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The Department has conducted extensive job analysis research to determine Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) and other attributes conducive to successful performance in this position. A candidate’s education level, work experience, and other qualifications will be considered as part of the hiring decision-making process based on these KSA criteria.

The candidate must show that they have an in-depth knowledge of their field and possess the knowledge, skills, abilities to successfully perform OMS duties worldwide.

1. Interpersonal skills, including teamwork: Interacting effectively with others, including developing and maintaining constructive and cooperative working relationships and resolving conflicts. Collaborating with teammates, customers, and others from widely diverse backgrounds, views, priorities, knowledge, and needs to achieve the organization’s objectives.
2. Customer service skills: Gathering information regarding customer requirements, assessing underlying needs, finding optimal solutions, and providing effective customer service.
3. Communications skills: Candidates must demonstrate a strong command of the English language, both written (overall structure as well as grammar, spelling, and punctuation) and spoken (overall structure as well as delivery, clarity, and succinctness).
4. Cross-cultural skills: Skill in working with people from diverse backgrounds, educational levels, and cultural surroundings to create and maintain an inclusive and success-oriented working environment. Acceptance of different cultures and interest in living in them.
5. Planning, organizing, and project management skills: Skill at organizing multiple and varied tasks into an achievable system quickly and accurately with minimal supervision to complete duties on time. Identifying resources, making use of limited resources, correcting or preventing known problems, anticipating challenges, and establishing milestones.
6. Time management: Skill in time management and prioritization of work, often under conditions of tight deadlines. Utilizing time efficiently, handling multiple priorities simultaneously, judging how to prioritize and delegate work appropriately.
7. Problem solving and decision making/judgment: Skill in using logic and reasoning to evaluate facts, identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems, including creative and resourceful solutions, and present the alternatives in an unbiased way to others.
8. Professional judgment and maturity to make decisions within appropriate areas of responsibility that move projects forward and enable timely achievement of section goals and recognizing when to seek guidance from more experienced employees.
9. Management and supervision skills: Coordinating, scheduling, tracking, managing information flow, negotiating work priorities, supervising staff or interns. Taking initiative and showing leadership to proactively identify issues and tasks, motivate others, provide guidance, and serve as a role model.
10. Record management skills: Using technology to create, search, track and archive documents, and creating and maintaining knowledge management hierarchies or systems.
11. Computer skills: Assists and trains others on office and specialized software and helps resolve computer-related problems as first line of support, including proactively learning new systems and changes. Knowledge at the Microsoft Office Specialist level in Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Teams and/or SharePoint, to perform tasks assigned and troubleshoot information technology issues. 
12. Adaptability and flexibility: Changing one’s behavior to adapt to the situation and recover from setbacks and extreme job demands in a timely and positive manner to ensure effectiveness under any circumstances.
13. Dependability and integrity: Reliable, responsible, dependable, and conscientious at fulfilling obligations to perform work and assist customers. Honest and ethical in all aspects of performing the responsibilities of one’s job, regardless of the demands of the situation.
14. Openness to an international career: Accepting assignments based on the needs of the Foreign Service, experiencing frequent global travel.

Education

At the time of application, candidates must possess:

• A high school diploma or equivalent and three years of specialized experience in the last 10 years; or
• An associate’s degree and two years of specialized experience in the last 10 years; or
• A Bachelor’s or higher degree in any major and one year of specialized experience in the last 10 years.

Education from a program or institution within the United States must be accredited at the time of program completion by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education,  http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation.
Foreign Education

Foreign education acquired outside of any state of the U.S., the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any territory or possession of the U.S. must be evaluated by a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services ( NACES or  AICE) in order to be given credit towards qualification.

• The accredited interpretation must include the summary and the foreign education transcripts.
• Foreign education transcripts that have not been evaluated by a credential evaluation service will not be accepted and the candidacy will be terminated.

Application Process

Required Documents:

It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure the application is complete before the closing deadline of this announcement. Incomplete applications will be disqualified.

In the online application, candidates must answer all self-assessment questions, include 10-years of work history, and complete the Personal Narrative Questions and Statement of Interest. Applications missing any responses will be terminated.

1.  Accomplishments Questionnaire/Personal Narrative Questions
These required questions provide an opportunity to describe examples and accomplishments from the applicant’s education, life, and/or work experience that demonstrate their qualifications for becoming a Foreign Service Specialist. Examples can be drawn from any part of the applicant’s professional or personal experience. Each response is limited to 300 words. Compose carefully, as one of the skills necessary to succeed as a Foreign Service Specialist is the ability to write clearly and concisely. Information in cover letters, resumes, or CVs, but not in the online application, will not be accepted/reviewed.

• Substantive Knowledge: Describe your skills, knowledge, and experience in managing office policies and procedures, such as developing and implementing project proposals, budgets, or knowledge management procedures.
• Intellectual Skills: Describe an example of how you used your proficiency in computer technology and programs, such as those in the Microsoft Office Suite or similar programs, to collect, interpret, and/or analyze data. Comment on the technology you used and how your skill with the program helped to solve a problem.
• Interpersonal Skills: Describe a situation where you used your interpersonal skills to resolve a conflict or provide effective customer service.
• Communication Skills: Describe an example of how you used your proficiency in spoken or written communication, including foreign language skills if appropriate, to further an aim or achieve a goal. 
• Managerial Skills: Describe a situation where you had to plan, organize, and prioritize your own work, particularly where you had to handle several different tasks with close deadlines and it was important to maintain a high standard of performance. Comment on how you set priorities and allocated time, and indicate any resources you used to help prioritize tasks.
• Leadership Skills: Describe a situation where you took initiative to resolve a problem or proposed an innovative solution. Indicate who was affected by the problem and in what way, and the nature of the difficulties faced.

2.  Statement of Interest
This required narrative should discuss:

• Motivation for joining the Foreign Service. 
• Relevant work experience, including unique strengths not previously mentioned, special skills (e.g. computer skills), current licenses, certifications, honors, awards, special accomplishments, and/or training (with date completed) relating to this position.
• Experience living/working in a multicultural environment, overseas, or in the United States.

3.  Education Documents

Candidates with qualifying OMST scores must submit the following documentation to demonstrate they possess the educational level required for this position when requested. Candidates should add *@state.gov as a trusted sender. Neither the Department of State nor Pearson Vue are responsible for the failure of candidates’ internet service provider to deliver e-mail messages.

• A high school diploma or transcript; and/or
• Official or unofficial college or university transcripts. Candidates should not submit university diplomas in lieu of higher education transcripts.

Transcripts must comply with the following requirements to be accepted:

• Must be in PDF format. Any other format will be rejected.
• Must be an attachment. Documents sent via link or secured message, in any other format non-attachment format, or sent directly from credential evaluation services will be rejected.
• Must include applicant’s name, school’s name, degree and date awarded/conferred.
• Must have no missing pages.
• Must be legible.
• All foreign education transcripts must adhere to additional requirements. See the Foreign Education information in the Education Requirements section. 

4.  Submit Veteran’s Preference documentation in PDF format for Candidates aged 60 to 64 when requested.

If claiming Veteran’s Preference, a copy of the applicant’s DD-214 "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty" that must include the applicant’s Character of Service must be submitted with the application. If claiming a 10-point Veteran’s Preference, the applicant’s VA letter and SF-15 must be submitted in addition to the DD-214. A certification from the armed forces is required only if a veteran has not yet received their DD-214. It must confirm that the service member is expected to be discharged under honorable conditions within 120 days and include service dates, expected discharge date, character of service, and any applicable disability rating.