ABSTRACT
Historically, the Foreign Service has employed a number of personnel selection methods, all of which since 1924, have included some form of written examination. This chapter presents the personnel data on the dynamic aspects of a Foreign Service career, i.e., selection-in, organizational distribution of personnel, age patterns, time-in-class, threshold, promotions/ assignments, performance evaluation/attrition, and grievance procedure. It also presents several personal characteristics of Foreign Service personnel including formal education, marital status, place of birth/home leave, and functional/location preferences of Foreign Service Officer. The chapter examines some trend data which utilize historical comparisons of certain variables to illustrate the development of the modern Service. It provides some background information on Foreign Service officers as men and women. The Foreign Service system of rank-in-man affords great flexibility in the assignment of personnel in that it identifies rank and salary with the individual regardless of the classification grade of the position to which he is assigned.
