Jobs At State

More than 200 people trekked to Foggy Bottom last night to learn more about what it's like to work at the State Department. Even in trying economic times, that's a decent haul for a DC audience, given that a new administration means new jobs everywhere from the White House to K Street to non-profit shops as organizations seek to adjust to new leadership.

But more than the turnout, this event matters because it's part of Director General Harry Thomas's efforts to make the State Department workforce reflect the American populace. The DC career fair came after events in New York, Detroit, Raleigh, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, San Antonio, Anaheim, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Houston. I talked to Thomas last spring for our Chief Human Capital Officers story, and one argument he made at the time was that by doing more geographically diverse recruiting, State is more likely to end up with employees who not only represent different facets of the American experience, but who have a broader range of skills. If you recruit in the midwest, you may end up with folks who know something about farming and agriculture, a useful skill set at a time when food prices are rising, food riots are back, and agriculture's being impacted by global warming.

State isn't likely to have trouble attracting applicants. But by going on a recruiting road show, the department can both get educate people about what State is up to, and reach out to applicants who might not have given diplomatic work a thought in their lives.