Awards and Recent Press

Throughout the years, the U.S. Department of State has made great progress in improving its recruiting and hiring processes, expanding its employee benefits, increasing its training and development programs and communicating its employer brand to audiences all across the United States.

As a result, the Department has been recognized with the following:

2011 Awards

  • The U.S. Department of State was recently awarded the prestigious Expatriate Management and Mobility Award (EMMA) for its Global Employment Initiative (GEI). The Family Liaison Office (FLO), which works to improve the quality of life for U.S. Government employees and their family members assigned to, serving at or returning from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad, received the Best Family Support Program award. The GEI is designed to help Foreign Service family members develop their career and employment options while overseas. GEI’s job coaching services for family members proved to be the deciding factor.

    To learn more about the GEI and family member employment please visit http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c21564.htm



2010 Archive +

2010 Awards

  • Department of State has ranked on the "Top 20 government Agencies" in Careers & the disABLED Magazine 25th Anniversary Issue Careers & the disABLED magazine ranked the U.S. Department of State #1 in the 20th Annual "Top 20 Government Agencies" for people with disabilities, up from #16 just last year. The readers of the magazine selected the top government agencies for which they would most prefer to work or believe to provide a positive working environment for people with disabilities.
  • Department of State ranked #2 by Humanities/Liberal Arts undergraduate students in Universum's Top 100 Ideal Employer Rankings. Click here to view the different categories.
  • Department of State ranked #7 overall in 2010 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government, and #3 in Support for Diversity. Click here to view the different categories on the Best Places to Work website.
  • Department of State ranked at #6 in BusinessWeek's "The Hottest Employers 2010." For the fifth year in a row, the Department of State has placed in the top ten ideal employers in an annual poll of undergraduates reported by BusinessWeek. Click to view the rankings and analyses.
  • CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine ranks the U.S. Department of State #16 in the 19th Annual "Top 20 Government Agencies." The readers of the magazine selected the top companies/government agencies they would most prefer to work or believe to provide a positive working environment for people with disabilities. Click here to view the list.

2010 Press

  • For State Department officers directing calls, adrenaline always on the line: Read the Washington Post article about the U.S. Department of State's Operations Center. (www.washingtonpost.com, July 14, 2010)


2009 Archive +

2009 Awards

  • The Society for New Communications Research Honors has awarded the U.S. Department of State's INTERNational Connections site (http://careers.state.gov/internconnect) a Commendation of Merit Award under the "Behind the Firewall" Category. Click here to read more about the organization and the awards.
  • BusinessWeek ranks U.S. Department of State #5 as Best Place to Launch a Career and only Federal agency to rank in the Top 20 four consecutive years. Read the September 14, 2009 edition of BusinessWeek, ranking the Department of State in the top five places to launch a career. (BusinessWeek.com, September 14, 2009)
  • Department of State Ranks among Top Five in 2009 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government. Download and read the press release. (PDF, 13kb)

2009 Press

  • Listen to Federal News Radio's interview with Luis Arreaga, Director of the Office of Recruitment, Examination and Employment in the Bureau of Human Resources, concerning "Careers in Foreign Affairs Networking Event." Click here to listen to or download the interview. (www.FederalNewsRadio.com, July 27, 2009)
  • Benefits for Same-Sex Domestic Partners of Foreign Service Employees. Click to read Secretary Clinton's remarks. (www.state.gov, June 18, 2009).
  • Federal News Radio's "Ask the CHO" interviews Luis Arreaga, Director of the Office of Recruitment, Examination and Employment in the Bureau of Human Resources at the Department of State. Click to listen to or download the interview (www.FederalNewsRadio.com, June 10, 2009).
  • Ambassador William Eaton, Diplomat in Residence at UT-Austin, spoke to UIW students about careers in diplomacy. Click here to view a photo of Ambassador Eaton. (UIW Newsletter, March 27, 2009)
  • Uncle Sam Wants You for Foreign Service. Click here to read the article on the Washington Post. (Washingtonpost.com, March 2009)
  • Foreign Service Jobs Reopening Daniele Anastasion of NPR News reports on the hiring surge at the U.S. Department of State's foreign service. Click here to listen. (NPR.com, March 2009)
  • Climbing the Ladder at the State Department Listen to The Kojo Nnamdi Show as they discuss President Obama's plan to open top jobs, such as becoming an Ambassador, to career diplomats at the U.S. Department of State. Click here to listen. (WAMU.org, January 2009)


2008 Archive +

2008 Press

  • Hiring Window is Open at the Foreign Service. Click here to read the article on NYTimes.com. (NYTimes.com, December 2008)
  • Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the 2008 Glamour Women of the Year Award. Click here to read the transcript (PDF, 15kb).
  • "Where Undergrads Dream of Working." According to BusinessWeek’s recent article, the U.S. Department of State maintains a rank in the top five most desirable employers among undergraduate students, for the third consecutive year. Universum Communications conducts annual surveys of undergraduates, graduates and diverse students to help employers better understand brand perceptions among its target audiences. The Department increased its rank among those majoring in Natural Sciences, Business and IT, and remained #1 among Liberal Arts. (Businessweek, 2008) Click here to view
  • Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources: Dortch talks to Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr. about careers in the Foreign Service and the State Department. Dortch will also talk with Ambassador Thomas about recruitment and retention initiatives, the challenges being faced the State Department and what can be expected in terms of hiring in the future. (Federal News Radio, October 9, 2008) http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?amp;sid=1556583&nid=71.
  • Foreign Service Selection Process: Marianne Myles, former U.S. Department of State Director for Recruitment, discusses the new Foreign Service Officer selection process with U.S. Department of State Spokesman Sean McCormack. Click here to view the video.
  • The Future of the Foreign Service: They're a key tool in the exercise of America's "soft power" – civilian diplomats tasked with representing America across the globe. Kojo explores the major challenges confronting America's diplomatic corps in a time of evolving international challenges. (WAMU.org, Monday, March 31, 2008) http://wamu.org/programs/kn/08/03/31.php#20073


2007 Archive +

2007 Awards

2007 Press

  • The Cream of the Crop: The U.S. Department of State finds improved ways to choose Foreign Service Officers. Interview with Marianne Myles, Director of Recruitment, U.S. Department of State. (Federal News Radio, Monday, July 23, 2007)
2006 Archive +
  • #12 ranked "ideal employer" among minority MBAs and undergraduates (Universum, 2006)
  • #4 ranked "Ideal Employer" among minority undergraduate students (Universum, 2006)
  • #3 ranked "Ideal Employer" among undergraduate and MBA students (Universum, 2006)
  • #6 ranked "50 Best Places to Launch Your Career" (BusinessWeek, September 2006)