Jennifer Shin, Foreign Service Officer | Vice Consul at the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou, China
/3 Key Takeaways:
Take advantage of any language learning opportunities, especially early on in your education or career.
Don’t count out fellow students as valuable mentors. Even students who are only a few years older than you can have insightful advice about your shared field of interest.
Always be open to a change in direction. Your career plan at 22 is often very different than it will be later on, and many settle into their field only after many years of experience.
Can you describe your current role as a Foreign Service Officer and what your typical day looks like?
CV in brief:
Education: BA in International Studies and Asian Studies at Boston College | MA in International Economics and Korea Studies at Johns Hopkins University
Career So Far: Diplomat in the U.S. Department of State | 2017 Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow | Research Assistant at The Sejong Institute | Business Analyst at Samsung SDS in South Korea
Languages: Korean, Japanese, Chinese
Date of Interview: 7 February 2021
Author: Isabelle Ng
I am a first tour officer with the State Department, and the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou is my first overseas assignment. I am originally a Political Coned Officer, but as a first or second tour officer, you mainly serve as a consular officer conducting visa adjudications. That includes interviewing visa applicants, and reviewing and adjudicating their applications. We ensure that we are admitting eligible applicants in order to protect our border security, while fostering our economic growth at the same time. Many travellers and international students contribute to our economy, so normally, that is what my day-to-day job would be. Right now, because I am still new to the office, I am going through a lot of training.
For college and university students who are curious about joining the Foreign Service, could you share some insights on the recruitment process and how you personally joined the State Department?
For the Foreign Service Officer career, you can start by taking the Foreign Service Officer Test, which is composed of a computer based test, a personal narratives questionnaire, and an oral assessment. There are multiple steps involved in the process and they can be challenging, but I was very privileged to be selected as a Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow. This fellowship program was launched about 30 years ago to recruit and prepare talented young people who are from historically underrepresented backgrounds or minority groups, such as immigrants, women, people of color, and those with financial need. I came across this opportunity back in college during my internship at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, and I decided to apply four years ago while I was applying for graduate schools. This program is a significant asset to have because it supports you financially through two years of graduate school and provides you two summer internships, one at the State Department’s headquarters in Washington D.C. and another at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. These internships help fellows experience the multi-layered and multifaceted inner workings of foreign policymaking and implementations of the Foreign Service, both in and outside of the country. There are also many networking and professional development opportunities to prepare for the required entrance exams, so it is such a tremendous privilege to be selected.
Some people might be unsure if the Foreign Service is for them. For women who are still in university or have not spent that much time in the workforce, was there a specific moment where you decided that being in the Foreign Service was for you?
My initial interest in U.S. government service was sparked by receiving the Boren Scholarship to study abroad in Japan during my junior year of college, which my professor in the Political Science Department at Boston College had encouraged me to apply for. There have also been many Foreign Service mentors and role models that I have looked up to for my career. The critical moment that strongly inspired me to pursue this path was when I met with Ambassador Sung Kim, the first Korean-American U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, at a youth seminar arranged by the U.S. Embassy in Seoul in February 2012. We talked, shook hands, and took photos, and it resonated with me that someone who is an immigrant and had the same background as me could contribute to American interests and promote our values abroad as a diplomat at such a high level. The experience definitely struck a chord with me.
What is your favorite part of the job so far?
It is hard to pick one because the job is amazing on so many different levels. The opportunities to travel are immense, so if you are passionate about learning different cultures and languages, and engaging with other people on a global level, then this is definitely the right job for you. The other benefit is that we serve as the face of America and represent our country abroad. Every job and task you complete builds up and aggregates, generating a synergy effect that contributes to American diplomacy. It is very humbling and an incredible opportunity to stand at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy.
So what is a common misconception about the Foreign Service or something you wish you had known when applying?
A common preconceived notion is that we are just paid through taxpayer money, and that we party all the time or travel around the world. But the core of our job is protecting American citizens abroad and ensuring their safety and health, especially during times of crisis. For example, last year when COVID-19 first struck, Foreign Service Officers were tasked with evacuating American citizens around the world. We also ensure that American businesses thrive in a global market through partnerships with like-minded countries.
You are proficient in Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, which is incredibly impressive. Have you ever had to pick up a language in a relatively short time? How do you maintain all of them at once?
Korean is actually my mother tongue because I was born in Englewood, New Jersey, but I was raised in South Korea until I was in seventh grade, when my family decided to move back to the United States. Growing up in different countries has been a significant asset to me. I am technically bicultural and bilingual, since I can function at a native level in both professional and personal settings in South Korea as well. I also learned Japanese out of personal curiosity and academic interest. From childhood, I was always interested in foreign languages and my path to International Relations was kindled by my interest in the controversial and complicated relations between Korea and Japan. It can be hard to maintain your language proficiency down the road if you are not exposed to that environment, and if you do not have the opportunity to speak that language, especially if you start learning that language at a much later age. Although I have spent considerably more time studying Chinese, my Chinese is still not as fluid as my Japanese, but I am working hard to build up my proficiency in the language. Since I will be living in China for two years, I am sure I will become more fluent.
You attended Boston College and Johns Hopkins University, and studied abroad in Japan. What do you think women who are interested in studying foreign policy should look for in a university or study abroad experience in order to get the most out of it?
This is more general advice that could apply to any field or major, but regardless of where you end up, you have to remember that no program is perfect. Every place and program has different strengths, advantages, resources, and opportunities, so I think by making the most out of it, every place will benefit you in the long run. During college, I took advantage of every resource available such as study abroad and various scholarship programs. I also created a curriculum that was tailored to my interests by doing an independent study with my political science professor and taking most of the Asian Studies courses offered at school. This helped me pursue my passion and specialize in the particular area where I ended up.
At Johns Hopkins, where I studied for my graduate degree at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), I got to pursue a field of my interest in more depth and develop stronger expertise and specialization in East Asian affairs or U.S.-East Asian relations. Studying in Washington D.C., was a huge benefit to me since I was constantly exposed to the daily inner functionings of government and international affairs. I was also able to interact with like-minded young professionals or field practitioners and leaders who continued to inspire me.
Internships are also a strong platform for career building. You were successful in finding internships that related to East Asian foreign affairs. Do you have any advice for other students whose area of interest might fall within your particular specialization?
My graduate school internships were provided to me through the Pickering Fellowship, so I was very lucky with regard to those as they also included a stipend. For my unpaid undergraduate internships, I had to go through the regular process. It was very competitive and sometimes daunting as everyone swarmed in to find a position for the summer, even if they were only freshmen and sophomores in college. But one tip is to stay patient. Even if you are not accepted to a position, it does not mean you are unqualified, it simply means that you and the employer have different needs. Rather than stressing over what others are doing or thinking about how others appear as if they are ahead of you, you should just keep doing whatever you can by maximizing your own capacities. Finding mentors and listening to stories about their personal and professional lives is also helpful and informative. They can guide you with numerous resources and insights, and teach you the ins and outs of the process. So, I would often reach out to seniors to get career counselling advice.
Where else did you meet the mentors who were most significant to your career? You spoke about Ambassador Sung Kim being important to your career journey. What are some pieces of advice that your mentors have given you that you would like to pass on to other women interested in foreign policy?
Our job is not easy because society still imposes expected gender roles on us. Even now, women are still expected to carry out duties as a mother or a wife, rather than proactively venturing out and forwarding a career. Foreign Service is especially very challenging because you have to rotate to different countries every two to three years. I have many role models that I look up to and follow. One who comes to mind is Senior Foreign Service Officer Julie Chung. She joined the Foreign Service in the early 1990s, when there were far fewer minority or Asian-American women in the Foreign Service. I worked under her guidance when I was doing an internship at the State Department’s Office of Japanese Affairs, as she was the Desk Director back then. Seeing how much energy and passion that she brought on a daily basis and her pride in her everyday job inspired me. As an intern, you are still in the baby steps of your career, and it was helpful and empowering to have someone who took such pride in their job as a model example to look up to.
Some students might feel discouraged because some internships are unpaid, so that can be a barrier to entry. Do you think there are other ways to prepare for a career in foreign policy if internships are not necessarily an option?
The Foreign Service does not pick candidates based on their academic background or major. Because we are such a diverse body that consistently seeks unique backgrounds and sets of people, we believe we can tap into the intelligence and experience of everyone, regardless of what they studied, where they have lived, or what their upbringing was like. If you want to prepare for a career in the Foreign Service, an important thing to note is that writing and oral communication skills are central to our job. Your character and personality also matter a lot. Diplomacy is the work of people, so having soft skills and people skills is important. Since it is also a career for public service, you should carefully and objectively examine if you are willing to provide service for others, rather than working for personal gain. The 13 Dimensions of Foreign Service is a list of the ideal skill set for Foreign Service Officers. It mentions skills such as composure, cultural adaptability, communication skills, judgement, integrity, and resourcefulness. Not all Foreign Service Officers are perfect in all those ways, but those are the qualities we constantly seek and strive to cultivate in our career.
What are some signals that you think new graduates should look for in a first or early job?
This is a slightly difficult question because I started my first full-time job in South Korea right after completing my undergraduate degree, so my initial experience might be very area-specific. In my senior year of college, I felt discouraged at first because I struggled a lot with finding a job. It is so important to remember not to doubt yourself too much when settling into a first job. Even if you are a senior in college, you are still very young, usually 21 or 22. I found a career that truly fit me much later, in my mid-to-late twenties. Even if you do not find the job you want right after graduating, it is not the end of the world, you might just need to keep searching. If some people seem to be ahead of you, that does not mean you will always lag behind others or not excel in the future. You have your own aptitude and talent that will guide you to the right path, so continue to build your professional skills and networks, and try to maintain a broader perspective and see a bigger picture. Also, there will always be countless smart and hardworking people in the field, but what differentiates you from others might be your character.
Do you feel like your work in foreign affairs has informed or changed your perspective on being Korean-American in the U.S.?
I have two cultures that make up my identity. Balancing that had always been a struggle for me, especially back when the predominant image of an American diplomat was a white man. I think that it is still rare for people to come to terms with the fact that an Asian-American woman can also be an American diplomat. I am a Korean-American diplomat representing the face of America abroad.
A relevant example I can conjure up in my memory is from two summers ago when I was an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk. I was responsible for fingerprinting visa applicants as they came into the embassy. Belarusian nationals would see me as the entry into the U.S. Embassy to get their fingerprints documented. At the window I would greet them, and perhaps I did not resemble the typical American that they expected. It would leave them with a strong impression that America was made up of diverse groups of people, and I found immense joy and pride in carrying out that routine fingerprinting job.
Thank you so much to Jennifer for her insights and for agreeing to do this amazing interview with us!
