US State Department hires - but whom?

Two months ago I wrote about America's lack of diplomats. The article I referred to must have been tipped by the State Department because since then the State Department has decided to hire 1100 new diplomats.

The question is whether the people that it hires will be the right people. Foreign Policy had an article by Andrew Curry about the hiring process at the State Department. He decided to to the test for the first step in the hiring process. He came away pessimistic. It looks like the State Department cares more that you can manage the embassy cook than that you know something about international relations.

Here is another article about the hiring by the State Department. This one has much attention to how the work is organised and paid.