United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice

“What Goes On in Other Countries Affects Americans” ~ UN Ambassador Susan Rice

Conference Call with United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice on July 28, 2010.

Thanks to Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (www.ypfp.org), I was able to be a part of this conference call in which Ambassador Rice discussed the importance of public service and the qualities she looks for when hiring a team member before taking a few questions from YPFP members.

Rice began by stating that she recognized the enormous challenge presented by public service, but also the “amazing privilege” that such service presents. For all of us young and enthusiastic foreign policy geeks, she said this new generation will be focused on economics and a web of security issues unknown to her and her predecessors.

One comment that I greatly appreciated was Rice’s statement that “what goes on in other countries affects Americans”. I wish each of us really understood this. I also would like to point out, for those billions of non-Americans in the world-what goes on in some of the most remote places on earth trickles back and affects you and I in ways we often never realize. This is part of the reason why I started this blog-no country is isolated-globalization has removed that possibility.

I hope to delve further into this in later posts…

Now for the meat and potatoes of the call:

If you are considering a position with the U.N., Rice is looking for these qualities, in addition to relevant skills and expertise:

· People who have spent “quality time overseas, either lived or served” outside of the U.S.

· Fluency in Languages-yes, plural-although fluency in one language outside of English is great, those who can speak 2 or more other than English will get her staff’s attention.

If the Europeans can master 5 languages in a lifetime, why can’t we?

· Flexibility-adapt and adjust to whatever is thrown at you

· Be a good writer! She heavily emphasized that she will not waste time trying to train an otherwise great candidate how to write well and be creative.

· A Selfless Teamplayer-if you don’t get this figured out, you will have a hard time being successful anywhere

When asked if there was one topic she recommended young people be conversant in, her answer was:

“The language of Money and Budgets. You need to be able to understand how budgets work and be able to marshal resources. You’d be surprised how rare that knowledge is in government.”

And finally, her thoughts on family and still being dedicated to a high profile position:

“If you want to start a family, don’t wait until you think it’s the perfect time-that perfect time may never come. There’s always something professional you want to get done, but you will find the rewards outweigh the stresses. Having a partner ready and willing to share and trade-off with you is very important. And, being there for your family and loved ones should always top the priority list: you will only regret not being there. There is always someone who can back-stop you at work temporarily, but no one else can be that sister/brother/daughter/son.

One Last Note, since the Office of Presidential Personnel also joined the call.

If you are interested in joining the Obama Administration, be sure to submit your resume to the link on www.whitehouse.gov. This is not for jobs inside the White House, but for political appointments. You do not have to have campaign experience, (although that helps), but be sure to be specific when listing your qualifications. The top five areas of expertise that the OPP is looking for

1. Economics

2. Energy & Environment

3. Domestic Issues

4. National Security Council

5. Boards and Commissions