U.S. Department of State Reviews
78% would recommend to a friend
(1831 total reviews)
Antony Blinken
92% approve of CEO
What are your colleagues talking about?
Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "Great people; Intelligent and hardworking teammates on my team; State really pushes for optimum work" (in 120 reviews)
- "Great opportunity to get a clearance and exposure to the United States Government and Foreign Policy." (in 82 reviews)
- "far from your own country, poor management, difficult for singles AND married couples." (in 49 reviews)
- "Federal bureaucracy and lots of red tape as a result; long security clearance process; internship was unpaid and abroad thereby incurring personal spending." (in 36 reviews)
Ratings by Demographics
This rating reflects the overall rating of U.S. Department of State and is not affected by filters.
Filter Reviews by Topic
Found 1,831 of over 2K reviews
Updated Dec 5, 2023
- Popular
- Most Recent
- Highest Rating
- Lowest Rating
- 5.0Aug 2, 2023Managing DirectorCurrent Employee
Pros
Shaping US international policy on critical global issues
Cons
Big bureaucracy that can be very difficult to navigate
- 4.0Nov 29, 2023Human Resources Specialist (HR Specialist)Current Employee, more than 3 yearsOrlando, FL
Pros
Fast transition to higher grades, FS opportunities overseas and locally, TS clearance that allows you to apply for different jobs gov wide, excellent student loan repayment program that pays up to 10k annually to retain employees and most positions allows to telework +40%
Cons
TS Takes about 6-8 months to be granted, low key profile, most positions do not allow to work remotely from a different location (other than the one you were hired)
- 5.0Sep 20, 2023Government Information SpecialistCurrent Employee, more than 3 yearsArlington, VA
Pros
- The work culture is more positive than other agencies’ work culture. - If you find a promotion-heavy job category, you can stay in for several years with consistent promotions every 52 weeks. - Health benefits are pretty sound and with reliable coverage and pricing. - Retirement benefits are great. - Parental leave is ample for mothers and fathers. - Telework flexibility is prevalent in most positions. - The agency cares about raising up good leaders. - TDY opportunities can be plentiful and very rewarding. - DOS advocates for details with other offices and agencies to encourage relationships within the federal government, so this can ultimately lead to better promotion opportunities for employees.
Cons
- PTO accrual is bleak. - The best opportunity for positions is often in high cost-of-living cities. - Performance recognition can be hard to come by. - The wait to promote to the next grade (52 consecutive weeks of full time work) can make-or-break desires to stay for some employees. - Equating private-sector salary and experience to GS scale is difficult and can often result in an undercut salary.
- 4.0Dec 5, 2023Program CoordinatorFormer Employee, more than 3 yearsWashington, DC
Pros
Competitive salary and good benefits
Cons
Little potential for promotions and strong bureaucracy.
- 5.0Dec 5, 2023Program ManagerFormer Employee
Pros
Exciting and meaningful work, nice benefits, and great travel.
Cons
Government bureaucracy is frustrating sometimes.
- 4.0Nov 16, 2023Information Management SpecialistFormer Employee, more than 10 yearsWashington, DC
Pros
Most if not all positions can and will make a difference in most countries.
Cons
A lot of travel and away from the US for long time periods.
- 4.0Nov 28, 2023Construction ManagerCurrent Employee, more than 1 yearWashington, DC
Pros
Travel opportunities and flexible work environment
Cons
Bureaucracy and slow moving projects
- 5.0Nov 26, 2023US Foreign Service OfficerCurrent Employee
Pros
Impact, adventure, service, responsibility, constant growth
Cons
Living far away from friends and family at times.
- 2.0Aug 31, 2023Foreign Service OfficerFormer Employee, more than 5 years
Pros
Best mission I ever had -- I was a consular officer helping US citizens abroad. I also protected the US by making important visa decisions. Wish I could have stayed -- alas, State's ridiculous promotion system drove me out.
Cons
Opaque promotion system -- I received praise and awards during my seven years at State - I (naively) believed doing a good job and taking the hard tasks would be enough to be promoted -- not so much. There are words and phrases that must be in your efficiency report (EER) in order for you to get promoted -- problem is that you don't find out what they are until it's too late. There is a significant EER to reality disconnect -- if your EER is not written perfectly, embellishing the truth, and in some cases outright lying, you will not get promoted. I know of a case where an FSO was sent back to the US due to disciplinary issues -- guess what, he got promoted -- early -- because he could write, and his disciplinary issue was not brought up in front of the board. I blame myself -- I do not blame State -- I did not learn the culture soon enough, and paid the price.
6 - 4.0Nov 22, 2023FSOCurrent Employee, more than 8 yearsWashington, DC
Pros
Feel good. Important work. Excellent colleagues. Major impact.
Cons
Bureaucratic. Difficult to rise through ranks quickly.
U.S. Department of State Reviews FAQs
U.S. Department of State has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 2,378 reviews left anonymously by employees. 78% of employees would recommend working at U.S. Department of State to a friend and 66% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.
78% of U.S. Department of State employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated U.S. Department of State 3.4 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.8 for career opportunities.
According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at U.S. Department of State to be coworkers, benefits, career development and the cons to be senior leadership, management, culture.
