She took time out from her busy schedule to talk with Vault about recruiting for the Foreign Service and the State Department's diversity hiring initiatives. To find out more about the Department's recruiting and apply for the Foreign Service, go to www.careers.state.gov.

Vault: First, I'd like to get a sense of scale when we're talking about State Department recruiting. About how many college students do you bring into the State Department each year?

Castiglione: It's difficult to say, because it has to do with how we hire. We hire thorough an examination process. Unlike a lot of companies, who'll say "Each year we'll hire x number of people for our entry-level program" -- we don't do that. Our [Foreign Service] exam is open to everybody; you have to pass through that and our oral assessment before you're hired.

Having said that, we do a fair amount of recruitment on campus because we want students to consider the Department. But it's hard to say how many students we actually hire, because the process takes some time. Somebody might take the test in April, and might not get hired until another year.

Vault: How many Foreign Service Officers do you hire overall a year?

Castiglione: For this fiscal year, and the previous year, we hired about 500 FSOs each year. Most people who come in have an advanced degree, or some work experience. Very few people come in straight from undergraduate school. They may have applied while in undergraduate school, but the time lag is such that they've usually got a year or two of work experience before they're actually hired.

Vault: You do hire students as interns, however.

Castiglione: Yes. We have a lot of different student programs. Generally speaking for our internship program, we'll have about 1,000 to 1,200 students serve as interns each year, the vast majority of whom serve in the summer. There are about 800 or 900 in summer. Of the summer internships, about half of these are overseas, half or in Washington. In the fall and spring, some are overseas, and most are in DC.

Vault: I would guess that with the increased emphasis on foreign affairs since September 11, you've seen increased interest in the Foreign Service and other State Department positions? Is this correct, and how would you characterize any increase?

Castiglione: I think we have seen an increase in interest, but I don't know if I'd tie it into 9/11, because the increase we've seen was happening before 9/11.

I get asked this question a lot, and I think that for everyone who might have been inspired, I think there were an equal number who said "I'm not going overseas.

I think the increase can be explained by a number of things, like the economy. Some of it is inspired by political events; some of it is inspired by dot-com failures and the search for stability. Some of it's inspired by general attitudes -- current students seem to have a greater interest in public service than previous generations.

We had huge number of people signing up for the exam in 2001, and the deadline was before September 11. So we saw that interest even before 9/11.

Vault: How many people take the exam each year?

Castiglione: This past year, we had about 19,000 people taking the test. The written exam is just the first step, then if you're successful in the written exam, you're invited to take the oral assessment. Out of roughly 4,000 people or so who pass the test, they're invited to the oral assessment.

Vault: Wow, that's quite competitive.

Castiglione: Well yes, it's competitive in the sense that there are a lot of people going for these jobs -- you're in there with a high volume of people, all of whom are highly qualified.

Vault: So when you hire, are you hiring for particular geographic hotspots where there's a need? Or are you more looking for talented people overall.

Castiglione: We're bringing in generalists. We hire a pool of people, and they get their assignments subsequent to being hired. So you could say we're looking for talented people who want to do this job.

To come into the foreign service, you have to agree to be worldwide available, anybody applying needs to consider that and understand that we're not just talking London, Paris or Rome.

Vault: And when you say you're looking for talented individuals, what are you looking for?

Castiglione: First, I'd encourage you and anyone interested in the Foreign Service to visit our web site at www.careers.state.gov, as the qualifications are detailed there. The written exam tests for knowledge, the oral assessment assesses you for 13 behaviors, which are all spelled out on the web site. They're things like communication skills, working well with others, objectivity, integrity, and so on.

Vault: I'm particularly interested in the diversity hiring initiatives at the State Department. How does the Department identify talented diversity candidates for the organization?

Castiglione: What we're doing in recruitment is encouraging diverse audiences in applying to the department, But when we talk about diversity, we're not just talking about race, ethnicity and national origin, which is what most people mean when they talk about diversity.

We're also talking about skills diversity. We need a wide variety of skills at the state department, and when most people think about the State Department, they think you need a degree in political science or international relations or something along those lines. But we also need people with degrees in science and technology, management, and just a whole realm of areas, that people might not traditionally think of.

So, we're trying to reach out to groups both on campus and through professional associations to inform people and let them know about the opportunities that exist so they consider a career with the Department of state. I think a lot of groups simply aren't aware of the types of opportunities we offer.

Vault: For some students, the State Department and the federal government represent a stodgier side of employment -- slower promotions, more bureaucracy, and so on. -- when compared to the private sector. How do recruiters in the field sell the State Department as an employer to students who might also be considering the private sector?

Castiglione: I think the image is out there that with the government that people sit at their desks and stamp papers. I dont know what papers people think they're stamping& I don't think that that's an accurate image.

Every organization is bureaucratic in its own way. For example, universities are among the most bureaucratic institutions. I don't think all students understand that, that every organization has its culture and its way of doing business.

Having said that, I think with the government and state department has a tremendous opportunity to really make a difference, to really be involved in issues and events that you and your family read about in the newspaper everyday, or hear about everyday. I think that's one of the greatest sources of satisfaction -- that we're involved in specific issues that you hear about, and that we're making a difference.

Vault: You joined the Foreign Service in 1984. How would you say the Service has changed as far as makeup in terms of diversity?

Castiglione: I think it's evolving. It hasn't changed as much as we'd like it to, and that's why we have the emphasis on reaching out to diverse audience. We're seeing the number of minorities who take part in our student program, and who take the exam increasing. Now we need to increase the number of hires that result from that. We have that as one of our clear priorities.