Diplomat tells how to join Russian Foreign Ministry

Sergey Semyonov, Russia«s Consul General in Gdańsk and a native of the Trans-Urals, told 45.RU how to become a diplomat and get a job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. First of all, he stressed, the choice of university is crucial.

“To those who want to become diplomats, I would advise considering admission to MGIMO, because it is still regarded as a forge of diplomatic personnel. It is the top university, after which it is easiest to get a job at the Foreign Ministry. Many graduates of Moscow State University also make it, especially those from the history faculty, because two foreign languages are taught there, and at a high level. They meet the ministry«s requirements. You could also graduate from MSLU — Moscow State Linguistic University, where foreign-language teaching is also of a high standard. Because when you apply for a job at the Foreign Ministry, you must pass qualifying exams in two languages. If you pass them, you are hired. However, a university must act as your recommender. Typically, that role is assigned to either MGIMO, Moscow State University, or MSLU. In certain exceptional historical cases, other universities may be considered, but that is rare,” Semyonov advised.

The diplomat urged young people to study foreign languages, as the requirement to know two languages is the most challenging part.

“You could, as they say, read up on history overnight and pick up a thing or two. But a language cannot be mastered in one go — it takes years. So if anyone is thinking of taking this path, they must study languages seriously.”

Our fellow countryman also spoke about the qualities essential for a diplomat. The main ones are diligence, perseverance, and a broad outlook.

“First of all, it«s diligence. Because if you expect some easy work, nothing of the sort — you have to work hard, put in the effort; diligence above all. Secondly, perseverance. Perseverance in achieving goals will be required of you your entire life. Not only when entering university or getting a job at the Foreign Ministry, but later too, because life will keep setting new tasks before you. To accomplish them, you must be a very persistent person. Thirdly, knowledge and a broad outlook. Every diplomat needs that, so read books. You should be well-read, well-traveled, and well-versed in history, geography, international relations, and world politics,” the diplomat said.

Sergey Semyonov also mentioned the need to understand psychology, since diplomatic work involves dealing with all sorts of people.

“When you deal with others, you must understand who you are dealing with. If you plan some interaction or a serious meeting, you should learn as much as possible about the person, what they are like, in order to steer the conversation toward them, to get them talking, to win them over. So psychology is also an important point.”

Earlier, we reported that our fellow countryman Sergey Semyonov was born in Shadrinsk and studied in the village of Shmakovo, Ketovsky district. After vocational school, he entered MGIMO, then joined the Foreign Ministry and spent more than 23 years living in Poland as a diplomat.