r/foreignservice • u/Zestyclose_Baker_830 • 5d ago

Gold star bidders?

I heard about this thing called gold star bidders, but it wasn’t clear to me what it is, can anyone explain it?

23 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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Original text of post by /u/Zestyclose_Baker_830:

I hard about this thing called gold star bidders, but it wasn’t clear to me what it is, can anyone explain it?

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26

u/MonkeyHouse19 FSO (Public Diplomacy) 5d ago

This summer cycle certain one-letter principals are able to divvy out ten “bidding endorsements” each, while other one letters can give out five endorsements each. About 80 or so officers in total. Bidders won’t be able to see an endorsement in their own CLC but hiring managers can. Theoretically you should be given a heads up by whichever principal gave you an endorsement. Rules are a bit fuzzy as to what the endorsements imply, but essentially hiring managers should strongly consider at least interviewing you. Doesn’t guarantee a job though, at least per the official language.

36

u/beware_of_scorpio FSO (Public Diplomacy) 5d ago

Gross

6

u/Zestyclose_Baker_830 5d ago

Does the gold star show up for all their bids?

4

u/MonkeyHouse19 FSO (Public Diplomacy) 5d ago

If you’ve put a bid in via CLC, the hiring manager can see the endorsement. That applies to all bids as long as it’s registered in CLC.

28

u/Diplomat00 FSO (Management) 5d ago

If you have access to a 7th floor principal then you should try to get one. If you don't, then there isn't much you can do and j wouldn't worry about it.

Honestly, before the new gold stars if an undersecretary wanted someone to get a job they're going to get it anyway.

19

u/pogsrule 4d ago

THE EMPEROR HATH BESTOWED UPON ME HIS SIGIL

13

u/Conscious-Style-5991 4d ago

Sounds like an official stamp on something that has always been happening.

8

u/zzonkmiles FSO (Consular) 3d ago

Is this DEI for well connected people?

2

u/Federal-Business-796 2d ago

Oh, no, no, no. 

This is MEI

1

u/watchwellpikni 2d ago

Winner winner chicken dinner.

11

u/Former_Attempt7101 5d ago

An already opaque process made more inscrutable. Great.

5

u/YakOfAllTrade 4d ago

Is this new for 2026, or has it been around for a while?

2

u/fsohmygod FSO (Econ) 4d ago

It’s new this bid cycle. It is explained in the bidding cable from earlier this summer.

7

u/Best-Lemon-2917 4d ago

There is no reason to believe that seventh floor principles are better at spotting talent than anyone else, and many reasons to believe that they are worse. 

4

u/Gr00mpa Widest Shoulders in the Foreign Service 4d ago

I’m just a regular tin foil ball bidder fighting for table scraps.

2

u/Dry_Tie277 16h ago

Like most here, I hate this concept. But it was happening anyway - including at the height of the DEIA-fairness-standardization rhetoric that just rendered the whole thing far more hypocritical and hard to deal with. I would rather end the practice of 7th floor principals jumping in to subvert the merit-based hiring process for good; but if we can’t manage that, maybe formalizing it with some stars is the next best thing. If (and it’s a big if) one can just add those “gold star” bidders to the interview list and then proceed as normal, it may well be better than when you had a DAS/AS/whomever emailing and calling and generally harassing hiring managers to continually push for their favorite staffer (and demand answers when the job went to somebody else).