DTI’s hiring of foreign trade officer ongoing

THE Department of Trade and Industry’s Foreign Trade Service Corps is currently holding the 2012 Foreign Trade Service Officer Recruitment and Selection Program in effort to look for dedicated professionals who are eligible to join the Foreign Trade Service Corp’s global network of trade service officers.

The DTI said these officers will be managing the Philippine Trade and Investment Centers and Commercial Affairs Sections of Philippine Embassies and Consulates in countries around the world.

Foreign Trade Service Officers are career officials appointed by the President of the Republic of the Philippines upon recommendation of the Secretary of the DTI. As DTI’s official representative overseas, Foreign Trade Service Officers work with a broad spectrum of government and private sector organizations to articulate, develop and promote Philippine trade and investment interests abroad.

Critical functions include but are not limited to trade policy negotiations, business matching, market intelligence, trade and investment counseling, event organization, commercial diplomacy advocacy and support.

Applicants must be a Filipino citizen with integrity; between the ages of 25 to 35 upon submission or appointment to the Corps; who has not secured or applied for permanent residency outside of the country; a holder of at least a BA or BS degree in law, economics, marketing, management, banking and finance, or other relevant courses from a college or university of good standing; at least four years of commercial experience in a supervisory capacity or actively engaged in the practice of a related profession; available for a worldwide assignment and willing to relocate approximately every 3-4 years; must have knowledge of economic, political, and social issues and conditions; trade and investment policies, export and investment marketing; and must be Civil Service Professional Eligible or granted civil service professional eligibility status (honor graduates and professional license holders) pursuant to P.D. 907 and R.A. 1080.

Non-eligible applicants may still apply provided they secure eligibility within the duration of the selection process.

The Foreign Trade Service Selection and Recruitment Process involve a series of competitive, oral and written examinations or screening hurdles. The applicant must achieve a passing mark in each screening before he can proceed to the next. The nature, sequence and location of the screening process are as follows: Pre-screening (DTI Makati), Written Technical Exam (DTI Makati), Panel Interview (DTI Makati), Psychological Appraisal (Quezon City), Simulation Exercise (Pasig City), and EXCOM Interview (DTI Makati).

Application forms are available at the Human Resource Development and Personnel Services, Department of Trade and Industry, with address at 4/F Trade and Industry Building, 361 Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City. Application forms are also downloadable at dti.gov.ph. Deadline for submission of applications is on Wednesday, 5 p.m., October 10, 2012.

The Foreign Trade Service Corps is the international trade policy negotiation and trade and investment promotion arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry. DTI’s overseas offices which are called Philippine Trade and Investment Centers (PTICs), operate under the supervision of the Head of Mission of the Philippine Embassy or Philippine Consulate General exercising jurisdictional oversight in the area.