Overview
The HM Diplomatic Service Fast Stream accepts a very small number of candidates each year, and the people who get through tend to have a specific combination of qualities: language skills, international exposure, policy writing ability, and an understanding of how multilateral institutions operate. A good degree in international relations is the starting point, not the differentiator.
Oliver Hartley graduated from the University of Exeter with a First Class Honours in International Relations, scoring a 74% average and winning the Exeter Politics Prize for the best dissertation in his cohort. He spent his third year at Sciences Po Paris, completed a 6-month internship at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and led the Exeter Model UN society to awards at 4 national and international conferences. His resume is structured to mirror the competencies the Fast Stream assesses.
What Makes This Resume Work
The FCDO internship provides real diplomatic experience. Oliver worked in the Western Europe Directorate, supporting UK bilateral relations with France and the Benelux countries. He drafted 12 policy briefings for senior officials ahead of bilateral meetings covering trade, security, and migration. He attended 4 multilateral meetings at the OECD and Council of Europe as part of the UK delegation support team. He translated and summarised over 30 French-language media articles and government statements for the daily press digest. He also supported logistics for 2 ministerial visits to Paris. This is not generic civil service admin. It is the actual work of a junior diplomat.
Languages are proven, not just listed. Oliver holds a DELF B2 certificate in French and spent a full academic year studying at Sciences Po Paris. He also lists conversational Spanish. The Fast Stream values language ability highly, and Oliver has both formal certification and immersive experience to back his claims. The fact that he translated live policy materials at the FCDO shows these are working languages, not classroom ones.
Model UN leadership demonstrates initiative at scale. As president of the Exeter MUN society, Oliver led 65 active members, sent delegations to 6 national and international conferences (winning awards at 4), and organised Exeter's first in-house conference with over 100 participants. He also won Best Delegate at the Oxford International MUN, competing against over 300 delegates from 40 universities. This level of competitive success and organisational leadership is hard to match.
Key Takeaways
If you are targeting the Diplomatic Service Fast Stream, your resume needs to show that you have already operated in international and multilateral settings. An FCDO internship is ideal but not the only route; research assistant roles, think tank placements, or NGO work abroad can serve similar purposes. The key is to demonstrate that you can write policy, communicate across cultures, and lead in structured environments. Get your language certifications documented, and make sure every extracurricular activity on your resume connects to the competency framework the Fast Stream uses.
