- Name: Michael Gort
- Current location: San Jose, Costa Rica
- Home town: Ottawa, Canada
- Education: B.A. Combined Honours in Economics and Political Science, Western University, Canada. M.A. from Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, Canada.
- Current position: Ambassador of Canada to Costa Rica, Honduras & Nicaragua
- Bio: Michael Gort first joined in the public service in 2003, through Interchange Canada. He worked in several branches of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), including serving as the director of the Ghana Program, and the Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome. He became Ambassador to Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua in September 2015.
- Countries I've worked in: Canada, Guatemala, Ghana, Italy, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua. Guatemala, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Sector / subsectors: International Relations, Diplomacy, Global Affairs
- Areas of expertise: international relations, human rights, development, governance, diplomacy
- Country: Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua
- Region: Central America
- Sector: Government
- Degree subject: Economics, International relations, Political science
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What organization do you work for, what’s your role and what does it entail?Ambassador Michael Gort breaks down his job into two different parts.
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Being an ambassador sounds like a dream job for some people. How did you get to where you are now? What was your career trajectory?Find out what skill Michael had that got him his first job at an NGO.
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You weren’t successful when you first tried to join the foreign service, but you got there in the end. Can you talk to us about that?Think about how you can make yourself more valuable to the foreign service.
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Talk to us about education. Are there certain fields of study that are more desirable to the foreign service?Just because you want work internationally doesn’t mean you have to major in international affairs.
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You mentioned that your experience working at NGOs was valuable. Can you tell us about those roles and the skills you gained?Michael tells us about the opportunities he got working at an NGO after university that he wouldn’t have had working for the government.
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You’ve been in this field for a long time. How has the sector changed? What direction do you see it moving in?Find out what Michael says they need in their foreign service staff now, more than ever before.
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Of the young people you’ve seen intern at your embassy, what traits do they bring to the table? What makes them successful?
Michael tells us the one trait that makes successful interns stand out.
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What are your tips for networking in this sector?Find out what mistake Michael says he made when he younger - and quickly learned from.
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There seems to be a Catch-22 with needing international experience to get a job, and needing a job to get international experience. How does someone navigate that?Find out why Michael says international experience isn’t the be all and end all.
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Another interviewee said that to stand out you should learn Excel, and be the Excel whiz in the office. Is there something practical and tangible that someone can do to give them an edge in this sector?Michael tells us the one thing that has always worked for him throughout his career.
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Do you have tips when it comes to applying and interviewing for jobs in the sector?
Find out what Michael says will not get you in the door.
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What are different streams within the foreign service?Michael breaks down the different career paths within an embassy, and how all roads can lead to being an ambassador.
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Ultimately, how important is it to know languages in this sector?Michael says a language is what gave him the edge in his first job.
