How to get a job with the CIA

This article describes the easiest way to obtain a job at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Instructions

1. The CIA directly employs more than fifteen thousand people. Unfortunately, they also receive tens of thousands of applications every month. This means that competition for all jobs is fierce. However, some skill sets are more needed than others:

   -Language skills (Slavic, Asian, Middle Eastern, African)
   -Programming skills
   -Paramilitary skills (military special operations, etc.)
   -Specialized research skills (data mining, deep web searching, etc.)
   -Intelligence analysts (military trained)
   -Substantial overseas experience (living abroad)

2. The Central Intelligence Agency has a disproportionate number of Ivy League graduates. This tends to skew the hiring process by placing an overwhelming emphasis on an Ivy League background, academic achievement, and advanced degrees. Therefore, your best bet in pursuing a job with the CIA is to obtain an association with a top tier university (they actively recruit at the most prestigious college campuses).

3. Review the postings on the Central Intelligence Agency's website. The positions are vague and rarely change. The reason for this is that the CIA does no want to give out information concerning specific job functions or personnel deficits. In reality, most of these positions have very specific, unpublicized requirements.

4. Once you've identified a position, begin the process by reviewing the sections in the electronic submission template. Make note of the requirements and space limitations, then work off line to meet the specific formatting requirements.

5. When rewriting your resume, BE SURE to add any pertinent information concerning academic achievements, association, and awards. Imagine that you are developing a web page and want it to be highly ranked by a search engine. What key words would you add to bring your web page to the top? Automated resume processing software acts in a very similar manner.

6. Review what you've written. Make sure it is consistent and supported by facts. Resumes submitted to the CIA will eventually be reviewed by a human being - specifically a department head or supervisor who is looking to fill a position. Therefore, your submission needs to be both computer friendly and people friendly. Bullet points are an absolute must.

7. If your resume is of interest a CIA representative will eventually call you to set up a phone interview. Depending on the position applied for, this interview often consists of questions concerning current events, office holders, and the overall functioning of the intelligence services.

8. The hiring process often takes as a long as a year, and can be stopped at anytime for any reason. Failure to complete the process does not reflect negatively on the applicant. Many of the hiring criteria are open to broad interpretation (specifically polygraph results), with tighter or looser restrictions depending upon the hiring needs of the agency. Results that could get you a job last week may be insufficient this week.

Tips & Warnings

• Clandestine Services has high recruiting priority. If you have no specific skill set (or simply want to be a spy), it makes sense to apply because of the varied and ill-defined nature of the work.

• The CIA conducts background investigations, drugs tests, and polygraph exams. If you lie, they will figure it out.

• A large number of CIA personnel are recruited directly from college campuses. This accounts for some of the agency's quirks and also severely limits the number of older applicants that get hired.

• The CIA generally does not like to hire personnel that are over 35 years with no prior government service because of Federal retirement concerns.