| Common Questions About CIA Employment | |
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What college courses should I take or what major should I choose?
The CIA does recommend any one academic track over another. CIA employees come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds.
The Agency's personnel requirements change from month to month as positions are filled and others become available. Our best advice to you is to work hard and get good grades. Fluency in a foreign language is a plus. Integrity, character, and patriotism are a must.
If I don't have a degree, will experience count?
Having an undergraduate degree is not mandatory, but is highly recommended. Life experiences are taken into consideration. However, a standard requirement for overseas officers, intelligence analysts, and other non-clerical positions, is a college degree, preferably an advanced degree.
What is the minimum age for employment at the CIA?
You must be at least 18 years of age.
Does the CIA discriminate in hiring practices?
The Agency does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, or sexual orientation in granting, denying, or revoking security clearances.
What student programs does the CIA offer?
The Central Intelligence Agency offers four programs for students considering a career in the intelligence field. Each program offers valuable educational and practical work experience that enhances the student's chosen field of study and prepares them for the future. These positions are extremely competitive and most students hired by the CIA are recommended through their campus cooperative education programs. Students are given a salary and excellent benefits. The CIA does not offer financial grants or scholarships.
I am in the military. Can I transfer to the CIA to fulfill my obligation?
No. You must fulfill your obligation to the armed services. You should apply via the website as your final year of service begins if you are interested in seeking employment with the Agency. You should also know that the CIA is not a veteran's preference agency.
What if I used drugs or still use drugs; will this disqualify me from employment?
If you are a recent or frequent user of illegal drugs, including marijuana, you need to know that CIA is a drug-free workplace. Drug abuse is one of the common reasons applicants are denied a security clearance, you cannot work for the CIA without a security clearance. You can find more information on this subject at BEFORE YOU APPLY.
How do I apply for a job at the CIA?
The preferred and strongly recommended method is the online resume submission found at the bottom of each position advertised. Multiple online submissions are unnecessary and will slow the processing of your resume. For more information, see HOW TO APPLY.
What is involved in the application process? How long does it take?
Because of the classified nature of our work at the Central Intelligence Agency, the application process is a lengthy one. Depending on an applicant's specific circumstances, the process may take as little as two months or more than a year.
Each applicant must undergo a thorough background investigation examining your life's history, your character, trustworthiness, reliability and soundness of judgment. Also examined is one's freedom from conflicting allegiances, potential to be coerced and willingness and ability to abide by regulations governing the use, handling and the protection of sensitive information. The Agency uses the polygraph to check the veracity of this information. The hiring process also entails a thorough medical examination of one's mental and physical fitness to perform essential job functions.
[Source: Central Intelligence Agency]
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