CIA or NSA jobs

[talyn00]

Has anyone here been hired or interviewed with the CIA or NSA? I'm trying to find out a bit more about the application process. The type of interviews they give to recent grads in the CS field, stuff like that.

Thanks

 

[akubi]

i'd tell you, but then i'd have to kill you.








:roll:

 

[Ranger X]

I'm not sure how accurate this information is but I heard/read somewhere that they mostly recruit people with post graduate degrees.

 

[iwantanewcomputer]

i think it's a lot like interviewing with big companies, except they have guns and will shoot you if you give the wrong answer

 

[OulOat]

They will do a background check and require a polygraph.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: OulOat
They will do a background check and require a polygraph.

although i've never really understood the US love affair with those devices 😛

 

[trinketsummoner]

If you have ask how to get in you arent the kind of person they are looking for

 

[imported_Kensai]

Jump into the porn industry. 😉

 

[rudder]

Originally posted by: OulOat
They will do a background check and require a polygraph.

and I would like to add the polygraph test is an ordeal in itself.

 

[Yreka]

Get a job as a janitor at MIT. Solve complex math formulas posted on a blackboard in the hallway. Attend therapy with Robin Willams. Someone will set up the interviews for you !

 

[HardcoreRobot]

LOTS of positions open. CS bachelors degree from a good school is enough to get an interview, though a masters is obviously a surer bet. Not sure about the actual interview types, but the harder part is actually get the security clearance. Be prepared for a process that will take 6mo to 2 years, involve drug tests, credit reports, talking to your friends, coworkers, employers etc, and a polygraph exam (possible covering personal behavior (including crime, sex, drugs, mental health, finances etc.)

 

[talyn00]

I was more interested in the interviewing process. I know the poly and background check comes after a CJO

 

[bleeb]

You have to be a smart guy.

 

A friend of mine got a job with the NSA, within a year, he wished he would have went with a private company with his CS degree from MD.

 

[bignateyk]

I wonder what CS/EE/CE people would actually do at the NSA/CIA.

I cant imagine its anything like portrayed on TV. Its probably pretty crappy actually. Not everyone can be out hunting terrorists and stoping the haxors.

 

[frankgomez75]

So, your interested in working for us...eh?

I'll leave a package for you under a rock next to your local post office. In it, you will find instructions on what to do next. Tell no one of this....... we'll be watching you Mr. Anderson.... we'll be watching....

 

[nakedfrog]

The first rule of the NSA is, do not talk about the NSA.

 

[Ameesh]

why do you want to work for either? as far as good CS jobs go they are not in the top 100, if you want to serve your country then that is something else

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Too bad pay isn't that great when you compare to the private industry.

 

[talyn00]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
why do you want to work for either? as far as good CS jobs go they are not in the top 100, if you want to serve your country then that is something else

i'm just exploring my options in the field

 

[dug777]

i still don't get the point of polgraph tests, they've been shown to be usless many many times IIRC...

 

[TommyVercetti]

Considered DISA? The work is probably just as interesting from a technical point of view. Sure it's not an espionage agency, but it's the work that counts.

http://www.disa.mil/main/joa.html

Seems to be down at the moment, so check back later.

 

[Shanteli]

I got a 1st round interview w/ the CIA...fairly straightforward...normal questions and all but the guy had this Thinkpad that he was hella out everything that came out of my mouth. Unfortunately I did not make it to round 2 but yes if you make it further you have to do everything from write up a long autobiography and also get polygraphed and security clearence background check. I'll be finishing my MS this year so I'll be trying again.

 

[frankgomez75]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
The first rule of the NSA is, do not talk about the NSA.

Great, now we gotta order a squad of hitman ninjas cuz you broke the first rule!

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: dug777
i still don't get the point of polgraph tests, they've been shown to be usless many many times IIRC...

I agree that the test itself is useless. I think it's actually used more as an intimidation/enforcement mechanism. It tends to self elimnate people who don't think they would pass the poly, or discourage people from behavior that they think might be caught by a poly. AFAIK, no significant spy case has ever been broken with a routine polygraph - but they'll argue that they've *prevented* some in the first place. Which is impossible to prove or disprove.

Back to the OP - I've known people who have worked in some of the organizations. They loved the work, the opportunities, and the resources they had access to, hated the politics and the career outlook (stuck at GS13 for decades). From my own experience, internal politics within and between these organizations is among the worst I've encountered, often at the cost of the mission IMHO.

It's a good place to have on your resume, but not neccesarily a good place for a career.