Polygraph tests are so much BS

[ichy]

Why it's still being allowed for job interviews is beyond me. They're far from accurate and easy to cheat. Any veteran spy will tell you that. The machines need to be outlawed.

Polygraphys are unscientific nonsense, however people have a tendency to become honest when they're hooked up to one. I know several people who've had to take them for gov't jobs, everyone knows they're based on pseudoscience but still wouldn't tell a lie when taking the test.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Well I've been looking at jobs lately and some of them would probably require security clearance. Civilian contractor jobs, stuff like that. Was just curious what all it involved, I've yet to really look into it. I'd assume background check, the polygraph, stuff like that.

I was hired as a civilian contractor by ITT Corp and had gone through the physicals and dental exams and other arrangements and was basically just waiting on them to tell me when I was going over (to Afghanistan), when the government denied my security clearance. I have no idea why.

The pay for sysadmins and system engineers is laughably fantastic, but the hoops you jump through and the mystical attainment of security clearance is a crap shoot. They don't tell you why you don't get clearance, either. You're just denied and that's that.

 

[ichy]

My money is on that with these kind of background checks they probably wouldn't reveal the real reason why you failed. I'm surprised that they gave you a reason at all. I would have expected them to only say pass or fail.

People have the right to appeal security clearance denials, so I think they have to tell you why you failed.

 

[Deeko]

I had to get an SCI clearance for my first job out of college. For some reason they thought I was a crack dealer. I had a fun time with that series of polygraphs.

I passed in the end, but yea....awful.

 

[darkxshade]

Don't they have the newer MRI ones now that detect brain activity that's like 99% accurate?

 

[zinfamous]

Don't they have the newer MRI ones now that detect brain activity that's like 99% accurate?

still experimental, iirc, and certainly not in use due to expense and complete impracticality.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Don't they have the newer MRI ones now that detect brain activity that's like 99% accurate?

I can't get my insurance company to pay for an MRI unless I crap out my liver or bleed from my eyes. I can't imagine MRI polygraphs being anything other than science fiction for many years down the road.

 

[zinfamous]

I can't get my insurance company to pay for an MRI unless I crap out my liver or bleed from my eyes. I can't imagine MRI polygraphs being anything other than science fiction for many years down the road.

definitely not Sci Fi. very real proof of concept phase and highly accurate.

only "sci fi" in the sense of expense and practicality.

 

[jlee]

Yup, polygraph is a waste of time and money.

True story.

 

[erikistired]

Whether I was involve with any terrorist organizations, knew anyone supporting them or somehow aided any (money or otherwise). That was so inane, I didn't even concentrate on it for more than split second.

Seriously, there were things that concerned me much more, e,g.: was I in the presence of someone taking drugs - well, technically, yes, I went to Burning Man three times.

But no, I'm a goddamn terrist now.

hopefully they follow up on this. better safe than sorry.

 

[Uhtrinity]

About 2 years ago I had a tentative offer with the FBI to do IT help desk pending poly and background check. After being interrigated and accused of serious crimes by the polygrapher I withdrew my app. Too much hassle for IT help desk imho.

Afterwards I visited http://antipolygraph.org/ and found that my experiences were considered standard practice. For the record I have no criminal history and other than medical related debt which had already been cleared and by then was squeaky clean.

Polygraphs are based on somebody failing the control questions, which might be something like, "have you ever lied to a boss?" If you don't even show on a question like that it gets flagged as inconclusive. As a result a lot of honest people fail. Someone who can recognize those control questions can game the system. Knowing what I know now I will never willingly take a poly on principle alone.

 

[Nebor]

I was hired as a civilian contractor by ITT Corp and had gone through the physicals and dental exams and other arrangements and was basically just waiting on them to tell me when I was going over (to Afghanistan), when the government denied my security clearance. I have no idea why.

The pay for sysadmins and system engineers is laughably fantastic, but the hoops you jump through and the mystical attainment of security clearance is a crap shoot. They don't tell you why you don't get clearance, either. You're just denied and that's that.

Yeah, sysadmins in Afghanistan are paid very well, and if you're in an already "stood up" area of the country, there's very little real work to do. You sit in a nice, air conditioned office on a decent sized Camp, watch pirated DVDs all day and play video games.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

So in this case is it safe to say in Soviet Russia polygraph fails you?