Basic Central Intelligence Agency Interview Preparation Guide

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It is extremely hard to get a job at the CIA. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is known for using a selective hiring process that is challenging and intense. Having the right skills, knowledge, expertise, and other common qualities that typically make a candidate attractive, is often not enough to secure a position at the CIA.

CIA training can be completed in 18 months. Those seeking to become CIA agents must meet the requirements for the Clandestine Service and Professional Trainee Programs.

CIA does not require employees/contractors to obtain assurances of money or any personal information (such as your social security number, driver's license, or banking information) to initiate a relationship. Malicious attempts made via dating websites and other online forums are scams and should be reported to the dating website administrator and/or law enforcement.

Yes, CIA launched a Telegram channel in May of 2023 to extend its reach to areas where access is blocked to our public website or Tor Portal. In June of 2023 our Telegram channel was verified and received the Telegram blue checkmark designating as the official Telegram channel belonging to and operated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency.

A spy is someone who provides classified information about his country to another country. To clarify, CIA operations officers recruit foreign agents. You could also call them spies who pass information to CIA. CIA operations officers do use some nifty "spy gadgets," and, while their jobs do occasionally present risks and challenges equal to the most exciting movies, for the most part, they are not nearly as glamorous or thrilling.

You will need to download the Tor Browser from. Do not download the Tor Browser from any other source on the Internet, as those sources may not be trustworthy. Please follow all details within the site to securely download and install the browser on your computer. Once downloaded and installed you can visit CIA's site.

To get a job at the CIA, you need to submit your application, which includes your resume and some other basic background information, through MYLINK. From there, you can wait for a recruiter to contact you.

If we locate records that were originated by another government agency, we will refer this material to that agency. They will review the request and respond.

To carry out our mission and our work, all CIA professionals must live up to the highest standards of integrity. With this in mind, we carefully vet every candidate who hopes to join CIA.

Only the President can direct CIA to undertake a covert action. Such actions usually are recommended by the National Security Council (NSC). Covert actions are considered when the NSC judges that US foreign policy objectives may not be fully realized by normal diplomatic means and when military action is deemed to be too extreme an option. Therefore, the Agency may be directed to conduct a special activity abroad in support of foreign policy where the role of the US government is neither apparent nor publicly acknowledged. Once tasked, the intelligence oversight committees of the Congress must be notified.

Sherman Kent was an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who researched the ways people talk about estimations they make. Although his goal was to make better use of military intelligence, his research can be applied to your family’s personal financial planning. In fact, you can even use his work to help determine when it’s the right time to make an expensive purchase.
By understanding how estimates are framed and discussed, you can make better financial decisions. Estimates may be off because of the interests of the person making the assessment or how the information is presented. For example, people in general are more interested in avoiding losses than making gains.

Yes, CIA is committed to evaluating every message received. The evaluation process of each message may take time. Based upon our assessment of your security situation, CIA may not reply. It is advised to check your “spam” message folder as well for any possible reply from the Agency.

Neither the number of employees nor the size of the Agency's budget can, at present, be publicly disclosed. A common misconception is that the Agency has an unlimited budget, which is far from true. While classified, the budget and size of CIA are known in detail and examined by the Office of Management and Budget and by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Defense Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees in both houses of Congress. The resources allocated to CIA are subject to the same rigorous examination and approval process that applies to all other government organizations.

►Yes. CIA releases millions of pages of documents each year. Much of this is material of historical significance or personal interest that has been declassified under Executive Order 12958 (a presidential order outlining a uniform system for handling national security information) or the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (statutes that give US citizens access to US government information or US government information about themselves, respectively).
►The Agency handles thousands of FOIA cases each year and maintains CIA’s FOIA Electronic Reading Room to release this information to the public and to provide guidance for requesting information. Some released information of significant public interest or historical value is also available at the National Archives and Records Administration. Specific copies of any previously declassified records are available directly from CIA's FOIA office.

There are many CIA jobs in a wide variety of specialties. The variety of careers here is similar to that of a major corporation. CIA officers work as analysts, scientists, engineers, economists, linguists, mathematicians, administrative professionals, accountants, computer specialists, targeting officers, data engineers, IT technicians, human resources, auditors, psychologists, nurses, physicians, cyber security officers, security protective service (federal police) officers, polygraph examiners, attorneys, paralegals, logistics officers, and more.

As you’re an accountant or auditor hoping to enhance your career, you may have considered earning an accounting certification. But you have several accounting certification options, so which one should you choose? If you plan to pursue the path of an internal auditor, then the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) is the certification for you. How can you be certain that earning the CIA is the best way to expand your vocational horizons? Because of the many internal audit benefits the CIA offers. Learn the many reasons why the CIA certification is worth it today.

We process FOIA requests on a "first in, first out" basis. However, relatively simple requests may be handled quicker than those requests involving complex and/or voluminous records.

CIA provides both an Internet-based website and a Dark Web Portal on the Tor Network.To gain access to CIA’s Dark Web Portal on the Tor Network you will need to utilize the Tor Browser which can be found. If you are unable to use the Tor Browser you can also use a commercial VPN service which will mask your originating Internet Protocol (IP) address.

CIA supports the overall US government effort to combat international terrorism by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence on foreign terrorist groups and individuals. CIA also works with friendly foreign governments and shares pertinent information with them.

► CIA carefully selects well-qualified people in nearly all fields. Scientists, engineers, economists, linguists, mathematicians, administrative professionals, accountants, and computer specialists are but a few of the professionals continually in demand.
► Much of the Agency’s work requires research, careful evaluation, and writing of intelligence reports that end up on the desks of this nation’s policymakers. To carry out our mission and our work, all CIA professionals must live up to the highest standards of integrity. With this in mind, we carefully vet every candidate who hopes to join CIA. For us to consider you for a job at CIA.

The CIA's primary mission is the collection and analysis of foreign intelligence information for use by our nation's leadership. The CIA was organized pursuant to the National Security Act of 1947. The Agency has no police, subpoena, law enforcement, or internal security functions. In addition to records on foreign intelligence information, the CIA also maintains personnel files on employees and applicants.

Officers hired to work at CIA relocate to the Washington, DC area. However, there are many opportunities to live and work overseas to support CIA’s global mission.

Technically, you could say CIA headquarters is in both. "Langley" is the name of the McLean neighborhood in which CIA resides.

The Central Intelligence Agency's primary mission is to collect, evaluate, analyze, and disseminate foreign intelligence to assist the president and senior US government policymakers in making decisions relating to the national security. CIA does not make policy; it is an independent source of foreign intelligence information for those who do. CIA may also engage in covert action at the president's direction in accordance with applicable law.

By law, CIA is specifically prohibited from collecting foreign intelligence concerning the domestic activities of US citizens. Its mission is to collect information related to foreign intelligence and foreign counterintelligence. By direction of the President in Executive Order 12333 of 1981 and in accordance with procedures approved by the Attorney General, CIA is restricted in the collection of intelligence information directed against US citizens.
Collection is allowed only for an authorized intelligence purpose for example, if there is a reason to believe that an individual is involved in espionage or international terrorist activities. CIA's procedures require senior approval for any such collection that is allowed, and, depending on the collection technique employed, the sanction of the Director of National Intelligence and Attorney General may be required. These restrictions on CIA have been in effect since the 1970s.