BlackCollegian.com

The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) is one of the most fascinating employers on the planet, but it is also one of the most secretive.

So, to give our readers firsthand information on how to get a job at the CIA, we talked to recent hires to tell you how they did it. For security reasons we cannot reveal their identities, so we cannot publish their pictures, and we can only give their first names.

We interviewed four recent CIA interns who are now employed full-time as analysts in the Directorate of Intelligence (DI), the office responsible for reviewing a wealth of information on a host of key national security issues and distilling it for senior U.S. policymakers. Members of the DI help provide timely, accurate, and objective all-source intelligence analysis on the full range of national security and foreign policy issues to the President, Cabinet, and senior policymakers in the US government. The analysts are:

KYSHA: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she majored in materials science engineering; GPA 3.5.

ROSA: University of Southern California where she received a degree in aerospace engineering.

S.S.: University of Texas at Austin where he received a degree in chemical engineering.

ANGELA: University of New Mexico where she majored in political science and international relations; GPA, 3.5.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: Why do you think you were selected for this program?

KYSHA: I had both undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemistry and materials science and I was pursing a Ph.D. in materials science engineering. So, I believe my academic background combined with my background in lab and research made me an attractive candidate. Also, I was looking to apply that lab research to an on-the-job experience.

ROSA: I think they were looking for someone who not only enjoyed working on the technical and scientific aspect of engineering but liked to write as well. Engineers aren't usually known for their great writing aside from technical papers. I was also working on completing my minor in international relations, which seemed to fit well with the aspects of my position.

S.S.: I think I was selected for the program because of the diversity of my college experience. While working on my engineering degree, I was president of a student organization on campus. I also did basic research by working in a lab with a professor. I think all of those activities showed that I was willing to do individual work but would work well within a group or on a team.

ANGELA: Well, I was a little bit different; I didn't have the experience or the degrees. I applied for the Agency's Undergraduate Scholarship Program when I was a junior in high school. I interviewed two weeks after I graduated from high school and began my first internship right after my first year of college. I think it was just a combination of high test scores, good grades in high school, good interviews, and a general interest in this kind of work.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: Why was the internship here important to you; why did you choose this internship?

KYSHA: I chose it just because it allowed me to develop my critical thinking skills and to apply what I learned in school to a job that was making some sort of impact. A lot of times when you do internships, your information gets published, but people don't necessarily read it. With our analysis, we know that it's making a difference and it's having an impact for our government and national security policy.

ROSA: I had always wanted to work in the federal government but wasn't sure what I could do with my aerospace engineering degree. This internship gave me a glimpse into a world I thought I would never see ... well at least not this early in my engineering career. I thought this would be a good way of letting me see what I was getting into, especially considering all the misconceptions that are out there.

ANGELA: I really wanted to get the hands-on experience and see exactly what I wanted to do. Because I got to work here for three summers, I was able to work in a couple of different offices and see what exactly I wanted to do when I graduated. I knew I had four years of school and I was committed to working for the Agency for four years in repayment for the scholarship. So, I wanted to make sure as an intern that I found something that I really enjoyed doing. It was also important because the undergraduate scholarship program, formerly known as the Stokes Scholarship, pays tuition, it pays fees, it pays books, and very importantly, throughout college I received a salary every two weeks.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: What did you learn from the experience as an intern?

KYSHA: I think I actually gained a lot of opportunities to work not only in the DI as an analyst, but to experience short-term rotational assignments in other directorates. I learned how the different directorates work together and how the work in the DI impacts other directorates. I am somewhat biased toward the work of the DI, because I can always still apply my work in those other directorates and still have the impact on the outside of the Agency as well.

ROSA: I learned that a lot of the myths about the Agency that are out there are just that, myths. We don't carry guns and aren't trained to kill people. What we do here at the Agency is collect intelligence, analyze it, and put out finished products that the policymakers can then use to make their decisions.

S.S.: Well, first of all it gave me a very thorough understanding of how the CIA works. It really gave me a sense of how we provide analysis and how that analysis really helps government officials/ policymakers in the decisions that they make. The type of information that we provide is pretty critical, at times, in their policy decisions. Also, it's just the whole mission of the Agency and the fact that we're protecting the country and protecting the citizens from foreign threats as well.

ANGELA: It gave me a lot of experience and allowed me to build a strong network, even before I came on as an employee.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: What did you do on your internship here?

KYSHA: During my internship I was a science and technology weapons analyst and I basically did analysis of foreign technology development.

ROSA: I worked as a weapons analyst; so, I got to analyze a particular foreign weapons system. I spent a lot of the summer researching this system as well as other systems. I became a full-fledged member of my team. We (the other interns on my team and I) attended several briefings allowing us to look into how the Intelligence Community works together to solve analytic problems. As part of the internship program, I was given the opportunity to visit several military installations, where I was given tours and access that would not have been obtained otherwise. I think this was the best part of my job, since I always wanted to work on the military side of my industry versus the commercial side.

ANGELA: I did leadership and political analysis for Middle Eastern countries. I was able to work directly on two major world crises and that was very interesting. I was also able to attend lots of professional courses and academic conferences.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: What advice would you have for students who really want to get into this program?

KYSHA: I would say, focus on getting good grades. Also any time an opportunity presents itself that will make you stand out from another student, definitely take that opportunity. Even if it's working in a lab only for two weeks or a month out of the summer or if an opportunity is not paid, volunteer for it. Check periodically with the Agency's website and see what they are looking for and what skills they are seeking and try to tailor your college career to what you're looking to do, to set your goals in that way.

S.S.: I would say apply early and often. If you don't make it this year, keep trying. Take some time and really think about what skills you bring to the table, learn a lot about each directorate, and try to see where you best fit. Make sure your personal statement is strong and makes your case. Also, go to the career fairs or outreach programs on campus and introduce yourself, even if you have already applied online, and drop off a resume.

ROSA: Be patient and start the process early. Sometimes the whole clearance process can be tedious and painstaking, but once you get through it you realize why it is that way and you gain an appreciation for it that you didn't have before.

ANGELA: Probably the same advice. Do your research, browse the Agency's website, see exactly what you might want to do and what interests you.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: How did you find out about the program?

KYSHA: I was actually at the Annual Conference of the National Society of Black Physicists. I was there recruiting for UNC Chapel Hill for the scholarship program that sponsored me. I was a graduate fellow and I was recruited by Ms. Gertie Starks, who was also there recruiting for the Directorate of Intelligence. I was recruiting for Black physics students to come to UNC Chapel Hill and Gertie asked me if I had a resume; after reviewing the resume, she stated my academic background and experiences would make me an attractive candidate for her directorate.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: A recruiter recruiting the recruiter?

KYSHA: Yeah, and I hadn't heard about the Agency - so I was like "Okay." I didn't even know what the Agency was about, but she said just do the interview and see how it goes. After interviewing and submitting a writing sample, the process started moving quickly. So, it was kind-of weird to be recruited by a recruiter while I was recruiting for my school.

S.S.: I learned about the program while visiting the Agency's booth at a career fair on my campus.

ANGELA: I was researching scholarship opportunities while in high school and came across the Agency's scholarship program.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: Why did you choose the CIA as a full-time employer after graduation?

ROSA: I chose to stay with the CIA instead of going into industry because I felt at home here. I went on interviews with other employers and toured other facilities and as weird as it sounds, I didn't get the same feeling while I was there. While at the Agency, I felt at home and like I was really making a difference. But at other employers, I felt out of place.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: Okay. Well, very good. Now we can talk a about the Agency's internship programs more specifically. So, if you could tell us your name.

MS. WESTBROOK: My name is Cristine Westbrook and I'm Chief of Analytical Hiring in CIA's Recruitment and Retention Center. I hire our fulltime analysts and open source officers, as well as our student interns.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: Why is diversity important in the student programs here?

MS. WESTBROOK: Unlike many employers, we really have a direct mission need for diversity. Given the fact that we have worldwide operations to collect information, analyze it, and give it to our policymakers, we do need people who look not just like our country, but look like the world that we analyze. We really need a diverse staff to ensure success of our mission. We've found that a diverse student population is one of the best pipelines to ensure diversity in our full-time work force. We offer full-time employment to about 75 percent of our interns and about 75 percent of them accept.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: What is your internship hiring strategy?

MS. WESTBROOK: We find our interns in a number of ways. One way certainly is our online job postings at www.cia.gov.

We do a lot of on-campus recruiting in the fall for internships the following summer. We need a long lead-time since our interns are fully cleared. So, we're on a number of campuses where we have good relationships and that have the right academic programs for us. And then thirdly, we work with a number of programs that help us find interns who would be interested in us, including the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU); the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO); the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES); and, just recently, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. All of those programs help students find internships and are good sources for us, especially for their outreach to schools that we may not be able to visit directly.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: What are you looking for in an intern?

MS. WESTBROOK: For the Directorate of Intelligence, one of the things we really look for is an analytic temperament, that is, the fit for the kind of work we do. The former students here mentioned maybe liking to do lab work, but wanting to apply it to research and analysis of foreign technical and scientific developments. Or they mentioned, having a real demonstrated interest in what's going on in the world and wanting to research, write, brief, and present those findings to help influence foreign policy. Whenever I see Model United Nations on a resume, for example, that's a great credential for us.

The leadership qualities that S.S. mentioned are always something we look for, too, because they show that someone can work within a team, but also take control of a team. Even our students are given their own projects to do and sometimes they will be leading a corporate effort. They'll be putting together an item that the President will read the next morning, maybe with contributions from others and need to manage working with other analysts. So, we look for very good interpersonal skills and leadership qualities as well.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: What are your different internship programs here?

MS. WESTBROOK: We have several programs for undergraduate students and one program for students who are working on master's and Ph.D. programs. (See boxed text for a brief description of these various programs and our hiring requirements. For more detailed information, please visit our website at www.cia.gov.)

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: Anything you wanted to add that maybe we did not talk about?

MS. WESTBROOK: The new Director for Intelligence has said that a renewed emphasis on student programs is going to be a big priority for him and a pipeline for employment for the Directorate, especially for diversity hiring. So, our recruiters are definitely going into the upcoming fall recruiting season with more commitment to student hiring than in past years.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: What are your hiring requirements for students and is there a deadline to apply?

MS. WESTBROOK: Generally, our website will say apply by November 1 if you want a tour the following summer. That is so we have time once we make a job offer for the medical and security clearance process, since our students are fully cleared to the same level as our staff employees. But, we, as I mentioned, will take students any semester of the school year or in the summer; so generally, the rule of thumb is that students should apply 9 to 12 months before they would like their tour with us to start.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: Very good. Thank you.