A career at intelligence services is not a quick-hire option โ it requires a lot of time, education, and dedication, especially during a long government recruitment process. Moreover, the intelligence community is a highly competitive environment where applicants are expected to demonstrate advanced command of essential skills and traits such as problem-solving, knowledge of politics and international affairs, and strong communication skills. There are certain critical factors that would determine a successful application in this career path.
Essentially, job-seeker should primarily focus on their reputation and the importance of family members and friends. Any spot weeks should be addressed in cover letters or during an interview. A candidate should prove they are reliable, competent, and match the community’s values. The intelligence services accept the best and brightest students: their employees must have at least a bachelor’s degree. In addition, the CIA, FBI, and other organizations receive thousands of applications, so the candidate will need to prove their skills, abilities, and education in order to stand out from the rest. Although there are no specific major requirements, a degree in international relations, law, political science, history, security studies can help.
Thus, it is important to properly structure your resume for applying to the intelligece services, adjusting it to the specifics of the field, and so that it reflects the critical factors mentioned above. According to Douglas Richardson (2020), a resume should be “clean, objective, orderly, and logical.” This will help the screener to quickly understand whether the candidate has the essential characteristics for a particular position. After reading Richardson’s article, I realized that I should add a summary section to my resume in order to communicate my values and interests to a potential employer.
Reference
Richardson, D. (2020). Writing a resume for Susie the Screener. National Business Employment Weekly. Web.