Just a heads up to everyone about this site.   

I applied to CIA about a year ago.  I was successful with the application process, ending up in DC for final interviews, yet did not receive a job offer in the end.  Regardless it was a great experience, and I encourage everyone who is interested in serving your country to apply.

In doing searches for the application process in regard to CIA I came upon this site.  I would encourage everyone who reads the postings/advice/information on this site to keep an EXTREMELY open mind.

Granted I understand the polygraph is not a fool proof test, and granted there may be times where innocent people are somehow proved to be lying because of a faulty test.

YET....the reality of the application process with all intelligence agencies is that you have to pass the polygraph.  THEREFORE, this site causes nothing more than people to be paranoid and fearful of the application process.  If you have to take a test, then why work yourself up over it.  Its a process that you have to deal with regardless of how you feel or think about the test. (If you have that much to hide, then its best you dont apply)

This site in reality likely does more harm than good.  The best advice I can give you in regard to the application process is try your best, know your shit, and let the chips fall where they may.

Sincerely,

A Previous CIA Applicant

cooldude29 wrote on Apr 17^th, 2005 at 12:33am:


The National Academy of Sciences found polygraph screening to be completely invalid. Given the CIA's reported pre-employment polygraph failure rate of 75%, there can be little doubt but that many are being falsely accused of deception and wrongly disqualified based on this voodoo science.

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Your conclusion does not logically follow from your premise. Even if your conclusion were true (which I dispute), it is not the logical consequence of your premise (which is essentially true, though to the best of my knowledge, employees of the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, like other State Department employees, are not subject to polygraph screening).

Now, as to your conclusion that "this site causes nothing more than people to be paranoid and fearful of the application process," while this may be the case for some individuals, I think that for most people, gaining information about an unknown process that one faces helps to put one's mind at ease. While there are legitimate reasons to fear an invalid polygraph screening procedure that eliminates 75% of applicants, I think most CIA applicants will be glad to know when they are accused of deception after their first polygraph session and scheduled for one or more "re-tests," it isn't necessarily the case that their charts were scored as "failing," but rather a part of a routine procedure whereby most applicants are initially accused of "having problems" and then subjected to one or more "re-tests." Moreover, by learning about polygraph procedure and countermeasures, CIA applicants can reduce their chances of becoming false positives.

And importantly, I think it behooves CIA applicants to be forewarned that they may be interrogated about the most intimate details of their sexual behavior. I think that individuals considering working for the CIA are much better off deciding in advance just how intimate a relationship they are willing to have with their government, rather than having to make a snap decision whether to answer such personal questions when "ambushed" with them in the polygraph suite.

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Could you provide any evidence to support your assertion that this site "likely does more harm than good?" Your "best advice" to other CIA applicants seems to be that they remain wilfully ignorant of the hiring procedure. However, I don't think you have made a compelling case in support of such advice.