I live in New York CIty and have recently applied to the CIA for a DO position. The website says that if I don't hear anything in 45 days then I do not meet any criteria they are looking for. However, my background is almost custom tailored to the job description--military, graduate school, foreign residency, language ability, etc. It has been about 60 days now and I am a bit bummed I have not had a response.
My questions are:
#1 Could the delay be more due to a backlong in applications rather than me not being qualified? I would be interested in hearing from people in the northeast area who have applied and been contacted.
#2 I would prefer a DO position but would also be inclined to work with the DI. Might I be getting looked at my other parts of the agency before being contacted or will my application be solely for the DO?
Thanks in advance to anybody who replies. I would also be interested in hearing some general experiences and observations on hiring since President Bush issued the Executive Order to increase the DO and DI.
Response to Question 1) How did you apply? Through the website or another channel? If it was through the website and you have not been contacted then I would say its not necessarily a bad sign. If through another mechanism such a recruiter, contracter, or current employee, than it would be a bad sign b/c those are usually acted on quickly.
I applied through a former colleague for the DI. I was contacted two weeks after she submitted my CV about an online writing exercise. I passed that, then had a formal interview one month later in D.C. I got through that was extended a conditional offer of employment 1.5 months later. I then reported for the poly and other items, passed those, and was told 2.5 months later that my offer was official. Total time from start to finish: 5.5 months.
Response to Question 2) I was considered for both the DI and the DO but was told that I had to pick one. If accepted for that one after completing the background check and other processing steps and I then decided that I wanted to go to the other, I was told that I would essentially be required to start from scratch (poly and background check aside). It would seem that the processing for each group is relatively independent.
It is fairly faster when a recruiter pulls your application. After I submitted my application, it took about two weeks before I got a call from the agency. If you get a call, be prepared for a long and frustrating process. So far, everything has gone well for me but I know that everything can collapse with the poly examination. I know a recruiter that can actually expedite the process but I can't help because we are being watched by the poly examiners on this site. Don't give many details about your application on this site.