CIA Officer Career Guide in Pennsylvania

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is known for its sizeable Amish community, not Russian spies. Yet, in 1996 Robert Lipka was arrested here and charged with selling top secret US documents to the Russians. Lipka had previously worked as a clerk at the National Security Agency (NSA).

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In 2014, a grand jury in Pennsylvania indicted five Chinese military hackers’for economic espionage and other offenses.

Pennsylvania is the fifth most populated state in the US that alone has an economy of $725 billion. This makes the state the sixth biggest economy in the US and a target for US enemies. It is therefore one of the primary jobs of the US intelligence community personnel to protect Pennsylvania and its residents from international espionage – The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is at the forefront of this quest to protect vital US assets.

If you would like to know how to become a CIA agent in Pennsylvania then you would find the following information useful.

First things first – All CIA positions are based in the Washington, DC metro area and if you are selected, you will have to move here. There are no exceptions. However, the agency may send you to Pennsylvania on a temporary or permanent assignment.

The following are required for all CIA positions:

• US citizenship
• Education (it varies from position to position with high school diploma for truck drivers to Ph.D. for clinical psychologists)
• Polygraph test
• Thorough background screening
• Medical and psychological exam

However, fulfilling the above mentioned alone do not guarantee a job with the CIA. It simply means that you are qualified to apply for a job with the agency.

On the face of it, the application process is rather simple – lengthy, but simple. CIA’s application package has three parts:

1. 1. Application for Employment
   2. Personnel Evaluation Form
   3. Equal Employment Opportunity (Optional)

• Visit the CIAs official website
• From “Careers & Internships” click on “Application Process”
• Then click on “Application Instructions”(Read this section in detail)
• Click on “Apply Now”
• Create an account
• Receive a user ID
• Create a password for this account
• Save your user ID and password
• Add up to four (04) positions in your account
• Fill the Application for Employment section
• Fill out the Personnel Evaluation Form
• Fill out (or not) the voluntary section of the application

Before you begin with the application process, you should know that the application package is lengthy and you only have three days to complete and submit it. Therefore, before making an online account, gather the following information first:

For Application for Employment section, gather this information:

• Education
• Work history
• Foreign language proficiency levels
• Foreign area knowledge
• Military experience
• Basic background information
• Areas of expertise
• Certifications and licenses
• Preferences
• Writing samples and transcripts

For Personnel Evaluation Form, gather this information:

• Delinquent federal debt
• Criminal convictions and violations of law
• Military discharge and disciplinary proceedings
• Selective Service enrollment
• Security clearance
• Polygraph test
• Peace Corps employment
• Employment issues
• Drug use and activity
• Background investigation

For Equal Employment Opportunity section, you don’t need to gather any information, since it’s voluntary and you can simply skip it.

The CIA replies within 45 days of submission of an application. If you do not hear from them within this time, your application is rejected. You can then apply after one-year. However, if you are contacted, it is likely that you will be asked to undergo a series of exams and tests, including interviews with CIA recruiters. The details of post-application process are a secret and therefore nothing can be said with certainty on what happens when you get a call from CIA recruiters.