What will disqualify me from becoming an Intelligence Analyst?

The Intelligence Analyst position requires a Top Secret-SCI security clearance from the FBI. The following factors will automatically disqualify you from receiving this clearance:

• Non-U.S. citizenship
• Conviction of a felony
• Violation of the FBI Employment Drug Policy
• Default of a student loan insured by the U.S. Government
• Failure of a urinalysis drug test
• Failure to register with the Selective Service System (male applicants only)
• Declaration of bankruptcy
• Marriage to a foreign national

What about illegal drug use?
The FBI is firmly committed to a drug-free society and work-place. The unlawful use of drugs by FBI employees is not tolerated, and all candidates must pass a urinalysis test to be eligible for employment as an Intelligence Analyst. The FBI does not condone any prior unlawful drug use by applicants. We realize, however, that some otherwise qualified applicants may have experimented with drugs at some point in their pasts. While all past illegal drug use will be investigated in the background check and may prevent you from receiving a Top Secret-SCI security clearance, answering yes to any of the following questions will automatically disqualify you from employment as an Intelligence Analyst:

• Have you used marijuana at all within the last three years?
• Have you used any other illegal drug at all in the past 10 years?
• Have you ever sold any illegal drug for profit?
• Have you ever used an illegal drug (no matter how many times or how long ago) while in a law enforcement or prosecutorial position, or in a position which carries with it a high level of responsibility or public trust?

Can I apply for a specific Division (Counterterrorism, Cyber, etc) or a specific role (All Source Analyst, Operations Specialist, etc)?
Except for the occasional online posting for a specific position, Intelligence Analyst applicants do not apply for specific positions. Based on information gathered from the application, resume, and interview, the FBI matches candidates with positions corresponding to their skills, background, and interests, especially for those candidates with very specialized skill sets. While the FBI takes your preferences into account, there is no guarantee that you will be placed in your desired Division or role.

Who will receive an interview?
Candidates will receive interviews based on the competitiveness of their application, which takes into account academic performance, background, experience, and possession of critical skills. The most competitive candidates will be contacted to schedule interviews and testing. Candidates will receive details regarding the format, location and time of the interview upon notification.

What can I expect in the interview?
Applicants can also expect a number of competency questions. The FBI worked with industry human resources experts to develop a competency-based approach to drive the human resources continuum that includes the selection and hiring process. A competency is a cluster of related knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform a specific job. The panel uses behavioral interview questions and screening tools to assess your competency in critical areas.

The panel also uses the interview to evaluate a candidate's academic and work experiences, especially those involving intelligence, technology, area studies, and other critical skills. Candidates who indicated specialized experience (e.g., foreign language proficiency) may be scheduled for additional testing in their field of expertise.

During the interview, applicants will be asked a number of standard screening and competency questions. Screening questions include questions pertaining to the security clearance process and employee requirements. The answers to these questions will be confirmed through the polygraph testing and rigorous background investigation that we require of applicants who make it to a later stage of the selection process.

What do I need to bring to the interview?
Please complete and bring with you Standard Form (SF) 86, Questionnaire for National Security Positions, which you must fill out going back to your 18th birthday. Please also complete and bring with you FD-979, Personnel Consent to Release Information. Both forms are available here. Please note that candidates may also be required to provide a writing sample.

When do I receive an offer?
Candidates who pass the interview/testing phase will be notified via telephone by an employee from the Staffing Unit at FBI Headquarters within a month. These candidates will receive a conditional job offer for employment as an Intelligence Analyst. The conditional job offer will include the position title, GS pay grade and salary. Some new hires may qualify for student loan repayment, which covers up to $10,000 a year for up to three years. The FBI offers recruitment incentives to some candidates with hard-to-fill critical skills that include topical expertise in vital subjects and in-depth knowledge of specific cultures. Please note that conditional job offers are contingent upon a favorable adjudication in the background process, budgetary requirements and meeting the needs of the FBI.

What is the background investigation process? Do all applicants go through a polygraph test and drug test?
Candidates who accept a conditional job offer will need to get a Top Secret-SCI security clearance from the FBI prior to starting work as an Intelligence Analyst. This involves a personnel security interview (PSI), polygraph examination, and urinalysis drug test. If you pass these screening elements, we will put you into the background investigation process.

We require a PSI for all FBI applicants. This interview includes questions about foreign travel and contacts, drug usage, status of financial obligations, and other security issues. Information that you provide on your application and during your interview may be verified through the mandatory polygraph examination that we give to applicants who successfully complete the PSI. We will notify you of the date, time and location of the polygraph. The polygraph examination focuses on national security and counterintelligence issues and the accuracy and completeness of the information you gave in your application.

The FBI thoroughly investigates each applicant for employment. The average background investigation takes approximately 120 days, but may take longer depending on where an applicant has lived, worked or traveled, in particular overseas. During the background investigation, we contact former and current employers, references, social acquaintances and neighbors. We also review school, credit, arrest, medical and military records. The background investigation encompasses your entire adult life from the age of 18 and earlier years as necessary to fully resolve any issues that arise. A final decision on employment is made only when the complete background investigation is finished. Click here for more details about the FBI Background Investigation.

How long is the full hiring process from start to finish?
The process can take anywhere from six to twelve months, depending on the time required for your background investigation. It is advisable that university students and other applicants hoping to begin work as an Intelligence Analyst upon graduation should begin the application early in their final year of study.

How do I check on my application status?
Considering the background investigation process can last several months, we understand that candidates who receive a conditional job offer will be interested in receiving status updates. While we cannot provide specific details on background investigations currently underway, we will provide candidates with a point of contact who will be able to answer their general questions.

When will I know where the position is located?
Newly appointed Intelligence Analysts are assigned either to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. or to one of the FBI's 56 Field Offices located across the country. We will determine your placement after you have cleared the background process. A number of factors are considered: the resource needs of the FBI, the candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities, the interview panel's recommendation, and finally the location preferences you gave during the interview.

What is the FBI's policy on relocation?
While the FBI attempts to reduce the need for relocation, all Intelligence Analysts will be required to sign a mobility agreement. This means that Intelligence Analysts accept the possibility of relocation as a condition of employment in order to meet the organizational and program needs of the FBI. If you are not willing to relocate, you should not accept the conditional job offer. While Intelligence Analysts often remain in one location throughout their careers, opportunities may exist for in-grade and promotional transfers.

Are there opportunities to travel as an Intelligence Analyst?
Depending on the Division and assignment, there are numerous opportunities for travel, both domestically and internationally. Opportunities include attending intelligence community conferences, meeting with U.S. and foreign intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and temporary engagements at other field offices.

How are GS levels determined?
The FBI follows specific internal and OPM guidelines when determining an applicant's GS level. Currently, the GS grades for the Intelligence Analyst position range from GS-7 to GS-14. Your background and experience determine the grade level(s) for which you are qualified. Intelligence Analysts without work experience generally enter the FBI at the GS-7 level with an undergraduate degree, and at the GS-9 level with a graduate degree; experienced hires generally enter at the GS-11 level or above. The final decision on which GS grade level to offer you is based on the needs of the FBI and your specific qualifications for the Intelligence Analyst position compared to other applicants. Once you have accepted a conditional job offer, the grade level offered is the one at which you will be hired. You cannot renegotiate your grade level after being hired.

Are there opportunities for advancement into management and executive positions as an Intelligence Analyst?
Throughout their career with the FBI, Intelligence Analysts can qualify for additional training, and for promotion to a variety of managerial and executive positions. Intelligence Analysts can advance to the GS-14 grade level in Headquarters and field, non-supervisory assignments. Promotions to supervisory, management, and executive positions are available in grades GS-14 and GS-15 as well as in the FBI Senior Executive Service. For more information on the government pay scale, please visit the Office of Personnel Management's "Salaries and Wages" webpage.

I applied for an Intelligence Analyst position in 2005 and have not yet heard from you. What is my status?
We have processed all applications from previous postings for the Intelligence Analyst position. Due to the volume of applicants, we regret that we cannot provide individual status updates. All interviews from 2005 and 2006 have been conducted. If you applied online and have not been contacted, then you were not selected for an interview. If there have been substantial changes in your education or work experience since you application, we encourage you to reapply if a posting is open.