got geoint?

It is common knowledge that when times are tough in the private sector, many folks flock to the public side for employment opportunities. And, this is exactly what is happening right now at the C.I.A. The agency is reporting that it has received 90,000 resumes this year and is expected to hit the 180,000 mark by the end of the year. Wow. According to a recent AFP article, the agency’s recruitment campaign targeting financial analysts whose jobs disappeared as stock markets crashed has netted plenty of applicants — even though the CIA can offer only a fraction of the massive salaries that are standard on Wall Street.

The article also points out that rise in applicants shows that the CIA has not suffered too great a blow to its reputation from a raft of scandals, including the use of interrogation techniques and its role in running a string of overseas secret prisons. Hey, times are tough and it makes sense that many people want to work for the agency. And, this is actually a talent boom for the CIA. The agency can now cherry pick top talent. Now, not sure how well a former Wall Street trader would do in the intelligence community, but hey, talent is talent. And surely, the agency is working hard to sift through that massive resume pile to find the right people.

Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, GEOINT, Increase in CIA appilcants, Recession, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, USGIF, Wall Street