Professional and Analytical Skills
So, You Want to Be an Intelligence Analyst
An Insider's Perspective
Instructor: Chris Savos
Who Is This Course For?
This free course is for anyone who is interested in becoming an intelligence analyst. Although it it primarily directed at those interested in applying to be an analyst at the CIA, the lessons taught are applicable to all analysts in government and the private sector. There’s very little useful, accurate, and honest information available on what being an intelligence analyst is really like; this course effectively and efficiently fills this gap. It also provides anyone interested in the business of intelligence an overview of what analysts do and how they play into the broader world of national security.
Get the Inside Scoop
This course draws on the experiences of a former senior CIA officer who spent more than two decades as a member of the Agency’s analytic cadre. He’ll share insights, stories from his own career, and frank opinions about why even though being an Agency analyst was his dream job, it certainly isn’t for everyone.
What People Are Saying About This Course
“I thought the content was fascinating, presented in a logical order, and very easy to follow. Any questions I had about the job were answered…it was particularly valuable for me to have a comprehensive picture of both the good and the bad.”
“I’d consider myself someone who has put a lot of effort into learning about and applying to CIA, yet most of the information in this course was still new to me. I can only imagine how useful this course would be for anyone earlier in the process.”
What You'll Get
Video
Content
Course
Transcript
What You'll Learn
In this course, you’ll learn:
- How analysts fit into the overall mission of protecting the country’s national security
- Common traits of all analysts and what’s required to succeed as one
- What analysts do from day to day and throughout a career
- What types of products analysts write and how the process of research, writing, coordination, review, and dissemination works
- The pros of being an analyst, those factors that lead most people to stay for a career
- The cons of being an analyst, the sources of frustration most analysts face
- What CIA recruiters tend to look for and how you can make yourself stand out as an exceptional applicant
- How to avoid running afoul of the security clearance process
- How the hiring process works
Course Content
Introduction
- What’s This Course About
- Who am I and Why Should You Listen to Me?
An Overview of Analysis at the CIA
- What Do Analysts Have in Common?
- What Different Types of Analysts Are There?
- What Do Analysts Do? (Part 1: Finished Intelligence)
- What Do Analysts Do? (Part 2: Other Duties)
The Good and the Bad of Being an Agency Analyst
- Why Did I Love Being an Analyst?
- Why Might You Not Like It? (Part 1: the Job)
- Why Might You Not Like It? (Part 2: the Environment)
How Can You Become an Agency Analyst?
- What Does it Take to Get Hired?
- How Can You Improve Your Chances?
- How Do You Apply?
Conclusion
- Closing Thoughts
- Course Evaluation
Meet Your Instructor
Chris Savos, Ph.D.
For 22 years, Chris served as an executive manager, leader, and analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He ran regional analytical units that followed high-profile issues in the Middle East and South and East Asia. As Deputy Director of the Weapons Intelligence, Nonproliferation, and Arms Control Center, He helped drive Agency analysis of foreign weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons, and technology development programs. He also served several years in the Directorate of Operations.
At the Agency He also worked in training and personnel development and ran leadership and management training within the Directorate of Analysis (DA) and created and taught a key leadership course for DA managers. He was the DA’s first Lead Talent Officer and also ran several large analyst recruiting efforts and was a frequent lecturer on campuses, where he developed close relationships with professors and students at several schools.
Chris earned his BA in government at Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Try a sample lecture
What I Loved About Being a CIA Analyst
This lecture is part of the JTG Proficiency1 course So, You Want to Be an Intelligence Analyst: An Insider’s Perspective by Chris Savos.