SELECTION CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION IN CIA CAREER SERVICE PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01826R000400090030-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 2001
• Sequence Number: 30
• Publication Date: November 29, 1951
• Content Type: REGULATION

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SECURITY INFORMATION
Appendix A TENTATIVE DRAFT 29 November 1951
SELECTION CRITERIA FOR PARTICIP'TION IN CIA CAREEN SERVIOE PROGRAM
INTRODUCTION
Two bases for planning were agreed upon as suitable, feasible and
desirable.
(l) The bulk of CIA employees, including ungraded, Who have
completed two years' satisfae gory service and who have by that
time
or later, achieved Bride GS- 5, or equivalent, should imned
iately become eligible for participation in the Career Service
Program,
(2) The CPC group, (chauffeurs and messengers) by the very
limitations of their field ..of works, cannot participate in the
Career Service Progiari as such, However, it must be made clear
to thou that they do nevertheless enjoy specific CIA career
rewards in 1romotion, disability compensation, retirement .and
sL'silar vital incentives,
2. RECO'7'E ID ATION
A. CIA civilian employees satisfying the following re 'uirements shall
be eligible to participate in the Career Service Program:
(1) Staff employee or staff agent status.
(2) Trot less than two years' continuous,, satisfactory service.
(3) OS'Z or higher rating.
(ls) High school graduate or equivalent as determined by his
Office Board.
(5) Security clearance, including polygraph, certified by ICS
Office. Waiver on polygraph acceptable only if granted by,
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(6) Written statement of intent to make a career of employmment
with CIA,. including willingness to serve in any domestic or
overseas CIA post for Which by Agency determination qualified.
jobwise and phystoally.
B. Eligibility to participate in the Career Service Program shall be de-
termined only on'the basis of the above-named requirements It is to be
noted particularly that:
M.
(2)
(3)
No are limitations are seta
Civil Service Commission certification is not required-
No physical standards beyond - these regularly used for Agency
employment are required for participation in the Career Service
Program and special physical examinations for this Program as
distinct from normal employment are not conte iplatedo
3? DISCUSSION .
A. Re Introduction
The planning bases laid down in INTRODUCTION ste,n from two major alms:
(1) To banish from einnloyeese minds the fear that the Career Service
Program is a scheme for creating and nurturing an elite corps e
a favored few,
(2) To make the incentives and benefits of the Career Service Program
available to the bulk of Agency employees viho demonstrate potential
and interest in long-term CIA employment.
The funda:nental' tom-year GS-5 limit for participation was selected because:
(1) It meets the stated aims. (Records of the past two years show
that 40 % of CIA (GS group) employees are GS-5 or higher and also
have had at least two years' continuous employment.)
(2) It includes the upper clerical segment, a sound morale feature.
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(3) It eliminates wasteful processing of employees who constitute
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SEGuRIiy INFORMATION
a relatively rapid turnover group (Records of the past two
years show that % of CIA (G5 group) separations have been
below the GS-5 level-)
(1) It sets a reasonable period (tom ysars, at the end of which an
employee knows whether or not he Can plan on the benefits of a
CIA career, A longer period was considered, but rejected because
of the competing incentives of a wide variety of non-CIA jobs in
Washington,
(S) It treats the CFC group in' a special category for the reasons
stated in INTRODUCTION.
Be Re "Staff employeeor staff anent status"
This stops the obviously inappropriate inclusion in the Career Service
Program of contract., consultant, and special agent categories.. It embraces
those sho work full-time with no predictable short.term connection,
C. Re "Not less than two
v+earsO ct)ntous, satisfactory xx?v?,ce"
This tightens the basic two year concept through the requirement of
continuous service. It was agreed that this additional requirement was in
Agency interest and would not impact unfavorably on persons genuinely in-
terested in career employment?
D. 'Re "GS- or higher rating"
No further comuento
Re "High school graduate as -anima, isIn an ant examination"
Counts on the originally proposed "Career Corps" have indicated fears
that too great emphasis was placed on academic background as opposed to
on-the-job success. Further, this working group's recommendations broaden
the potential career corps group to include many lower GS ratings who will
oft' iPYRd goofAa~W-ORMORKt $t%i s 0%% 0% 0 W ential f or
46.
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a CIA career* Consequently, a college degree requirement was rejected, It
was agreed, however, that with todaay?s. o +portunities for a high school educa-
tion or for acquiring its equivalent through experience, Agency interest de-
Maands this minimal standard.
Fe Re "Security clearance includin o ora h certified by I&S
This requirement leaves control of security requirements with the Security
Chiefs It assumes that polygraph for all careerists is desirable, but per.
nits I &S to adjust work load through waiver of ' individual. polygraphs for so
long as it wishes. This has been cleared' infosm3'al.ly with l: (moo -) 25X1A9a
G. Re "Written statement of intent to make a career of employment with CIA"
A successful career service program should build within the Agency an
ever increasi body of employees with tra3ning$ bre4 experience and
education superior to those of most other government Agencies and
Departments. There can be expected therefore a tendency to. proselyte
CIA careerists on the one hand and on the other a growing temptation for
CIA careerists to accept a here-and-now promotion with another Agency to
grades which CIA vacancies would not then perrmitm Therefore, this requires
ment is set: not as a legal preventive but as the only feasible measure,
a moral deterrronte
H. Re "'Written statement o willingness to serve. overseas
`
'
os s ]~or hrAo t
i
e mraa ion c~ua ie jo se an
Again this is no legal binder since in the f.nal ana1,rsis any employee
:lay reject an. Agency decision on
overseas employment and resign0
But it does seem reasonable to ask that an employee who wants a CIA career
be walling, if qualified jobvriae and physically, to serve away from Washingtot
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S1 3URITY iNFOR' MON
A. C., for some oeriodso CIA can operate only by staffing a complex of world-
wide areas. It must,, therefore,, aake its career service, incentive strong
enough to attract and hold many persons who want jobs that axle not roof-?
the.-ni ne government chores in a tidy and secure niche cemented to a single
geographical. ,,Dime . Other th:thgs equal, a person so willing to sere. is
worth more to CIA and merits more from CIA. The "joberise and. physical"
qualifications should operate to protect individuals from moves to assignments
for which they are not s,.:ited, and the Agency from wasteful moving of its
personnel*
It is emphasized that while the concept p,:eaented in this attachment insures
that the bulk of CIA employees can -).~rtici.pate in the Career Service Program,
this participation is not a guarantee of isn,. ediate promotions or of ultimate
grade levels for the various participants. Rather it means:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
~7)
Codification of rights. and benefits so that the employee knows
Where he stands and what he may reasonably plan for
Increased opportunity for training - w .thin and outside CIA
Increased opportunity for rotation and a broadening experience,
Increased opportunity for education ? within and outside CIA
Probability of a.1 iE' sooner and more highly for the next promotion in line
Increased assurance that he will go as far as his, ability Justifies
Increased prospect of a richer work-life and a more diversified
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*