THE PROCESS OF SELECTING NEW CAREER EMPLOYEES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01826R000600210009-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 11, 2000
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: July 24, 1953
• Content Type: MF

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Secur!ty'"oimation
24 July 1953
MEPlORANAiUM FOR, Chairman, Professional Selection Panel
SUBJECT: Ths Process of Selecting New Career Fnplayees
1. Reference your memorandwi to Personnel Director, subject as aboves
dated 23 June 1953: in which you ask for recommendations as to steps which
can be taken to improve the existing selection process,
2, This Office offers the following suggestions with respect to the
points presented in Paragraph 2 a of your memorandums
Qualities Required of Career 7 r-LZyiaes,
r~rrr -~w~-r ..~rr Y/rr?w rr rrr Y\rew (1) The Professional Selection Panel should develop, with the
approval of the CIA Career Service Board, a full description of each
of the personal qualities which should be possessed by a CIA career
employee. These would be the qualities which indicate suitability
for long-term career service with the Agency. Evidence that an in-
dividual is lacking in one or more of these qualities would be an
indication that he may not be suitable for career association with
the Agency. The descriptive statements should be direct, specii`ia,
simply phrased, and understandable to a wide audience-of persons
with varying degrees of Variance in the evaluation of other persona.
Each set of statements concerning a quality should include an adequate
number of examples of behavior which evidences a deficiency in the
quality. These statements should, of course, be over and beyond cer-
tain basic qualification requirements relating to education, train-
ing and experience,
(2) The descriptive statements and other information cancern-
ing the qualities required for career service should be disseminated
as follows:
(a) Recruiting Officers. These officers would utilize
these ca its a to screen ai "refer applicants for career employ-
ment, with the AgencEr, Applicants believed to lack the desired
qualities would not be referred to the Agency. Thus, the suita-
bility criteria would be applied throughout the recruiting process.
As you know, the recruitment staff is now. possessed of a rather
well defined not of personal standards which are applied by them
against each applicant. The applicant' of course, is unaware of
the extent to which he is being analyzed in this process.
(b) Placement Officers. These officers would utilize these
criteria our 3M Mair suing and screening of applicants
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for career employment with the Agency. These criteria would
be in their minds during review of Personal History Statements,
during checks with former employers, during their review of all
other records and information on hands during their, interviews
of the applicants, and generally throughout the initial selection
and referral process. Persons coiisid-vred to be unsuitable would
be rejected by 'the Placement Officers. Placement Officers would
also apply these suitability criteria during their contacts
with trial-period employees (e.g., placement follow+'up, reassign-
ment planning).
(c) Compone nt Peraonne9l Officers. These officers would
utilise these a tee` a i g their interviews of applicants
referred by Placement Officers, during their examination of the
qualifications and records of the applicants, and during their
observation of the applicants throughout the final initial place-
ment process. They would.also apply these criteria during their
subsequent contacts with employees during the trial period.
(d) Chiefs of Com onents. These officials (chiefs of unite,
sections, ranee teee,divisions) would apply these criteria during
initial selection interviews with applicants and during all sub-
sequent contacts with the trial-period employees and discussions
with their supervisors. Applicants who are found by component
chiefs to fail to possess the necessary qualities would be rejected
by the Personnel Office. Trial-period employees whose suitability
is questioned by the component chiefs would be referred by the
component to the Professional Selection Panel for review and recan-
mendation 0
(e) Immediate Su ervisors. The most important use of suit-
ability cry. e. a would be accomplished by the supervisors of
trig.-period employees. They would utilize the criteria during
initial selection interviews, during all of their observation
of and association with the employees throughout the trial period,
and especially when completing the initial Personnel Evaluation
Report, They would apply these criteria constantly for many months,
and therefore could make the most factual recommendations concern-
ing the employee's suitability. Applicants who are believed by
supervisors to fail to possess the necessary qualities would,
with the concurrence of the component chief, be rejected by the
Personnel Office. Trial-period employees whose suitability is
questioned by their supervisors would be referred by their com-
ponent to the Professional Selection Panel for review and recom -
meendation o
(f) Securi Office. This Office would apply these criteria
at all times when wing and reviewing information concerning
applicants for career employment and concerning trial-period
career employees. Whenever the Security Office encounters infem
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mation which indicates a lack of the necessary qualities and
which causes doubt as to the career service suitability of an
in-process applicant, it will discuss the case with the Personnel
and Afedical Offices, as appropriate, for decision.
(g) Career Service Boards. The,Boards would apply these
criteria in o e cons orations and evaluations of em-
plcyees during their trial periods (and also during the initial
selection process for such Boards as review proposed appointments).
The Boards would make an especially careful evaluation of the
employee just before the conclusion of his trial period, using
supervisory reports and testimony, initial. Porac:* :el L+`valut ion
Reports, interviews with the employee himself if indicated,
personnel records and folders, and such other evaluative data
and techniques as are available. This evaluation would be acconp-
lished primarily to determine if the individual possesses the
defined qualities required for career service. When the Career
Service Board does not find the trial-period employee suitable
for career service, it would recommend that the Office Head refer
the case to the Professional Selection Panel for review and recom-
mendation. If, on the other handy it found the employee suitable,
acceptance for career service could be indicated by the Personnel
office after favorable review by the Professional Selection Panel.
(h) Trial-Period E~pl eso Each appointee would understand
that he is undergoing a trial riod9 and that he will be care-
fully evaluated throughout and at the and of this period in order
to determine if he is suitable for career service and its benefits.
It is his right to know what personal qualities and behavior are
expected of him,* since he will be separated rather sumr-rarilyy if
he does not possess the requisite qualities.. At the present time,
the Agency notifies applicants that they must meet the personal
standards required for government employment (e.g., characters
mental and physical fitness); by this method individuals, who
know that they may be exposed later, have the opportunity to with-
draw their applications for the good of all concerned. Similarly,
if our standards for career service qualities are valid and are
to be enforced, they should be no secret, and the applicants should
know the kinds of evaluations to which they will be exposed and
the qualities they must prove* it would be making a mystery of
common souxl.personnel practice and would be establishing a secret
society if candidates were asked to undergo a test period of close
scrutiny and-evaluation without permitting them to know which
things about their natures were to be evaluated. Thus, both
applicants and trial-period employees should know what they are
facing and what qualities they are expected to possess as CIA
Career Anployees.
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b, Use of Personnel Evaluation Reports
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(1) Initial Personnel Evaluation Reports should be given much
more emphasis and consideration than at present, If supervisors
thoroughly understand the specific qualities being measured in trial.
period employees, if they carefully observe the employee in terms of
these qualities during the trial periods and if they are aware of
the importance of initial Personnel Evaluation Reports in dot:eamin-
ing suitability for career services they will accomplish much more
effective initial evaluation reports than at present. The initial
PER would truly become the primary instrument for recording evalua-
tions specifically in terms of the factors which are the basis for
determining career suitability. The initial PER should reflect the
opinions of the persons who know the trial-period employee best, who
have been responsible for his work throughout the period, and who
are in the beat possible position to report on the qualities which
the new e-plolnee has demonstrated,
(2) Increased emphasis should be placed.on completing and sub-
mitting initial Personnel Evaluation Reports when they are due,
If the initial PER is given proper use an a primary instrument for
determining suitability for career services it is essential for the
report to be submitted in sufficient time to be available for all
considerations and processes that must take place prior to the
expiration of the trial period.
c, Evaluation of lnmProcesss A Iicants for Career An to
When either the Personnels Medical, or Security office obtains marginal
information which creates doubt as to the career suitability of an in-
process applicant, the chiefs of these offices or their designated rep-
resentatives should confer and decide whether processing should continue.
By the same tokens if an operating office lesrns of unfavorable informa-
tion it should be passed imrradiately to the Personnel Office with recom-
mendation for action to be taken, The Personnel-Medical-Security Group
should confer and take aotion as is indicated,
d. Evaluation of to s Uuri Trial Period,
(1) If at any time during the probationary period the office
to which the employes is assigned,, or the Personnel., Medical, or
Security Office obtains information which creates doubt as to career
suitability, the case should be immediately referred to the Professional
Selection Panel. The Panel should review the evidence at hand and
either make a recommendation for termination of the individual or
so flag the individual's personnel file that a full review will be
made of his case prior to the expiration of the trial period.
(2) No later than one month before the and of an employee's
trial periods his Career Service Board should consider his case in
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 order to determine whether or not he has been found suitable for
career service. At this time, his Board should review his performance
during this period, his initial Personnel Evaluation Report, and any
other available indicators of his character, personality, capability
and performance, During this evaluation the Board ma6r interview
both the employee and his supervisors. The Board will use all In-
formation available in the Personnel Office,, After careful considera-
tions, the Board should recommend to the Office Read either that the
trial-period employee be separated or accepted for career service.
Such recommendations should be based upon performance (as in other
government agencies) as well as upon possession of the qualities
required of the CIA career employee,
(3) If the Office Career Service Board recommends that the
employee has satisfactorily completed his trial period and is
suitable for career service and the Office Head cone are, he will
so notify the Professional Selection Panel. If the Panel concurs,
the Personnel Office will be notified to change personnel records
correspondingly and will issue appropriate notification to the emm
ployee.
(4) If during an employee's trial period, he is reported to the
Professional Selection Panel as being possibly unsuitable for career
employment (see Paragraph 2 d (1) above), or if his Career Service
Board reccsminends with Office Head concurrence that he be separated
as unsuitable., the Professional Selection Panel should accomplish
a formal review of the case. If the Panel finds the trial-period
employee unsuitable as reported, it will notify the Personnel Office
which will accomplish the separation. If the Panel finds the trial-
period employee suitable for career service, it will notify the
operating Office of its findings. If the difference of opinion in
not resolved, the case may be appealed by the employee's sponsoring
component to the CIA Career Service Board which will review the
case and make final decision?
e. Notification of Acc ptance for Career Service*
Since under this proposed procedure the new employee will know the
qualities required of the CIA career employee, and will. also know that
he is being constantly evaluated for these qualities throufiftout his
trial period, it is believed that he will be made sufficiently aware of
a significant change in his standing if he receives a notice from the
Personnel Office to the effect that he is now accepted as a career em-
ployee and that his trial period has been satisdactorily completed,,.
3. With respect to Paragraph 2 b of your memorandums, it is the opinion
of this office that no feasible and legal procedure can be established to
extend the trial-service period beyond one year for employees, whether pro-
fessional or otherwise. Such a procedure is inconsistent with the current
public Polley (as reflected by the Congress in such legislation as the Vetexr')s
Preference Act) that a probationary period of one year is believed adequate
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for federal employees. It is believed that to request the necessary special
legislation (as would be necessary in view of societing legislation concern-
ing veterans would create unfavorable public relations, and would probably
strain relations with the Congress. it is also our opinion that extension
of the trial period beyond one year would make it definitely more difficult
to attract competent people to service with the Agency although we recognise
this is a moot point.
The following comments are offered with respect to Paragraph 2 c of
Zia
your me crandbvms
a. If the procedures proposed in Paragraph 2 above ire susceptible
to adoption, it would be unnecessary to develop a single file of all
information concerning each applicant or employeee
b, Information presently available only to the Security Office
should remain in their files as at present. If those who review this
information are trained in the they detect andunderstanding of pertinent ities required
a career mith the Agency, hey
within their data and submit it to the Professional Selection Panel
whenever warranted, or confer v th the Medical and Personnel Offices
in the case of applicants for employment.
a. Information contained in the files and records of the Personnel
Office would be made available both to the sponsoring components and to
the Professional Seleation Panel. if these records concerning an appli-
cant contained information indicating non-suitability, the Personnel
Office would reject him. If the information were marginal and merely
created doubt as to suitability, the Personnel Office would pool infor-
mation with the Medical and Security offices before acting. If these
records concerning a trial-period employee are later supplemented by
information indicating non-suitability, the Personnel Office would refer
the case to the Panel. Thus the records are used for suitability screen-
ing and are also made available upon request to be used by others for
suitability screening. The same situation would undoubtedly obtain with
respect to Medical Office information.
d. Information which pertains to the suitability of a `probatioir
employee and which is contained in the reports,. files, and records of
the office to which he is assigned would be made available to the Office
Career Service Board concerned. It should also be made available, in
extract or other form, to the Professional Selection Panel when needed
specifically for formal decision on a case.
e. whenever the Security-Office, the Personnel Office, the Medical
Office, or the sponsoring office actually presents a case to the Professional
Selection Panel, it should also present the documented evidence as to why
the person concerned is considered unsuitable for career service.
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When this occurs, the Panel may ask the other offices to present whatever
information thear may possess to indicate that the person may not be
suitable. Thus, a file is developed which contains only information per-
tinent to decision as to suitability, and it is necessary to develop
such a file only when the suitability of the individual has been questioned.
5. The following comments are offered with respect to Paragraph 2 d of
your memorandum:
ao hider the procedures proposed above, the suitability of each
applicant for career service employment would be examined by recruiting
personnel, Placement Officers, Operating Office Personnel Officers, can-
ponent chiefs, immediate supervisors, and by the Security Office which
reviews the special detailed information available to it. These examina-
tions would be conducted in the light of the known fixed criteria for
acceptance,
be If these separate examinations (many of which include personal
contacts mad investigations) do not elicit evidence of non-suitability,
it is very doubtful that any independent officer can make a better judg-
ment by merely reviewing records and files. When all of the offices
and officers charged with selecting qualified and suitable personnel
are given the improved selection criteria requested above, and when their
.selection processes are strengthened as proposed ebove, it is difficult
to see. the necessity to appoint "responsible" officers from other com-
ponents to review the soundness of their decisions,
6. The Personnel Office appreciates the opportunity to furnish its views
to the Professional Selection Panel in this matter, and will provide additional
explanations or assistance upon request.
/s/ George E. Meloon
GEORGE Be MEWON
Personnel Director
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