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Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
It is not required for you to have lived overseas to work for the CIA, but a higher preference may be given if you have. Candidates that have lived overseas are more in tune with different cultures, customs, and languages. Since some CIA employees work overseas, having that experience will set you apart from those candidates that have not. Describe where you have lived and for how long, and if you speak the language of that country fluently. If you have not lived abroad, explain that you have not, but you would be excited to move if needed.

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
During your background investigation, the CIA will find out everywhere you have lived, and you do not want to be dishonest. You want to avoid saying you lived overseas if you have not. Suppose you traveled extensively overseas but never actually lived in one place. In that case, you can describe your travels, explaining that you did not stay in one place, but it shows the interviewer that you have knowledge of other countries and cultures.

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
"Yes, I lived in Taiwan for five years working as an engineering manager for Nest Intelligence. I then moved to Singapore for three years after receiving a job offer for Twitter as a threat fusion program intelligence analyst. I am very familiar with the cultures and customs of both countries and speak fluent Mandarin and Malay."

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
"I have never lived in one place overseas, but I traveled extensively through Europe and Asia. I spent one year traveling around Europe and learned to speak fluent German, French, and Russian. I then traveled to Asia, where I spent another year visiting multiple countries and picking up two more languages, Chinese and Japanese. I feel confident speaking and writing in all of the languages I learned and particularly enjoyed experiencing the customs of other countries and how people live."

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Written by Krista Wenz
35 Questions & Answers • CIA

By Krista

By Krista