You must think of anything that could come up during your background investigation, even if it does not directly involve you. The CIA is very detailed in its investigation, and you want to avoid leaving out something that could be construed as deceitful. For example, you might have a family member who was convicted of a crime and is incarcerated. Even though you did not commit the crime, you are associated with that person, and it will come up in your investigation. It is best to be completely transparent with the interviewer, so there are no surprises during your background investigation.

"The worst thing that will show up in my background investigation is a noise complaint I had from a previous neighbor. When I was 19 years old and attending college, I had a quite noisy party. My neighbor called the police, who responded to my house and asked me to shut down the party. I was never charged with anything, but I am sure there is a police report of it out there."

"I believe the worst thing that will show up during my background investigation is the fact that my father is incarcerated for involuntary manslaughter. He was convicted three years ago after driving while intoxicated and killing three people in a vehicle accident. I was not involved in the incident, but I wanted to be honest and let you know the circumstances as I am sure it will show up in the investigation."