b'Q: What are the mostQ: Can I do anything to important foreign languages tofacilitate obtaining a security study?clearance? A: Those who know languagesA: You can download clearance such as Arabic, Dari, Farsi,applications SF85 and SF86 from Pashto, Russian, Urdu, Kurdish,the Office of Personnel Punjabi, Somali, Swahili,Management (OPM.gov) and use Turkish, Chinese, Japanese,them as a guide. Be completely Korean as well as other ethnicstraightforward in all your and tribal dialects from all overanswers, and be prepared to the world are of special interest.explain even minor infractions. Bear in mind, however, that theThe people who investigate for IC is broad. For example, Spanishgovernment clearances will delve can be useful for a career ininto criminal and driving records, homeland security. And for thosemedical records, credit withscores, web presence, travel an aptitude for a digital language,history, and personal the IC also offers exciting careers.relationships. You will be asked Finally, the IC also makesto identify several people who provision to train employees inknow you who will then be languages for which there isinterviewed. And interviews are pressing need. See language listexpanded beyond your original on page 31.references, so hiding someone or some activity in your past will not Q: What are the most valuablework.skills that I can develop before applying?Q: How old is too old to work for the Intelligence A: Language skills are important,Community? but so are certain liberal arts components to whatever field ofA: There are no age limits, study you choose. You must beespecially for analytical positions. able to communicate effectively,However, because of lengthy in writing and in speech. Thetraining and rigorous physical ability to think critically isrequirements, field agents in the essential: to develop and considerFBI and case officers of the competing hypotheses for variousDirectorate of Operations of the situations, to tolerate ambiguity,CIA are generally not accepted and to avoid prematureover the age of 35. conclusions. Attention to detail is very important. 27'