Hi,
Has anyone applied to the recent linguist positions with NSA and gotten an offer? How long do they take to get back to you after hirevue interview. Would they let you know if you are no longer considered. Also, how up to date is the application status on the website?
Thanks
I can say that the application status on any of the fed job portals is notoriously unreliable.
Here is my experience with the NSA. I received two offers from them. The first was a GS-14 Step 7. The called me back halfway through the background check process and lowered my offer to a GS-13 step 10 for “internal equity” purposes. I rejected that “offer”. The second offer was made, I filled out a Bunch of paperwork, had a poly scheduled, and then they had a more senior manager interview me AFTER the offer was made and revoked it. Further, the NSA is an “at-will” employer without civil service protections, the first step of the paperwork is signing a form stating you understand this. You will make much more as a contractor and the NSA is not known for its professionalism in recruiting. I later got a job as a GS-15 with a DOD affiliated agency. Honestly I would not bother with them, but to each their own.
I can tell you that practically the only way to get fired from NSA is to be caught in time card fraud. Well I guess committing egregious security violations would work too. But you can’t equate being an “at-will” employee at NSA with the private sector.
I think your experience is far from the norm. You are clearly very highly qualified. Most of the ppl in the process now are new to the field and a dime a dozen. I agree with you though as longtime Contractor and former GG. NSA is VERY unprofessional. So is CIA. DOD has treated me better than both.
I will never forget the NSA recruiter telling me when they lowered my offer from a GS-14 step 7 to a GS-13 step 10 that they had to do this because the manager said he had people sitting in GS-13s for over a decade who could not be promoted, and bringing me in as a high step GS-14 would cause problems. So I said to the NSA recruiter, “So you are advocating I come in as a GS-13 and sit there for over a decade without a promotion when you have told me I am worth a high GS-14 or low GS-15?” Crickets. DOD used to be much better than it is now. I think if I were a young person it would be private sector first and then a career job outside of DOD or an intelligence agency. More stability, better treatment. The problem is once you hit your 40s it is advantageous to switch to a government job because there is far less age discrimination. Once you start to approach retirement (especially with a pension), you have a target on your back in the private sector.
I believe everything you have stated about people not being terminated at the NSA for anything other than time card fraud or security violations. However, we have seen many firsts with this administration including the firing of employees in retaliation for not funding the government. The agreement states you are an at will employee and they could decide to enforce that authority at any time for any reason. Just because they have not exercised that authority in the past does not mean it will not be exercised in the future. I think most people are far better off in either a career conditional appointment or the private sector than with the NSA. Further, who wants to go through a polygraph every five years which they can “steer you to fail” and can be used to fire you just because they don’t like you.
BRILLIANT!!! They like to bring people on at a high step which makes the initial offer look better, but try to hide the fact that it will probably take a long time to get promoted. And dont forget the higher the step, the longer between step increases.
Honestly in my experience, NSA wants you to pass… they will give you several tries. That doesn’t make it any easier, especially after you have been there a while and passed several polys and all of a sudden they need three or four or more tries to get a result that they like… even if you never changed your answers.
Yes, I agree. I have a friend who left the competitive service for the NSA and was polygraphed 5 times before he “passed”. If we had to give people 5 MRIs to establish a diagnosis, hospitals would use other methods. But the government likes polygraphs because it is a way of interrogating people without the benefit of an attorney. I think it would be great to show up for a polygraph exam with an attorney to see how they would handle it.
The NSA tried to sell me that a GS-13 step 10 is not much different than a GS-14 step 7, but it is not called the GS-13 Forever club for nothing. It is easier to go from a GS-14 to a GS-15 than from a GS-13 to a GS-14. It does not make sense but it is often true. Downgrading an offer due to internal equity after the fact is the most unprofessional thing I have ever experienced. Internal equity considerations should be known prior to tendering an offer.