How Data Will Inform the NSA Hiring Process

With an updated website, the NSA hiring process will begin partnering with other intelligence agencies on a data-centric approach to staffing.

The site will administer exams to would-be applicants and then create reports about job candidates for hiring managers, says Kathy Hutson, NSA’s human resources director.

By improving the quality of applicants selected for interviews and further testing, the semi-automated process should save hiring managers time in finding the right people to work in jobs that require high skill levels, Hutson says. Ultimately, intelligence agencies also want to improve retention by identifying and hiring candidates that are the best fit for these federal jobs.

“It takes a while for our employees to come in and develop the skills they need to execute the tradecraft of our incredible mission,” Hutson says. “To think that employees would come in and be out the door in two to three years, it will not serve them well and it probably won’t serve our mission well.”