Posts Tagged ‘Burn Notice’
“Burn Notice” – You Can Work For The CIA Too
Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen in "Burn Notice"
Yes, “Burn Notice” is still on mid-season break, but a spy organization who hasn’t taken a break from hiring is the CIA. They’re not just hiring Michael Westens, but for everyday jobs as well.
The Agency Is Looking for You
Michael Westen is more than qualified to work as a spy for the CIA. Military training, strong sense of morals, and an ability to lie at near pathological levels. While the Central Intelligence Agency is always looking for people like Michael Westen, there are other positions the agency is also trying to fill that may be suited for people like you and me. Eve Tahmincioglu writes about the agency’s hiring increase and about life working as an undercover and non-undercover employee of the CIA in “Top Secret Jobs at the CIA“. If you don’t have a 2 black belts in martial arts, that’s OK. Tahmincioglu writes the agency is looking for college students, former wall street workers and people with language skills to fill a number of administrative and analyst positions.
Not Easy Getting In Or Staying In
Tahmincioglu also writes that it’s a highly competitive hiring process with extensive screening and background checks. Should you make the cut, your family life may suffer depending whether or not you position is undercover. You’re also still subject to background and security checks after you’ve been hired.
Believe in What You’re Doing
From my experience working in government, I think the difference between a rewarding government career and a hellish one with little pay and a lot of bureaucracy is just how much you believe in what you’re doing. If you’re truly committed to serving the country, it really makes it all worth it.
Other Government Opportunities
If the CIA is not your thing, you can find out what other government agencies are hiring on USAJobs.gov.
See yourself in the CIA? Let me know by posting here.
“Burn Notice”- Dream Job Pursuit Turns To Nightmare
Officially beginning “Burn Notice” withdrawal. In the summer finale, Michael’s shot at his dream job turns into a nightmare. It brings to light the issue that sometimes, the new job you just landed isn’t what it turns out to be.
Michael’s “professional” relationship with Strickler goes sideways when he’s forced to lie during his case review to get back into the CIA, in order to serve Strickler interests. Strickler also “excludes” Fiona from Michael’s future by attempting to auction her off to the highest bidding adversary. Michael “terminates” his partnership with Strickler and rescues Fiona from becoming an auction item. The episode emulates a familiar situation to job seekers- when the new job doesn’t turn out to be the opportunity they were looking for.
Sometimes, no matter how diligent you are in vetting your new offer, as I wrote in a previous post “Lesson from ‘Warehouse 13′- Look Before Leaping Into Your New Job“, the unsuitable aspects of your new job won’t be discovered until you actually start on that job. When it all becomes too much to bear, you have to discuss the matter with your new manager. Since there’s no way to predict whether they’ll accommodate you or fire you, you also need to be looking for another job anyway, which is what Susanne Lucas advises in “What To Do When a Dream Job Isn’t“.
In the event that you are terminated, be sure to update your professional and social networks that you’re back on the market. Also, you can leverage social media to do additional research on potential employers to find company buzz and even former employees.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to catch the warning signs before getting into a suspect situation, but should you find yourself in one, remember that there’s always a way out.
See You Soon, “Burn Notice”
Really gonna miss this show as it takes its hiatus. For the fans, I think the people who burned Michael are back, but then again I am a serial guesser. I’ll have to live on the show’s website, Facebook and Twitter offerings in the meantime.
Left or saved a job gone bad? Post it here.
Lesson from “Burn Notice”- Ask A Spy (For Career Tips)
Gotta hand it to the USA Network. They really know how to do social media. Given their business gives them an advantage on what to offer, their “Burn Notice” website is still one the best social media offerings out there. Yes, I’m biased but judge for yourself. “Ask A Spy” is a collection of short video tips from Michael Westen. While you’ll get tips on how to survive a bar brawl and what to do when your car brakes are cut, you’ll also get tips for the workplace such as how to get promoted and what to do if a co-worker is bullying you. You can submit your questions for Michael Westen to answer on USA’s message board.
Even if you’re not a fan of the show, the videos give advice from a unique perspective- a spy’s perspective. Sounds fanboy cheezy, but if you think about it , spies are really good at reading people, reading situations, and getting out of tight spots using a bit of psychology, a silver tongue, and a good poker face. Skills applicable anywhere, especially the workplace. It’s my favorite aspect of the show. Forces me to remember that no what tight spot you’re in, you can always get out of it if you know who you’re dealing with, what’s at play in the situation and what you have to work with.
Got a good example of media content from your favorite TV show? Post it here.
