Secret agents may be around us working for public bodies, corporate entities and private organizations to gather information and report. If you want to trade secrets and think you have what it takes to be a good agent, you can learn how to build the real skills needed to do the job right, as well as join an intelligence agency and work the right way in the field. For more information, start reading the first step.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Building Spy Skills
Step 1. Be charismatic
James Bond is not a great secret agent because he was the strongest, the smartest or the smartest. What he lacks in typical action hero skills, he puts into his ability to adapt to the situation. He exudes charisma. A great secret agent must be able to charm strangers and manipulate them to do what he wants. A question of charisma.
Practice, work on getting phone numbers from strangers in public. Chat with people you don't know and ingratiate them. Use your good-natured charm
Step 2. Spend time honing your ability to deal with different types of people
Go to places where you might not be welcome, plug in and try to learn all that is possible from the locals. Can you pretend to be a worker in a steel mill who is struggling to make ends meet? Can you pretend to be a French-Canadian diplomat? What about a Belizean singer? A good secret agent says yes.
Try to get to know each type and level of culture. If you have to fit in with French dignitaries who are illegal smuggling, you need to be able to talk about French wine and opera. If you have to sneak into Texans, you have to know country songs by heart
Step 3. Learn to spot lies and tell them
If a secret agent is caught in an apartment with a flashlight, he must flee or find a plausible excuse. Likewise, if you notice suspicious behavior, you need to be able to detect the lie quickly and efficiently. Learning to spot them can also help you become a better liar.
- Check your body language. Liars tend to withdraw into themselves, keeping away from others, which indicates discomfort.
- Liars avoid contractions, pick up on sentences and often parrot the question to stall and find a suitable answer. To avoid the need to do so, find an excuse and tell your lie ahead of time so as not to have to block yourself.
- Relax when you tell a lie. If you know you have to tell a lie, calm down. If you are relaxed, your lie will seem closer to the truth.
Step 4. Stay fit and try to stay athletic
A secret agent may have to jump over barbed wire fences, hastily hang from a helicopter landing gear, or sneak through the sewer system. Or it should, at least, run fast.
- Focus on cardio exercises rather than strength exercises. Most covert agents don't look like Schwarzenegger, but they may have to run like an Olympic sprinter to get away from watchdogs or security agents.
- The secret agent's secret weapon could be yoga. The ability to control the body, twist and turn through narrow corridors and be physically fit fits the role perfectly.
Step 5. Learn to fight
If things get worse, a good secret agent must be able to fight. You certainly don't want to end up being captured and questioned by your enemies in the back of some dark warehouse without first trying to defend yourself with your fists.
- To give a good punch, close your fingers tightly, holding them tightly in your palm, but not too tight. Keep them loose as you defend yourself and then stretch them as you punch. Wrap your thumb under your fingers, not in your fist.
- Hit with your second knuckle, not the third. Ideally you will want to hit with the tip of the first two knuckles, bringing them in the middle of the opponent's face (on the nose and eyes). Avoid the jaws and the head, more difficult points that would damage you the most. Throw a straight punch with force.
- Play defense by putting yourself in a defensive position to strike from. Keep your fists high on either side of your face in a boxing stance, but move towards the opponent, even if he is throwing punches. Move towards the opponent's fists to release their strength.
Step 6. Learn to speak many different languages
If you are going to go undercover around the world, you need to feel comfortable speaking the language where you will be doing your job. This is especially true of industrial espionage and the selection of places in official government agencies, mostly places of turmoil where agents can be placed. Among the most popular languages:
- Learn Arabic
- Learn the Farsi
- Learn Russian
- Learn Mandarin
- Learn Pashto
Step 7. Learn to lip read
One of the most important languages and skills for a young secret agent to learn is the ability to read body language. Learning to identify the information someone discloses even when they don't realize it is an essential skill for the secret agent.
You can practice at home by watching a DVD without audio, but with subtitles on, to get used to the movements of your mouth. Then turn off the subtitles and see if you can interpret what the characters are saying. Go to cafes and other public places and train your eavesdropping skills
Part 2 of 3: Joining an Intelligence Organization
Step 1. Get a master's degree in business, foreign languages, or political or legal science
There is nothing worse than an ignorant secret agent. Secret agents are not selected out of high school nor are they taken out of the dark for their surveillance skills. For most government agencies employing field agents, at least a bachelor's degree is required and a postgraduate or master's degree is preferred.
- Field agents have degrees in all fields, but language, business administration, and international and political science skills are particularly sought after. It is necessary to study something inherent in world politics. Military experience is also valuable.
- In the United States, you can try to get an internship with the CIA as a student. Competitive internship programs are available for those students studying foreign policy or criminal law, and the agency tends to hire by selecting agents from this pool of candidates. If you're hoping to get in as an undercover agent in the future, this can be a great stepping stone.
Step 2. Fill out a hiring application for a government intelligence agency
To make your status as a secret agent official, it is likely that you will need to fill an undercover role for your government. Although many different careers are available in organizations such as the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), secret agents are typically involved in what is called "Underground Service". The question is available on the CIA website, at this link.
To complete the application, you will need to create an account and then search for vacancies within the agency. Questions about your background, education and familiarity with foreign policy will be included in the questionnaire. Additionally, you typically need to agree to a background check and report for a polygraph exam before proceeding with the process
Step 3. Get your background checked
To work with a secret agency, it is necessary to have an extremely clean criminal record. If you have any arrests or even crimes behind your back, your application will likely be stopped and discarded before you even have the opportunity to prove that you are a trustworthy agent. There will likely be several hundred applicants for every job available, so this is especially important if you want to be successful.
- To give yourself the best chance of being accepted, stay out of trouble. You will have to pass a polygraph test to check the accuracy of your statements and probably a drug use check, so you will also need to stay sober and stay away from illegal substances. Any psychological issues, legal issues, or interpersonal quirks may be preventing you from getting the job. It is a tough test.
- We're talking about the CIA here, so it's likely they'll be able to do some thorough research. If you've been involved in a false bomb alarm joke since graduating in high school but never got caught, expect something from your past to emerge during the interview. Nothing mistakes.
Step 4. Simplify your life
If you are lucky enough to be one of the few who work in any role for a government agency, congratulations! But now the real work begins. Chances are you have to eradicate your life on a regular basis, move between different countries, always on call. Are you ready for the challenge?
- Try to keep a minimum amount of property and live a relatively spartan existence. Don't keep anything around you that you aren't willing to give up in less than a minute if problems arise. Excessive responsibility and connections can form a bond. Make your work your life. You are a secret agent, after all!
- Being a spy can make interpersonal and romantic relationships very difficult. Chances are you won't be able to tell friends and family what you do for a living. Will they agree with this? And will you be?
Step 5. Consider making yourself available for industrial or corporate espionage
There are different kinds of secret agents, so if you have some not very clear backs but still have good spying skills, you might consider industrial espionage, working for a large company to spy on competitors.
- If you don't work for the government, it might be a good idea to start working as a private investigator to build a reputation as a reliable hound and cyber spy. This resume can make you attractive to companies who want to learn the secrets of their competition.
- Corporate espionage, while not strictly illegal, can bring you a lot of trouble if you sign a nondisclosure agreement. Probably, you will have to work as a double agent for two different companies at once and report to the other party what is going on.
Part 3 of 3: Going Undercover
Step 1. Get to know the cultures and political climate of the places where you will fit in
Once you find out where you will be located and what you will seek, collect or attempt to facilitate, it is essential that you learn all you can about the political climate in which you will find yourself. If you are traveling to the UAE to spy on an oil tycoon, you will have to handle that job very differently than if you were going to South Florida to work with a militant group.
- Study the contemporary landscape, as well as the history of the place. Try to get to know the people and the culture, trying to understand the spirit of the people who live there. What makes them mad? How are they different from you?
- Learn geography too. If you're in Iraq and you need to know how long it takes to get from Baghdad to Kuwait and back before sunset, you don't want to mess around with an iPhone to try to figure it out!
Step 2. Get a good cover story and make local contacts
Chances are you are struggling with a new fake identity when you go out on the pitch. Perhaps you are about to become an executive fruit growing manager for Dole in Southeast Asia looking for possible positions for a new operation. A general outline will be provided, but the specific details of your life will have to be worked out on your own.
- Act like an actor would. Your life can depend on it. Any details you might borrow from your life could lead potential enemies to delve deeper into your story and uncover the truth.
- For most jobs, you will need to find someone who will vouch for you and can help you familiarize yourself with local customs, who may or may not know your secret agent status. If he knows, it will also be a good idea to do your best to build your contacts and work on your own in the local area.
Step 3. Work hard to get to know your target
Keep close to your enemy. For the most part, you won't spy on your targets from a distance, looking at their dark affairs through binoculars. You will find yourself face to face with them, you will have to steal their hard drive and sneak away without getting caught. For this reason, it is absolutely vital that you get into your target's good graces.
- Learn all you can about their habits, likes and dislikes. If you find that the general who runs a drug trade has a particular passion for good whiskey, you could bring him a bottle of the famous Laphroaig to get an invitation to dinner.
- If you are working on a chase, keep your distance and prepare a good escape plan in case things go wrong. Getting caught chasing a goal in a grocery store isn't a good result for anyone.
Step 4. Camouflage yourself
If you want to spy, you should blend into the crowd to seem like you belong. If you are spying on a location, you must have a good reason to be there. Wear common clothes that are not easily identifiable in that specific location. Avoid attracting attention.
Take some time before you start getting into your unclear business. For most jobs, you won't be required to do anything bold or otherwise fancy. Mostly you'll just have to go out and "keep an eye on things". Don't rush to avoid making a mess. Stand back and dedicate yourself to camouflage as a primary learning goal
Step 5. Pay attention to what is happening in your environment at all times
Don't get too comfortable. Learn to think independently and try to be inventive in any kind of situation. Try to find new and useful ways to use the tools you carry with you or replace them with others that cover a wider range of features. Here is a wide range of skills that might come in handy as a secret agent:
- Repair an engine
- Throw a knife
- Repair a radio
- Take off the handcuffs
Step 6. Collect information
Observe everything that happens out of the ordinary, the one that shakes the routine of your goal, place or situation. Even if you're not sure why, it's probably important to get back in touch with the agency at home and report what's going on and what your suspicions about the targets are.
Use your instincts and work hard to hone your intuition while on the pitch. In your entire career, you will probably never catch anyone saying "We're going to bring the cocaine tomorrow at noon" during a wiretap. Criminals are not stupid: you have to learn to look for role models and to "read" the people you are chasing to understand what it is you need to know
Step 7. Get professional hardware and software
Surveillance gadgets can be essential for the job, and chances are you'll find yourself using high-tech equipment to see and hear. Modern bed bugs are as small as a microchip, and you will likely be briefed on how to use them before you go out on the field. Depending on the nature of your assignment, you may have to set aside a considerable amount of time to monitor these means of surveillance as well: be prepared to sit for many long hours listening to emptiness or the bosses' talk with their mistresses.
Step 8. Prepare a bag with travel essentials
A good secret agent always has a suitcase with all the necessary things so, in case of an emergency, he is ready. Also add a survival kit, clothing for all weather conditions and an emergency transponder in case you disappear in the night to escape from enemies and 'your' people need to know where to find you.
Advice
- Always stay calm and behave naturally.
- Check your emotions.
- Try not to tell anyone that you are a secret agent.
- Beware of people who are too nice, they may know more about you than when they show up.
- Learn to speak and spy.
- Learn to lip-read well first.
- Use the element of surprise.
- Buy elegant clothes.
- Keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer.
- Follow the motto of the spies - Ask, watch and listen
Warnings
- It's not like in the films with James Bond or Inspector Gadget! Real secret agents lose their lives every day!
- Awareness of you and your ego MUST be under control.
- Remember to always maintain awareness of situations.
- You must know the law and do nothing illegal, or you will end up in serious trouble with the police.
- If you carry a gun in public places you can get in trouble with the police, so don't wear anything that will harm anyone other than a small bruise or burn!
