Daisy Phillipson
A former CIA officer has opened up about how he was recruited for one of the most secretive agencies in the world – and let's just say it didn't involve a resume and cover letter.
Andrew Bustamante was once a covert CIA intelligence agent and is a US Air Force combat veteran.
Today, he works as the founder of EverydaySpy, a platform that teaches participants real-life spy skills in order to reach their full potential in life.
It's safe to say he knows his subject, having spent seven years travelling the world while covertly gathering intelligence for the US.
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Taking to a recent episode of the TRENDIFIER with Julian Dorey podcast, Bustamante opened up about his fascinating career, which saw him complete missions on six of the world's seven continents.
And if his life didn't already sound like the plot of a movie, the agent lived overseas alongside his wife Jihi – who also happens to be a former CIA officer.
Surprisingly, Bustamante never set out to be a member of the federal agency. In fact, he got the job while looking for a position in the Peace Corps.
The conversation started when Dorey highlighted the fact that Bustamante came into the CIA after serving in the Air Force.
When questioned about the recruitment process, he explained: "I was actually on my way out of the Air Force and trying to get into the Peace Corps.
"Because remember, my priorities hadn't changed much. I wanted to see the world and I wanted to get laid. And I was like... it's got to be the next best option besides the Air Force, right?"
Something tells us he hadn't met his wife-to-be at this point.
While going through the application process, Bustamante was intercepted by a message that popped up on his screen and recommended to pause the application for 72 hours as he may qualify for other jobs within the US federal government.
Being the open-minded man he is, Bustamante went along with it and sure enough, 24 hours later, he got a call from an unlisted number.
The person on the other end of the line told him: "We think you might have utility in national security, would you be interested?"
At the time he wasn't entirely sure it was legit, saying he thought it might be 'a scam'. But this all changed when he received a plane ticket in the mail.
Bustamante was taken to a location – which he obviously wasn't allowed to say – and talked through the rules, including never telling anyone about the organisation or that he'd been asked to apply.
Once he'd agreed to the rules he was allowed to start the application process, which Bustamante said was just 'test after test' on things like role-playing, psychology and integrity.
As we all know, he passed – and the rest, as they say, is history.