America's foreign intelligence service, the Central Intelligence Agency, is central to influencing national security decisions.

» RELATED: Someone asked Amazon’s Alexa about the CIA and the answers are hilarious

But how exactly are CIA members recruited?

In his book "Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror," former CIA and National Security Agency director Michael Hayden explains just what the ideal candidate is like.

» RELATED: From flying saucers to Castro, you can read CIA's once-secret stash online

Business Insider put together a video (below) of some of the attributes Hayden mentions in his book:

According to Hayden, mastering a foreign language and being comfortable in a foreign country are both very important.

In addition, Hayden values life experience and success in “whatever it is you’re doing.”

More on BusinessInsider.com.

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