Industry humor and fun

NASA Just Posted a New Job ...and It’s Hiring for the Real-life (Wo)Man in Black

Everybody (I hope) remembers the epic 90s awesomeness that was Men in Black. Two guys dressed in black, protecting the planet against covert alien inhabitants. Cue in big alien slime explosions, Will Smith’s casual cool and of course the theme song:

Here come the Men In Black, Galaxy defenders
[They are] your first, last and only line of defense
Against the worst scum of the universe

Well, funny enough, it turns out that the movie is based on an absolutely (yes,100%) real job at NASA, created all the way back in the late 60s. What’s even more exciting is that the space agency just posted an ad, revealing that the role will soon be vacant and it’s looking for a new Planetary Protection Officer.

And the key phrase in the job description: “Security Clearance: Secret.”

Wow. Leave it to the space geeks to create a job fit for an action hero.

The deets behind the job

Admittedly once you dig into the job description, the geek parts win over the action parts. The main purpose of the role is to make sure that human space missions and probes don’t contaminate other planets and that alien microbes don’t spread on Earth.

Also, it sounds like the role requires more political finesse than blasting out aliens with laser guns. Some of the key requirements are that the candidate has “demonstrated skills in diplomacy that resulted in win-win solutions during extremely difficult and complex multilateral discussions”

...and “experience planning, executing, or overseeing elements of space programs of national significance.”

Talk about a job description that weeds out unqualified candidates.

What to do if you don’t have a Men-in-Black caliber job openings

While we may feel a tad jealous that NASA recruiters get to hire a Planetary Protection Officer, every savvy recruiter can create an exciting job description that draws in the right candidates (not too much science mojo required).

Here are some tips to get you started:

We on the other hand, cannot wait to see who becomes the new Planetary Protection Officer unless...

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