I have been in Law Enforcement for about 12 years now and I have seen a lot of prospective applicants who thought they were ready for the job, but were not. (Well they thought they were not.)
The one thing that I learned early on when I first applied was to be totally honest with every person that was going to interview me.
I say (every) person because unlike a "NORMAL" job, Law Enforcement Applicants are interviewed by an Oral Board which can consist of five to eight bosses that you need to answer interview questions relating to specific areas of the law.
This can be daunting and overwhelming to anyone who is new and trying to get into Law Enforcement. I know that I was extremely nervous when it came time for my Oral Board evaluation. The main advice i can give anyone trying to "break in" lol.....is to above all...be honest with your answers. The second would be to show confidence in you answers. Right or wrong. If you show indecisiveness, it can hurt your chances. Let's face it they don't want indecisiveness when it comes to making an arrest when you're out on the street.
I was reading in the paper the other day about how Law Enforcement Jobs are on the rise and couldn't help to think about when I first started in this career. I didn't really have a lot of help when it came to my oral boards and it would probably have done me a world of good to get advice from other officers already in the biz. To really maximize your chances to landing a rewarding and honorable career in law enforcement I would suggest riding along with local officers in your area. Pick their brain, let them know you are interested and see what advice they can offer during your application and interview process. There are many "ride along" programs all over the country and I know from experience that Police Agencies welcome these practices to help promote good relations with the citizens.
Another way is to get involved in neighborhood watch programs which often have Police Officer's give talks to citizens in the community which will help you make "contacts".
I was surfing the web yesterday and found a recruiter who was giving out some great information about Oral Boards. I found him really informative. You can check him out if you want.
Click Here!
I hope that I have helped some of you decide on how to plan for a great career in Law Enforcement!
1 comment:
Your post is very informative. I'd like to add that prospective public safety applicants should be prepared for the pre-employment psychological evaluation and polygraph. They should also arrive at their evaluations prepared to follow directions, be honest and dressed appopriately.
The website for John Lehman, Ph. D. & Associates has useful information for prospective public safety applicants.
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