Background Investigation Archives

Trick questions… What’s the point?

Law enforcement candidates, more than most people at a job interview, have reason to fear being thrown for a loop when they sit down at their oral board interview.

There’s a tendency for many oral board panels to attempt to trip up an applicant with a question that seems to have no right or wrong answer.

Why do “we” (law enforcement professionals) do this to “you,” the applicants? There may be no right or wrong answer to that question either, but I’ll try.

Navigating the rite of passage

For lack of a more descriptive term, there seems in the mind of many in this profession, that once you’ve had a badge pinned on your chest, any and all others that come along hoping to enter law enforcement must navigate a rite of passage.

Generically speaking (and not necessarily including myself in this observation) law enforcement professionals don’t much care for outsiders, and as an applicant, that’s you right now.

We want to make it difficult for you to break down our barriers in order to infiltrate our agency as a rookie. The mindset that, you’re just not worthy to be one of us is alive and well at many, if not most agencies.

During the interview, we want to make you squirm.

I’ve seen oral boards that looked more like hazing rituals than interviews. Again, I’m not suggesting in any way that I agree with this approach, I’m just saying I know it exists.

Example

Here’s a glowing example of the type of question that really is, [Read more…]

Officer candidates across the globe are discovering that the pre-employment background investigation has taken on a new twist.

For the most part, the manner in which “conditional offer of employment background investigations” are conducted have remained summarily unchanged for decades.

That is, until social media exploded.

Cyber vetting has become a standard tool used by background investigators and the fact is, when it’s your time to submit to a pre-employment background investigation, you WILL be cyber vetted.

I’ve had candidates ask me,

“Can they even do that?”

The answer is, yes and no.

A background investigator will likely ask you to sign a waiver form, allowing him or her to access your social media accounts.

You certainly can refuse and when you do, you’ve sealed your fate. There is NO WAY that agency is going to hire you.

So, you’re only logical choice is to sign the waiver and submit to the cyber exam.

How you look on paper may not be how you’ll look on the screen

The prudent candidate meticulously organizes their resume, application packet and their background packet in a manner that portrays them as a well-organized, attractive and viable candidate for employment with the agency they’ve applied, tested and interviewed with.

They leave nothing to chance, crossing every t and dotting every i.

Oddly, the same candidates that are fully confident and excited to have their papers examined by their background investigator (BI), begin to sweat with nervous anticipation when the BI sits down at their kitchen table, in their home, and asks them to [Read more…]

Police Oral Board Trick Questions