Anyone work for the FBI (Need serious career advice)

[Evenflow]

Right now I work for a leading software technology company in the medical industry. I love the job, but I want to contribute something to the nation and not sit behind a computer for eight hours a day.
Ever since a few years ago I was interested in joining the FBI for maybe a technical position, something a long the lines of LAN administrator, or network admin or something.

Well I found a job description I think would fit me well, Intelligence Analyst hopefully for the anti-terrorism department. I have done some reading on the recommendations/process but I need more in depth info.

What is the recruitment phase like? Does everyone go through the same recruitment despite position? Is there polygraph testing? What is the background check like (I have a clearn record)? Thoughts/feedbacks would be great

 

[dooberGN]

I'm not too sure on the recruitment process being the same for every position, I can say that you will still be working behind a desk though. I assume you have a four year degree.

Background check, if you haven't done any of these your on the right track.:
1.Haven't used any illegal drugs (steroids included) in the past 10 years, you will take a polygraph.
2. No felonies, your good there.
3.Failure of a student loan.
4.Failure to register with Selective service.

Other then that it gets extensive seeing you need to have Top-Secret clearance to be in the FBI.
They give you the polygraph, do a credit and records check, and give extensive interviews to former and current employers as well as colleagues, neighbors, friends and professors.

 

[jerrad]

You might pm fordsvtfan. I remember reading that he worked/works for a gov. agency. Not sure which agency but I bet he can chime in.

Also, I remember a thread about requirements on here too. Might be able to find it if you search hard enough.

Good luck.


Found it.
http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/road-side-pub-17/681665-anyone-work-fbi.html

 

[Planter]

must have a bachelor's degree in something relevant

psychology
criminal justice
forensic science

etc.

background check
polygraph
good college gpa (3.0 or better)
good credit
neighbors, friends, family all get interviewed
psychological profile
psychological examination

screening process is very intense, and they like to weed out the weaklings very quickly.

once you get accepted, you go to Quantico for some intense physical, tactical, and situational training for quite a while.

 

[JDStud6]

I work for a government agency in IT. It's not much different than a normal IT job. Of course you'll have to get a security clearance, which means a background check. So as long as you have a good record, get good references, and don't have credit issues you should be ok. As far as a poly, it depends on your level of clearance but I doubt you'd need one. I believe they are hiring in IT right now. The FBI/CIA always seem to be looking.

good luck

JD

 

[oilwell1415]

I talked to them at a career fair a few months ago. The process is different depending on what you are doing. Agents have to go through the academy, office personnel don't. Security requirements are similar if not the exact same. To be an agent (and some office jobs) you basically sign your life away and agree that you will live and work where they tell you to for the next XX years.

I didn't pursue it very heavily because we can't afford for my wife to give up her job for me to work at the FBI, I don't want to move every few years, and one of my distant cousins is married to an Arab that is on the watch list which means the security check would have been questionable for me.

 

[focussvtracer]

^ you really have to move around if you work for the FBI??? i heard that your first 2-3 years are way they say then you have a choice of picking a permanent residence if there is an opening of where you want to work after your probation perioid?

 

[oilwell1415]

I believe what he said was that you weren't eligible for permanent assignment until you were in the top X% on the seniority list, which means it's a little variable depending on how many people are hired, fired ,retired or quit. The agent at the booth had been with them for 13 years and still wasn't permanently assigned. I also talked to teh DEA and CIA, so I may have my agencies mixed up, but I didn't spend much time at the other two booths and am fairly certain that was the FBI info.

 

[hb712]

I believe what he said was that you weren't eligible for permanent assignment until you were in the top X% on the seniority list, which means it's a little variable depending on how many people are hired, fired ,retired or quit. The agent at the booth had been with them for 13 years and still wasn't permanently assigned. I also talked to teh DEA and CIA, so I may have my agencies mixed up, but I didn't spend much time at the other two booths and am fairly certain that was the FBI info.

The FBI agent that spoke to my intelligence class had 4 total assignments and he is close to retirement.

I would suggest speaking to people who are/or have been employed by the FBI. Check out their website, there is a lot of info (including about the location) on there if you look. Look for universities around your area hosting job fairs. At OSU, we have a few job fairs a year featuring most of the intelligence agencies.

Edit: I would suggest starting here: http://www.fbijobs.gov/122.asp

Just look around the site, it will answer a lot of questions.

 

[RDJ]

Yeah PM FordSVTFan and get the stright scoop.

I will tell you now tho that you will need to start getting your shit together now. both yours and your wifes. You will need every address you have lived since you were 16, Also neighbors names if you have them You will need to have every job you have had since 16 as well. names and address of all your siblings, parents, and any ex wives you may have. Any foreign citizen relations by birth or marriage? you will need their names and addresses as well. The paperwork is almost as bad as the CIAs.

 

[RedDemon91]

Just curious cause I've always wondered. What sort of questions would they ask you since you already take a background check and come up clean??

 

[oilwell1415]

The FBI agent that spoke to my intelligence class had 4 total assignments and he is close to retirement.

I would suggest speaking to people who are/or have been employed by the FBI. Check out their website, there is a lot of info (including about the location) on there if you look. Look for universities around your area hosting job fairs. At OSU, we have a few job fairs a year featuring most of the intelligence agencies.

Edit: I would suggest starting here: Federal Bureau of Investigation

Just look around the site, it will answer a lot of questions.

I suspect not every career follows the exact same path, but if you can find someone who is doing the job that is obviously the best resource.

Just curious cause I've always wondered. What sort of questions would they ask you since you already take a background check and come up clean??

I suspect the questions depend on the person and are probably structured to lead you down a path of contradiction with one of your associates who they have also interviewed.

 

[RDJ]

Just curious cause I've always wondered. What sort of questions would they ask you since you already take a background check and come up clean??

Questions on what? the polygrapyh? they use it to verify what you told them, what they uncovered during the background check, and stuff they may or may not have come up during the background check.

 

[FordSVTFan]

Yeah PM FordSVTFan and get the stright scoop.

I will tell you now tho that you will need to start getting your shit together now. both yours and your wifes. You will need every address you have lived since you were 16, Also neighbors names if you have them You will need to have every job you have had since 16 as well. names and address of all your siblings, parents, and any ex wives you may have. Any foreign citizen relations by birth or marriage? you will need their names and addresses as well. The paperwork is almost as bad as the CIAs.

You got to love the various SF-85's and 86. My last one when printed out was 38 pages long.

It is amazing trying to remember every address you have lived at for over 2 months and the names and phone numbers of neighbors and those that lived with you. Plus all the jobs. Not to mention the dates you went out of the country and for what purpose.

To the OP FBI Technical positions do not require going to the academy. The Analyst position you are looking does require direct experience as it is not an IT position. You must be able to obtain a TS/SCI clearance. But there is testing before that, to include a panel interview, polygraph, drug, comprehensive BI, etc.

Good Luck.

 

[azgardia]

Almost any drug use will disqualify you to no matter how recent, and I'm surprised noone has mentioned it, do not lie about anything you will automatically be rejected this includes sealed and expunged records they have access to everything. Question's they ask you will also be based on what you have written down, if anything is contradicted you better have a good reason to offer up.

 

[RDJ]

Almost any drug use will disqualify you to no matter how recent,

this is not necessarily true. Any more with the prevelance of "experimentation" amoung kids in the last several years they are more tolerent of light use of things like marijuana altho there is a time limit on it 3 or 5 years since last use seems to what sticks in my mind. The CIA has also had to make some allowances but they have always done that.

and I'm surprised noone has mentioned it, do not lie about anything you will automatically be rejected this includes sealed and expunged records they have access to everything.

this is pretty much true. it is much better to bore them with details than leave something you may think of as minor out.

Question's they ask you will also be based on what you have written down, if anything is contradicted you better have a good reason to offer up.

SOME of the questions will be based on what you have written down. There will be a fair number of questions that will be based on stuff that comes up in your background investigation and interviews with your friends and contacts garnered from those interviews

The biggest thing to remember about preparing your paperwork and getting ready for the poly is this "it is generally not what you have done that will keep you from being hired, rather it is what you try to hide."
there have been several really good discussions on the ploygraph here in the donut shop.

 

[pho_phizzat]

this is not necessarily true. Any more with the prevelance of "experimentation" amoung kids in the last several years they are more tolerent of light use of things like marijuana altho there is a time limit on it 3 or 5 years since last use seems to what sticks in my mind. The CIA has also had to make some allowances but they have always done that.
this is pretty much true. it is much better to bore them with details than leave something you may think of as minor out.

SOME of the questions will be based on what you have written down. There will be a fair number of questions that will be based on stuff that comes up in your background investigation and interviews with your friends and contacts garnered from those interviews

The biggest thing to remember about preparing your paperwork and getting ready for the poly is this "it is generally not what you have done that will keep you from being hired, rather it is what you try to hide."
there have been several really good discussions on the ploygraph here in the donut shop.

very well put. that seems to be the case alot of the time