Hiring anywhere?

[Magic Matt]

Here’s a clue slick, you get hired with whatever agency anywhere that is dumb enough to hire you from all the other qualified applicants they could have chosen. Then in three of four years, if you make it that long, then maybe you can move “up the food chain” and maybe Jack Bauer you find that the Fed job is not like the movies…

[DCMILL]

Right....if that's the case then you're agreeing with a total idiot and your post doesn't make any sense....please see below.

That’s funny because if you actually read what I wrote never did I say I agree, because I don’t. I just said I understand what he’s saying because everyone’s situation is different. We don’t know him. Maybe he doesn’t want to be 37 making $55k a year. It shouldnt be about the money but maybe he has a family. Who knows? Right after that I said what I said in an earlier post actually referring to the topic of the board, that the creator should apply to as many agencies as possible and accept the first offer. It’s like any other job. You want to be an analyst, you apply to numerous corporations and hope one bites.

[NJLAWMAN214]

I hear the Federale's are looking for a few good men.

[CACBAND]

I hear the Federale's are looking for a few good men.

Yeah but those cartel contractors, not a real fed gig.

[cur679]

Beggars can't be choosers, CUR679 has made it clear that he is ABOVE local agencies. With an attitude like that he's likely to hit 37 without a fed job; and the oral boards for local depts will be less than impressed.

If "Entitled" and "Self-serving" were protected classes he would have a much better chance. He needs to know that a vast many feds spent several years in local agencies. It will make him a better federal officer to have worked the street before pushing paper and asking the AUSA for permission to arrest someone.

Nowhere in my previous post insinuates that I'm ABOVE local federal agencies. What I was saying is that if I work, for example, for the city going around fixing broken pipes for 3-4 years, would that make my resume more desirable to FLE agencies? That's all I'm worried about. As I've said, maybe I don't know. Maybe fixing broken pipes as a city worker would look desirable? I'd like to hear your guys opinions on it instead of the sarcastic comments, guys.

I respect everyone here, and I've gained a lot of knowledge from posters over the past years. I don't feel entitled to an 1811 position after college and just an internship. I haven't even applied for ONE 1811 position because I know my chances are nil on getting the job.

One more thing, whoever said FLE isn't all that's cracked out to be, and working city/state, and making a career out of it, well, you're right. I've seen some state investigative jobs, like in finance, that looks interesting, so the jobs are out there Passport specialist is something I'm also interested in.

EDIT-People here assume when I mean "local/state jobs", I didn't mean being a police officer. What I meant was the example I gave above in this post.

BTW, I still have the option to apply to OCS for the military. Something in intelligence if nothing pans out by the end of the year.

I live in Florida, so I've been checking my.florida.com and browsing the job openings for central Florida (I live in Clearwater). There aren't many job openings, too.

[pgalvi20]

I just hope it doesn't take me another year and a half to get a job. I'm at the end of the process with one agency, but pending DQ (hopefully I don't get dq'd) and I'm halfway through with another agency, but they are selective. I was originally trying for 1811 but even with all my connects I couldn't get very far. I fluency in a few choice languages and i'm successful in my field (i'm very young too). Unfortunately, I have no LE experience. The truth is I'm probably not mature enough for an 1811 gig right now and the longer I wait in the process the more anxious I am getting. I just hope whatever job I get will be soon.
It just sucks that I couldn't have been born 10 years earlier because I'd probably have a job already. Oh well!

Does anyone know of any local agencies with expedited processes?

As Elliot Ness says in the Untouchables, "Let's do some good!"

[OIG1811]

Many are seduced by the alure of FEDLE, its not all its cracked up to be. The majority of LE is at the local level. Most of us FEDs that were local do miss many aspects of local LE. Just the other day an ATF SA and i were talking about missing the hussle of local LE.

In local LE the shifts, teams are generally pretty tight, in FED (often times its more individual driven) not to say you won't make some good bros, but most of the FEDS i try to work with were former military or local LE. My recommendation is get on a local department , many are still hiring, and get a wide variety of experience.

A buddy of mine left FED LE, only had military when he landed the FED gig and left to a local dept. He has been there for about two years. In patrol he has worked all types of cases, rapes, weapons, drugs, warrants, etc... yes he is patrol but takes the opportunity to work cases and the detectives let him run with it. The variety of experience he gain is invaluable.

[GixxerSteve]

Nowhere in my previous post insinuates that I'm ABOVE local federal agencies. What I was saying is that if I work, for example, for the city going around fixing broken pipes for 3-4 years, would that make my resume more desirable to FLE agencies? That's all I'm worried about. As I've said, maybe I don't know. Maybe fixing broken pipes as a city worker would look desirable? I'd like to hear your guys opinions on it instead of the sarcastic comments, guys.

Wow, this is quite an entertaining thread.

Cur, I kinda understand your concern about "wasting" 3-4 years in any job before trying to start a new job with FLE. No one wants to put all the effort into applying for a job and going through the training, just to know that they are going to be doing it all over again in 4 years. But here's the thing you have to remember -- if you have to wait 3-4 years to apply for FLE, what can you best do with that time to make it work to your advantage? What is going to help you stand out from the other applicants to enable you to get the job in 4 years??

You have to keep in mind that the job market is tight right now, and FLE agencies are pickier than ever when it comes to hiring applicants. IMO you stand NO CHANCE of getting an 1811 position with any agency without a combination of LE experience and education. Lucky for me, at 32 years old I've been a local cop for 7 years, have my BA degree and working on my M.Ed degree, so I'm in a good position to apply. Furthermore, the type of prior experience also comes into play when the agencies are looking at your resume. A local cop with experience doing criminal investigations, search warrants, handling evidence, testifying in courtc, etc. looks more qualified than a BP agent running around on the border catching UDAs. So please don't sell local LE short, because there is a lot to be said for the experience you gain at the local level. I think I always knew that I wanted to work FLE, but I got a job at a local agency anyway because I knew that it would help me out in the long run. So far, I haven't been wrong.

[1811orBust]

I hate to break it to you, but FLEO hiring is generally just looking that you meet their requirements and then interview articulately. You will be rather frustrated to see that a cop of 10 years will come in making less than a government secretary with 10 years. Why? Because prior feds come in at the closest pay grade to what they made before, where as your prior LEO experience will get you a few steps.

Welcome to the feds....

[GixxerSteve]

I hate to break it to you, but FLEO hiring is generally just looking that you meet their requirements and then interview articulately. You will be rather frustrated to see that a cop of 10 years will come in making less than a government secretary with 10 years. Why? Because prior feds come in at the closest pay grade to what they made before, where as your prior LEO experience will get you a few steps.

Welcome to the feds....

I appreciate your experience, but lets be honest that everyone's experience is different.

I debated whether to mention this in my last post for fear of dejecting people interested in BP, but since you brought it up.... When I went through the HSI 1811 interview recently, I found things to be different than what you had to "break to me". I know of two HSI 1811's (one current and one prior), and in talking to them, I discovered the many of the applicants in our area (southern Arizona) on this last announcement were BP agents, and that I was one of a few local cops applying. They both told me in no fewer words that "local cops are golden" for this position because of our investigative experience. When I went into the structured interview, the three panel members looked at my resume and the first thing they all said was "Wow, you're a cop?" as if they hadn't seen one all week. Then they asked me how long I was a cop, if I knew so and so, etc. And the questions they asked me were all questions that a) I had either been asked on previous LE boards or b) LE type questions. My local LE experience helped me pass that interview.

[cur679]

I wouldn't mind being a cop, but I'm nearing 30 and my metabolism is still super damn fast where I'd have to eat probably around 5,000 calories just gain another 20 pounds in x amount of months. But even though I'm very lean, and muscular, pound for pound, I'm pretty damn strong.

I just cannot eat that much, and to be honest, I hate it. It's like a full-time job, and stuffing myself isn't fun.

[ZoneOne]

Once I was nearing graduation I applied to every Federal agency that would accept my resume. Oddly enough, even with good grades and a B.S. in Criminology, no one called back, except Border Patrol.

I joined the Army instead. 4 years later, every agency that had a vacancy called back. Only issue is, it takes a long time from start to finish. If you're planning on your first day of work being with a Federal Agency you might want to move home or stock up on Ramen Noodles. Something has to pay the bills in the mean time.

[pgalvi20]

what department does your buddy work with? If you don't mind me asking.

[irishlad2nv]

Once I was nearing graduation I applied to every Federal agency that would accept my resume. Oddly enough, even with good grades and a B.S. in Criminology, no one called back, except Border Patrol.

I joined the Army instead. 4 years later, every agency that had a vacancy called back. Only issue is, it takes a long time from start to finish. If you're planning on your first day of work being with a Federal Agency you might want to move home or stock up on Ramen Noodles. Something has to pay the bills in the mean time.

What was your job experience like when applying for all of these agencies? And maybe your military helped some, maybe it didn't, it could have been you had a solid job for 4 years to add to your resume.