Two Departments hiring.

[bvales]

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/gov/1391013594.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/gov/1390703528.html

They may be a little far north for some, but still some good prospects.

[ateamer]

Stay away from Gilroy. They just gave layoff notices to a bunch of officers, then got their budget patched up and decided they could stay. It's too iffy there right now.

[bvales]

Two more I found today. I'm taking this as a good sign for all of us going into the job market soon. Academy Orientation starts in about a month.......wish it was tomorrow.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/gov/1398076107.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/gov/1397032626.html

[SCV-Sop]

Wow, I never thought to check Craigslist for LEO jobs.

Silly me, I was using CALOPPS and POST.

As a prospective candidate for LEO employment I would regulate those agencies that advertise on Craigslist to the bottom of my list.

[X1X1X1]

If they have an ad, I apply. Who cares about the 'prestige level' of an Internet site? I just want to do the job. I'll worry about the advertising budget of the department sometime after never.

[SgtCHP]

Wow, I never thought to check Craigslist for LEO jobs.

Silly me, I was using CALOPPS and POST.

As a prospective candidate for LEO employment I would regulate those agencies that advertise on Craigslist to the bottom of my list.

Word check:

Did you mean RELEGATE?

[SCV-Sop]

Word check:

Did you mean RELEGATE?

That too

I think it does matter where they advertise. I find it ironic a LEO employer would use a site that has been pursued by LEO’s for questionable ads and services of various kinds.

One may as well provide hiring brochures at Bail Bond offices.

More to my point; a LEO agency that posts on Craigslist and doesn’t advertise on POST/CALOPPS wouldn’t get me as a candidate, because that’s not where I go to find LEO job info.

Generally speaking, as a civilian trying to break into the profession I find the recruiting practices of the LEO industry rather comical in general (there are a few exceptions though).

Three of my biggest pet peeves are:
1) Advertising openings when in fact there are not (causing pointless applications that now need to be disclosed to other agencies when I apply).
2) Advertising openings and then taking 6 months to get back to me to schedule any sort of testing or screening processes (who seriously thinks after 6 months of inactivity I’m still able to continue the application process, life goes on, and I have financial obligations). I think 30 days after the close of the application process is more than adequate.
3) Inconsistency of communication: So, it is one week I should expect to hear back from an agency, 3 months, 6 months? By mail, phone, or e-mail? Silence is also commonly used and a means of communication as well.

The biggest irony is each application at the initial stages has to be treated like it’s the best job in the world, and the agency is my dream agency that I want to serve unconditionally. Otherwise I’d quickly be tossed in the trash can.

I’m going to press my luck next time and state the following when asked why I want to work at a specific agency:

“Well, you’re the 30th agency I’ve applied too. There were 29 others before you I had preference of. The FBI being #1. The reality is you’re one of the few agencies that had openings behind your employment advertisement, communicated back to me within a reasonable time period, and were able to professionally coordinate the screening process. That is why I’m here today talking with you”.

I swear to god, that’s going to be my response the next time I’m asked that question.

[Gearilla]

All part of the "process". Keep in mind LEA's aren't always looking for the best candidate, just the best for their department, and on their own schedule. If that doesn't seem to make sense, you are correct.

As for where they post "open" positions, LEA's are trying all sorts of new options, including Twitter, Facebook, etc... Apparently there is a shortage of younger applicants with nothing better to do than text, blog, and tweet.

[X1X1X1]

I think it does matter where they advertise. I find it ironic a LEO employer would use a site that has been pursued by LEO’s for questionable ads and services of various kinds.

One may as well provide hiring brochures at Bail Bond offices.

That is like saying people who bank at Bank of America are sketchy borderline criminals because it's under an SEC investigation. It sounds like what you're really saying is that Craigs List sucks because you don't use it.

The other stuff about wait times and open positions is frustration. I can dig. I'm frustrated too. But every Oral Board, Written and PAT that I pass puts me on a list that's good for a year, two years or in some cases - An indefinite amount of time, which means I can basically forget about it until backgrounds calls. Generally speaking, I'm a 'glass is half empty' type of guy, but in a job market/industry where Navy Seals with PHd's are getting turned away I find myself uncharistically optimistic.

[SCV-Sop]

That is like saying people who bank at Bank of America are sketchy borderline criminals because it's under an SEC investigation.

They aren’t?

I'm from the industry. I know better. I would never bank with BoA. I left Wachovia running for the hills and entered a police academy fed up with the financial services industry. Little did I know half way through my academy would they all but collapse under the fog of self deception of industry malpractice.

As for Craigslist, imagine for a moment the candidate that finds the LEO ad through craigslist relative to the candidate that finds the LEO ad through recruiting seminars, agency websites, and CALOPPS or POST.

Which candidate might be a little more in tune to the process?

I guess for whatever it’s worth, those who apply through craigslist have to start somewhere, and they may as well learn there if any place. The selection process is still the same.

Personal Experience:
On a ride along for an agency I was courting (and wanted to apply to) there was a guy that approached my officer after he gave someone a traffic ticket. This individual was wearing a hat tilted to one side, with overly baggy pants and an overly sized football jersey. It was 2am, and he was hanging out at the local 7/11. The individual inquired to my officer about applying to become a police officer with his agency.

Those are the kind of candidates I think will populate craigslist in greater proportions than let’s say those with college or military experience.

It’s a sign to me those agencies advertising on craigslist are scrapping the bottom of the barrel. Or, maybe it’s a sting. Hmmm………..

[the batman]

or maybe its free advertising? cities, counties, states are hard up for cash. what better way to save then to advertise free on craigslist?

[Garbage Man]

In my day it was the Sunday LA times. That was the only true source out there.

Another reputable place to look is PORAC. This is the magazine of the PERS agencies. Right now its a little depressing, it has an add from SDPD who says they are compiling a list of SD Officers who want out and are setting up their union as an employment agency for those officer who want to leave. Also the railroad Police is Hiring.

[barkalot]

That too

I think it does matter where they advertise. I find it ironic a LEO employer would use a site that has been pursued by LEO’s for questionable ads and services of various kinds.

One may as well provide hiring brochures at Bail Bond offices.

More to my point; a LEO agency that posts on Craigslist and doesn’t advertise on POST/CALOPPS wouldn’t get me as a candidate, because that’s not where I go to find LEO job info.

Generally speaking, as a civilian trying to break into the profession I find the recruiting practices of the LEO industry rather comical in general (there are a few exceptions though).

Three of my biggest pet peeves are:
1) Advertising openings when in fact there are not (causing pointless applications that now need to be disclosed to other agencies when I apply).
2) Advertising openings and then taking 6 months to get back to me to schedule any sort of testing or screening processes (who seriously thinks after 6 months of inactivity I’m still able to continue the application process, life goes on, and I have financial obligations). I think 30 days after the close of the application process is more than adequate.
3) Inconsistency of communication: So, it is one week I should expect to hear back from an agency, 3 months, 6 months? By mail, phone, or e-mail? Silence is also commonly used and a means of communication as well.

The biggest irony is each application at the initial stages has to be treated like it’s the best job in the world, and the agency is my dream agency that I want to serve unconditionally. Otherwise I’d quickly be tossed in the trash can.

I’m going to press my luck next time and state the following when asked why I want to work at a specific agency:

“Well, you’re the 30th agency I’ve applied too. There were 29 others before you I had preference of. The FBI being #1. The reality is you’re one of the few agencies that had openings behind your employment advertisement, communicated back to me within a reasonable time period, and were able to professionally coordinate the screening process. That is why I’m here today talking with you”.

I swear to god, that’s going to be my response the next time I’m asked that question.

I had to re-read your post numerous times to make absolutely sure I wasn't the one who wrote it!!!

It's amazing the things I have had happen in the hiring process.

Like you said, agencies that never let you know where you stand after the oral board. Agencies that insist on having your background packet yesterday along with official transcripts and birth certificate sent directly to them from the college (ka-ching!), and you later find out they are actually in a hiring freeze AND the list you are on is only good for six months.

By far the worst thing I have ever had happen was for a college district police department.

I had three oral boards or interviews; the usual one at the beginning, one with the chief and one with the provost (or whatever).

At some point during the process, I got what looked like a computer generated "Dear John" letter from the agency, but when I looked into it, I was told it had been sent accidentally and to ignore it.

I was pretty sure that I was in after the three interviews. The provost, during his interview, encouraged me to go on a ride-a-long to make sure this was the type of LE I could do.

I was thinking, "You mean the type where I get paid and can provide a home and food for my family?"

So anyway, I went on a ride-a-long to shore things up and during the ride-a-long I actually got a cell phone call from my wife telling me about another "Dear John" letter.

I assumed that this was another mistake since I had just had my last interview a few days earlier and was on a ride-a-long.

The officer I was with was kind enough to call the chief's assistant and get the skinny. Yup, this one was real!!! Gee, they couldn't have told me this before I made the hour plus drive to ride around in a police car like I had already done for the past 12 years??? Obviously, I cut my ride-a-long short.

Like you I am going to try some reverse psychology and tell the oral board how I really debated even applying at their agency because when I looked into it I found they are nothing special and they pretty much offer the same exact things every other agency I've applied for is offering.

[avalon42]

My shortest oral board interview: 2 minutes. Why?

Because I'm graduating from college soon, that's why. I had applied to work as a non-sworn police cadet position. When I filled out the app, I did include the timeline that I was set to graduate. I submitted, then got an immediate call back from the agency saying they wanted to interview me. They confirmed again how long I was going to be in school.

So out comes the pressed suit, slick hair, polished shoes. I get to the interview. We start talking about college and how its going. Then it dawns on them. Apparently, they wanted someone that was going to stay a "little longer" in college. I remained tactful and made a graceful exit. It was the most unprofessional interview I have ever had, considering that we had spoken over the phone over the very same issue!

Read the body language, non-oral communication and facial expressions, and you can tell what's going upstairs with most people. 5150s are a different story altogether.

[barkalot]

I wonder if it's time for us all to demand more respect. You tend to get more of what you tolerate. I might be naive, but maybe if more candidates stood up and told these agencies, "I have more respect for myself than to let you treat me this way", they might actually stop.

Thinking back on when I got hired by the agency I stayed with for over a decade, I realized I unintentionally played hard to get.

I had been bounced from probation from another department two years previously and this new department was out of state and would require precious dollars to go interview.

I told the chief I had better pass this time because my savings were dwindling and I thought it was not a very good use of money on such an unsure deal.

He practically begged me to come interview and I ended up being hired.

I'm starting to get more up front with what is actually going on in a department.

Before I committed to participating in my latest oral board I asked how many candidates I was up against (8) and how many of those were internal (3). I still ended up going because I was told that I would get extra points for being certified. I still didn't get hired.

I just sent in another application and I am tempted to tell them right up front I don't want to play any games. I'll ask that they honestly tell me whether they have an idea already of who they are going to hire and if they do I'll back out gracefully and let them go their merry way.

I have a friend in another field who tells potential employers that it's not a beauty contest and he refuses to be compared to other people. If they are truly interested in what he has to offer, he has to be the only person they are interviewing at that moment in time. I kind of admire that attitude and wish I had more of it in many areas.