Can I be hired as a Sheriffs Dept. Corrections Officer? Advice?
hello brothers,
Over 3 years ago I applied to a very big Police Department, I passed everything but was put on review for psych and was sent a letter a year later stating I had failed. I had put on the written that I had seen a psych when I was 17, which I didn’t believe was an issue, I believe that may have been why I was disqualified. I really feel like I got a raw deal that time around, but thats in the passed and I am looking foward.. Now I have just passed a psychical for a Corrections Department. I am really praying everything goes right. There are lots of guys retiring soon and not many persons passed the agility test. What do you guys think my chances are at getting hired: Here are some of my good point and bad points of my past
Bad:
Three Prior Arrests- 18 Years old- Shoplifting- Convicted of disorderly Conduct.
20 years old- Disorderly Conduct- Result was ACD
23 Years old- Disorderly Conduct- Resisting Arrest (which I was not in the wrong for at all, I was trying to break up a fight)
Prior Disqualification from Police Department.
Since I was 15 also Ive had over 10 jobs (25 now). however many of these were temp positions (summer jobs) when I was home from college, I have never been fired once in my life. Or written up. Will they understand that?
Good Points:
I am currently employed as a Private Investigator. I also have years experience in Security and bouncing.
I have never used drugs before.
I am a born again christian, I found myself a year ago, and since my life has been wonderful (Should I even tell them this at the interview)
I have over 10 Police Officers who will vouch for me as references.
Please give me some advice guys, I have also been told by some in LE, that I should neglect to tell them I was ever DQ’ed from a Police department in the passed, But I don’t know if I should lie. As it could haunt me, but that was the advice I got from many cops familiar with the process. I think it was my honesty about seeing a shrink and not the arrest that got me DQed the last time (when I was 21). As my background inv. told me everything was fine with my background. Any of your advice would be greatly appreciated. I look foward to hearing from you brothers.
The Correctional and many Police Departments if they feel a psychological thing do have a MMPI (2 RF) testing that can be done to see if you still qualify.
Usually seeing a shrink is a bad hing to put down and is not needed to use unless court ordered.
I remember a psychologist we had with the department, if someone put down they had seen a psychologist it was an automatic Question that was WHY? WhAT HAVE WE HERE? and he would go out of his way to be an azz.
The Correctional and many Police Departments if they feel a psychological thing do have a MMPI (2 RF) testing that can be done to see if you still qualify.
Usually seeing a shrink is a bad hing to put down and is not needed to use unless court ordered.
I remember a psychologist we had with the department, if someone put down they had seen a psychologist it was an automatic Question that was WHY? WhAT HAVE WE HERE? and he would go out of his way to be an azz.
References :
As a background investigator and recruiter my best advise to you is not to lie about anything. Once you lie and get caught you will never be able to go back and change that. We background investigators share information with each other, and we contact the other agencies that you have applied at and look at their files. If we notice any discrepancy between what you told them and what you told us, you can be disqualified.
The whole reason for doing a thorough hiring process is to hire the best possible candidate. If you lie and or found to be deceptive, you are undermining the reason we have a hiring process. We want people that have ethics and integrity not liars and thieves. If you don’t pass the hiring process then it wasn’t meant to be. There are many other jobs that you can do that will give you a feeling of accomplishment.
Regarding your previous psych disqualification; just because you saw a psychologist, or psychiatrist in the past does not mean that you are automatically disqualified. Our psych test looks at who you are now. If there were issues before and they have not been resolved, then it is conceivable that you would not have passed a psychological screening. On the other hand we have had applicants that have seen psychologists in the past and have been cleared by the psych staff to continue in the hiring process. It is not always black and white, that is why we hire experts in the field of psychology to administer and grade the tests. They have the education and experience to review you answers and determine if you meet the requirements. Many people don’t understand that each agency has their own standards and or requirements that they pass on to the people doing the screening. If you are outgoing and aggressive your personality may not fit into a department that is small and laid back, on the other hand you may be laid back and a people person and like to talk things out. This may not fit in with an agency that wants you to be aggressive. To put this into perspective, Burger King, McDonalds, Wendy’s all make hamburgers, but all three are different, and some people may like one hamburger but not the other. It doesn’t make them bad just different. Even though they are all still hamburgers. Hope this little analogy makes sense.
When we hire somebody, we have to look at the big picture. If you have an arrest and or conviction it may not necessarily disqualify you but don’t forget that you are competing against a lot of other people that may not have the same negative things in their background. We are obligated to hire the most qualified, and just because you think your background is good, there may be others out there who have an even better background than you. Its not personal its just business.
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