Hiring fbi agents

Hiring FBI Agents Hiring FBI Agents The special agent position at the FBI is certainly a critical one in terms of protecting America’s domestic interests. As such, there is a need to ensure that the individuals selected for this unique role are both qualified and will maintain the integrity of America’s national security interests. It is no easy task to find such individuals, so the FBI has developed a multiple hurdles approach to doing so. One inherent advantage of employing this methodology is that the FBI is able to establish a benchmark by which all special agents meet in terms of their qualifications and aptitudes (Ramsland, 2011). This has been refined over the years that only the best of the candidate pool even makes it to a formal interview stage. The disadvantage to this process is that some excellent candidates may be looked over and denied an opportunity to advance within the FBI because of one test score that is just a few points off the mark. Such cut and dry approaches to determining the validity of candidates can backfire at times because it negates the human aspect of looking at other desirable qualities that might be present in excess and are just what the FBI is needing.
Such a multiple hurdles approach to hiring would actually motivate to choose a career with the FBI, were I to be interested in that path. The special agent position is a coveted role within law enforcement (Bowman, Carlson, Colvin, & Green, 2006). It is an elite position that I would be proud to be a part of and it would be seen as a great life accomplishment were I to make it through the entire process and be hired by the FBI in this role. The complexity of the hiring process illustrates the seriousness by which the organization views the job. I would be lined up against the very best of the best, and this would serve to increase my level of motivation to pass each exam, ensure that my personal life was well rounded and possessed integrity, and work hard to eventually land the job.
In the end, the FBI is not the only such law enforcement position that is coveted by such minded individuals today. As such, the process may be too long and drawn out to bring out the very best applicants in any giving hiring season. While the steps involved in the process do not necessarily need to change, the FBI might look at ways to sped up the process so individuals know much sooner where they stand in terms of the likelihood that they will actually be hired. This is important for many reasons. To begin, if the individual is in the middle of a long hiring process with the FBI and receives a competitive offer from another agency in the meantime, they are more likely to go ahead and accept that, not wanting to jeopardize their standing should they not make it through the multiple hurdles that the FBI requires for the FBI position. It is important to consider as the organization continues it quest to hire the very best for these roles within the agency.

References
Bowman, M., Carlson, P., Colvin, R., and Green, G. (2006). The loss of taken: Why local and state law enforcement officers resign to become FBI agents and what agencies can do about it. Public Personnel Management, 35(2), 121.
Ramsland, K. (2011). Howard Teten: An FBI visionary. The Forensic Examiner, 20(2), 22.