Initial Background Interview

I went for my initial background interview yesterday. We sat in a small room and the investigator asked me basic questions about my current employer, things like: do I like it, why do I want to leave, have I told my captain that I’m leaving, ect. For the most part it felt very informal almost like we were just sitting there shootin’ the shit, but I’m sure that is part of her job. The questions strayed away from the job and leaned more towards personal issues, questions about my references, how I came to live in the city, ect. Over all it was a comfortable setting and I think I passed

I found out that my Discover card was still showing that I owe them money (it’s been paid off for 5 years now); I think that is why I’ve been having credit issues. I was able to contact the company and they are sending me a letter stating that it is all cleared up, so that will satisfy the department that I am applying for and I will use the same letter to get it cleaned up on my credit report.

Aside from my credit there was a small issue on my 10yr driving record, apparently the DMV doesn’t play nice with other states. I have to contact an out of state branch of the DMV and get a copy of my driving record from when I lived there. Since I have only lived in state for 4 years I have to account for the other 6 years of my driving. You would think that all that information would be passed back and forth between the states; I guess technology isn’t as advanced as we think.

Both issues have been cleared up and the proper documentation will be delivered as soon as I get them, it just slows the process down a little bit. The investigator will also begin calling all my references and points of contact that I had listed on my application and my personal history statement pack, I’m sure they will have no problems contacting my people even though most of them are out of state. She did mention that my current employer will be contacted last, which is a good idea it gives me time to tell them. And if something comes up in my background investigation (I couldn’t imagine what) that would DQ me at least my employer will not know how close I was the leaving. I was also fingerprinted and had a photo taken of me (not sure what that was for).

Once my investigation is complete I will be brought back downtown and will be seen by the “brass” and given a conditional offer of employment, basically saying “we like what we see, and if you don’t fuck up you got the job” as they say it’s all down hill from here.

***

The selection process consists of ten steps that must be completed in its entirety prior to hiring.

• Application Accepted
• Application Screening
• Nelson-Denny Testing
• Initial Background Interview
• Background Investigation
• Conditional Offer of Employment
• Drug/Alcohol Screen
• Physical Examination
• Psychological & Polygraph Examinations
• Final Offer of Employment by the Chief of Police