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Pompous Rhombus posted:Passed the TSA exam this afternoon, had a contingent offer waiting in my Gmail inbox when I got home Fellow Boren scholar here who starts working for TSA next Monday. I too had the contingent offer waiting in my inbox before I got home from the exam, when I initially applied in October 2009. It took a loving year to get hired. So I would suggest finding something else since they take loving forever to hire. Have you tried Geospatial Intelligence Agency? They are the only other ones that ever offered me an interview which didn't go too well since I failed to bring a copy of my resume and for some reason they had zero information on me going into the interview. I know people with less qualifications than me, no language ability whatsoever who have been hired DIA so that's a possibility too. I talked to someone who was associated with my internship and that had had a Boren Fellowship. He got a job through State just by cold calling/contacting people and telling them he had Schedule A clearance and would like an informational interview, but it actually got him a real interview and has since been hired. That's what I plan on doing after I finish grad school applications. Although he had a Masters degree so perhaps that was the key to his success, but I know I speak better Arabic than him.
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Nov 3, 2010 00:28
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I would love a job with DIA or anything GEO related, I have not used the software since early 2009 and there is already a new version or two since then of ARCGIS. My last deployment to Iraq may have hosed me there.
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Nov 3, 2010 00:45
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I looked at the geospatial people but they seemed to be looking for specialized education I didn't have. Is this actually the case?
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Nov 3, 2010 00:53
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Ramms+ein posted:Fellow Boren scholar here who starts working for TSA next Monday. I too had the contingent offer waiting in my inbox before I got home from the exam, when I initially applied in October 2009. It took a loving year to get hired. So I would suggest finding something else since they take loving forever to hire. Have you tried Geospatial Intelligence Agency? They are the only other ones that ever offered me an interview which didn't go too well since I failed to bring a copy of my resume and for some reason they had zero information on me going into the interview. I know people with less qualifications than me, no language ability whatsoever who have been hired DIA so that's a possibility too. Awww, crap. Can you tell me a bit more about the airport interview phase of the process? Do they give you a chance to talk with the TSA people at the airport before you schedule the interview? It'd be a hell of an investment/risk to fly out there (for a part-time job no less) just for an interview, but if they can guarantee enough hours per week and there isn't a big pool of other applicants, I might consider it if everything else looks grim. Although a year, gently caress. From what I'd seen it looked like 6-8 months, a year for a part-time xray dude job seems unworkable for me. Would probably just join the Army or something at that point. edit: e86 just showed up in my inbox for TSA  I tried applying for the DIA's scholarship/fellowship program last year and was told they had more qualified applicants. It was an entry-level program so I felt pretty discouraged, didn't even bother applying again this year. I've checked their website from time to time for postings but I haven't really found much I'd be qualified for without a Master's or prior military experience. Didn't even get invited to their hiring fair at CENTCOM. I found a job posting on Monster for a contractor who works for Geospatial that's looking for Thai speakers, I'm converting my resume to private-sector and sending them a cover letter by next week. It's really the only Thai-related job with the government (sort of) I've found since I started looking 2+ years ago, but I don't have a certification for my reading/writing ability, nor have I been able to find out if one even exists. If they ask me to do another bullshit OPI over the phone for a job that is reading-only, I'm going to scream. I'm going the cold-contacting route with the embassies in Thailand/Laos after the Geospatial thing goes out, but I figure my chances are somewhere in the "snowball in hell" range, even though I have an active clearance with State. I don't know anybody on the inside who could put in the good word for me, and "cushy embassy job" is pretty much the expat holy grail over there, even though I'm pretty much willing to work for free at this point. Can't really think of anywhere else, for Thai at least. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Nov 3, 2010 |
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Nov 3, 2010 01:02
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Word is that ICE (now HSI) will be hiring for Special Agents in January. They do NOT post openings for agents to USAJobs; you have to keep visiting the website.
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Nov 3, 2010 01:45
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Awww, crap. Can you tell me a bit more about the airport interview phase of the process? Do they give you a chance to talk with the TSA people at the airport before you schedule the interview? It'd be a hell of an investment/risk to fly out there (for a part-time job no less) just for an interview, but if they can guarantee enough hours per week and there isn't a big pool of other applicants, I might consider it if everything else looks grim. Although a year, gently caress. From what I'd seen it looked like 6-8 months, a year for a part-time xray dude job seems unworkable for me. Would probably just join the Army or something at that point. My process may have been longer because I initially applied for Dulles when I wanted Reagan, but I was told I could switch to Reagan no problem while in the process. I only saw the Dulles opening initially. They gave me the choice between morning shift which is only 20 hours or the afternoon shift which is 25 hours, approx. 12-6 which is what I chose. If you got a Boren, I assume you are a halfway intelligent human being and can pass the interview. It's basic stuff, I didn't do any preparation and I'm generally terrible at interviews and they thought I was brilliant. You can talk with a HR person before hand but if you are really desperate and they can give you a quick time frame for being hired, I'd fly out. To be honest there will be a massive time gap between when you fill out the e86, do the medical and then actually have the interview. I would just go along with the process and if something better comes along, take it, but in the mean time, you have this. The interview involves a color vision test, finger printing and paperwork, then the interview. It's basic stuff like, have you ever had a problem at a previous job with a coworker and how did you resolve it. That's absurd you didn't get invited to their hiring fair at CENTCOM. This girl got hired, worse GPA than me. No Boren, 3 months of Arabic abroad and not very much work experience. I don't understand how she got in but I had asked her and basically this is what she said, "The way I got the DIA gig was through hiring events they had across the nation. I had applied to 2 hiring events in different places and got turned down for both of them. I heard about a 3rd hiring event here in Tampa over the local radio station actually. I guess what they say is true: the third time is a charm. The interview was like a bad day of speed dating. The event was huge. There were like 30-40 tables of interviewers and interviewees and an entire room of people waiting their turn. I was sure I didn't have a chance, but they hired me based on the interview. Case and point, no I sure as hell didn't have connections. And you're gonna get turned down. The idea is keep perfecting your approach and keep applying to everything you can get your hands on, even if you think you have no chance. If you know a lot of Arabic, then you have a better shot than you think. Good luck Rachel P.S. Hire a staffing agency. They'll do they'll do a lot of the leg-work for you." Geospatial: Maybe my Arabic skills are what got me through the door most likely but they didn't seem to care too much about that once I was interviewing with them. Mostly they were interested in GIS stuff, which they train you for anways, so I kept emphasizing my ability to learn but I'm sure the lack of a resume thing is what did me in initially. I had to fly out to St. Louis for it so I don't think location has anything to do with it either. I showed up early for my interview and was talking to this guy who went to UDC, no language skills, for a couple of minutes before they called me in and he was fresh out of college. I would just keep applying. Have you thought about Secret Service? I applied for Uniformed Division, the test was a joke, but my vision is poo poo and I didn't want to get LASIK for a job I have zero interest in. But if your vision is good, apply for both Uniformed and Special Agent. You have to take a test for Special Agent as well which is probably harder but the Uniformed one was a joke if you were evenly mildly sentient. Have you taken the FSOT? I passed the Written and am doing my Personal Narratives now. We'll see how that goes, not holding my breath, but it's worth a shot. I did zero studying for the Written and passed it, it's not really difficult. If you do take it, pick the highest possible thing for all the biographical questions and I assume you can do well on the English section, essay and non management general knowledge questions. Anyways, Good Luck. I had a hell of a time my year abroad but I often doubt whether I should have taken this scholarship or not had I known it was going to be this difficult. I've even applied for the Arabic Flagship twice, I get in to the school but I can't get the funding. Then I meet people who have gotten the funding at the alumni events and get depressed when I hear how awful their language skills are despite the fact they are well into the program. Both of them were ex-military so maybe that was the key.
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Nov 3, 2010 03:16
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fivetwo posted:Word is that ICE (now HSI) will be hiring for Special Agents in January. They do NOT post openings for agents to USAJobs; you have to keep visiting the website. Where exactly (url)? Are they posted here? -> http://www.ice.gov/careers/occupations/ "ICE is not currently recruiting entry-level special agents. When recruiting commences, these vacancies will not be posted on the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) USA Jobs website. To learn more about becoming an ICE special agent, contact your nearest Special Agent in Charge Office and ask for the "special agent recruiter." Phone numbers for each ICE office are listed under Contact Us." It mentions to get in contact with a recruiting agent, has anyone done this? Correct me if I'm a wrong but the last opening they had was in July 2009 and this one will be open for just a few days? I wonder why the periods are so short and obscure. problematique fucked around with this message at 15:04 on Nov 3, 2010 |
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Nov 3, 2010 14:50
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Ramms+ein posted:My process may have been longer because I initially applied for Dulles when I wanted Reagan, but I was told I could switch to Reagan no problem while in the process. I only saw the Dulles opening initially. They gave me the choice between morning shift which is only 20 hours or the afternoon shift which is 25 hours, approx. 12-6 which is what I chose. If you got a Boren, I assume you are a halfway intelligent human being and can pass the interview. It's basic stuff, I didn't do any preparation and I'm generally terrible at interviews and they thought I was brilliant. You can talk with a HR person before hand but if you are really desperate and they can give you a quick time frame for being hired, I'd fly out. To be honest there will be a massive time gap between when you fill out the e86, do the medical and then actually have the interview. I would just go along with the process and if something better comes along, take it, but in the mean time, you have this. The interview involves a color vision test, finger printing and paperwork, then the interview. It's basic stuff like, have you ever had a problem at a previous job with a coworker and how did you resolve it. That's awesome news, from the timeline on the TSA dashboard thing it made it look like the interview would be the next step and I'd have to make the decision soon. If I've got a few months like you said then waiting it out while applying for other stuff sounds good. From level of the SAB I feel pretty good about my chances of passing the interview as well, but the flight is $1700 so it's not something I want to do unless things look really good (and really bad with everything else). My biggest concern is the color vision test because I am a little bit color blind. It's not major AFAIK, but getting to do that part before the interview would be nice. You have to pay for the physical out of pocket, don't you? quote:That's absurd you didn't get invited to their hiring fair at CENTCOM. This girl got hired, worse GPA than me. No Boren, 3 months of Arabic abroad and not very much work experience. I don't understand how she got in but I had asked her and basically this is what she said, It may have been my lack of Arabic or another highly "strategic" language, although from what I gathered the interviews weren't just CENTCOM openings, but nationwide. I think the DIA has some demand for Thai because I see it listed as one of the languages they're interested in for their student internships, but eh. It's even more useless in the private sector. I'll definitely give Geospatial a go, I don't have any experience with that software or anything, but geography has always been my strongest subject, and I've done some work on a maps-based education project at my current job. When my boss gets back in to the office I'm going to ask him for some help in playing that aspect of it up in my cover letter. quote:Have you thought about Secret Service? I applied for Uniformed Division, the test was a joke, but my vision is poo poo and I didn't want to get LASIK for a job I have zero interest in. But if your vision is good, apply for both Uniformed and Special Agent. You have to take a test for Special Agent as well which is probably harder but the Uniformed one was a joke if you were evenly mildly sentient. Like you I really have zero interest in the Secret Service, but I'll give applying for them a go. My vision isn't perfect, but it sounds like I'd probably be okay (I don't wear glasses/contacts unless I'm driving, and even then I really only feel like I need them at night). Most of what they do is anti-counterfeiting, isn't it? I was going to take the FSOT on the last go around, but I was visiting a friend in Vancouver during that week and decided it'd be better to put it off until February. I used to want to be an FSO as my dream career, but given my education and work experience I doubt I'd even be invited to the Orals, let alone pass them. I kind of have my doubts as to whether I'd really enjoy it after reading a lot of the FSO thread here (an excellent resource either way), but I'm applying anyways. quote:Anyways, Good Luck. I had a hell of a time my year abroad but I often doubt whether I should have taken this scholarship or not had I known it was going to be this difficult. This. If any of you are considering the Boren scholarship, keep in mind you're going to have to put your life on semi-hold while you look for one of these government jobs. Expect to wait months to hear if they've even looked over your application, not to get interviews, and no help from Schedule A really unless you know somebody or have some exceptional, in-demand skill. I can't say that I regret doing it 100%, but it's not the clear win-win that I originally made it out to be.
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Nov 3, 2010 15:34
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Pompous Rhombus posted:That's awesome news, from the timeline on the TSA dashboard thing it made it look like the interview would be the next step and I'd have to make the decision soon. If I've got a few months like you said then waiting it out while applying for other stuff sounds good. From level of the SAB I feel pretty good about my chances of passing the interview as well, but the flight is $1700 so it's not something I want to do unless things look really good (and really bad with everything else). My biggest concern is the color vision test because I am a little bit color blind. It's not major AFAIK, but getting to do that part before the interview would be nice. You have to pay for the physical out of pocket, don't you? They do the credit check and verify all the information for the credit check then you are invited to the interview which, like I said, takes several months. How bad is your color blindness? The color test takes place the same day as the interview, but it's one of the first things they do. They give you these little black cylindrical pieces that have a different color on the top of each of them. So you start off with a dark blue one and then you are supposed to put the next closest color from the pile next to the previous one until you have a long row of these black pieces that go across the color spectrum. They pay for the physical, they give you a list of affiliated medical places and you just set up an appointment with the nearest one. Physical is super easy, they just make you lift up a heavy crate and flex around with it a bit in addition to piss test and the other routine things. Which airport are you applying for by the way? Another benefit, you do get a Secret security clearance so hopefully I can start applying for jobs where you need one of those. I know they have whole websites devoted for jobs that people are security cleared. quote:I'll definitely give Geospatial a go, I don't have any experience with that software or anything, but geography has always been my strongest subject, and I've done some work on a maps-based education project at my current job. When my boss gets back in to the office I'm going to ask him for some help in playing that aspect of it up in my cover letter. They claim you don't need any GIS experience but anything you can claim that is even remotely similar could be beneficial in the interview. You go through extensive training period where they teach you all this anyways. They don't seem heavily dependent on language ability but you should know about current events/world affairs, they asked me in the interview to mention the three most important events of the past year and explain one in depth. quote:Like you I really have zero interest in the Secret Service, but I'll give applying for them a go. My vision isn't perfect, but it sounds like I'd probably be okay (I don't wear glasses/contacts unless I'm driving, and even then I really only feel like I need them at night). Most of what they do is anti-counterfeiting, isn't it? I think you need uncorrected 20/80 vision or something around that. Uniformed Division is essentially a glorified security guard, they stand around the embassies, vice president, and White House. It's really uninteresting but it pays quite well straight off of the bat. I don't know much about Special Agents but after I had passed the exam and was doing a short interview about my past history, when the Agent found out I had a Bachelors, he told me to not waste my time with Uniformed and just apply for Special Agent. quote:This. If any of you are considering the Boren scholarship, keep in mind you're going to have to put your life on semi-hold while you look for one of these government jobs. Expect to wait months to hear if they've even looked over your application, not to get interviews, and no help from Schedule A really unless you know somebody or have some exceptional, in-demand skill. I can't say that I regret doing it 100%, but it's not the clear win-win that I originally made it out to be. Yea, so much for the Boren being a golden ticket into a decent job out of college. At least I hope it looks good on my grad applications.
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Nov 4, 2010 05:54
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I'm a little lost on the USAJOBS site. What is GS-#, and which of those are entry level type of positions?
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Nov 5, 2010 19:32
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Wartime Consigliere posted:I'm a little lost on the USAJOBS site. What is GS-#, and which of those are entry level type of positions? http://www.opm.gov/oca/10tables/indexGS.asp WG are wage grades for hourly positions.
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Nov 5, 2010 19:44
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Wow, this clearance process is really movin' along. My investigator met with one of my friends this morning and is meeting with my boyfriend tonight. I still haven't heard anything about the polygraph, though. I'm thinking at this point that will pretty much be the last piece of the puzzle. I just hope nothing is misconstrued in a way that will screw me over, that's my biggest fear...even though I'm a huge goody two-shoes.
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Nov 5, 2010 22:46
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Ramms+ein posted:They do the credit check and verify all the information for the credit check then you are invited to the interview which, like I said, takes several months. How bad is your color blindness? The color test takes place the same day as the interview, but it's one of the first things they do. They give you these little black cylindrical pieces that have a different color on the top of each of them. So you start off with a dark blue one and then you are supposed to put the next closest color from the pile next to the previous one until you have a long row of these black pieces that go across the color spectrum. They pay for the physical, they give you a list of affiliated medical places and you just set up an appointment with the nearest one. Physical is super easy, they just make you lift up a heavy crate and flex around with it a bit in addition to piss test and the other routine things. I can probably handle that, there's always one of those ones with the circles that form a shape that give me a lot of trouble though. I applied at Saipan, so it's a huge pain in the rear end to go there for the interview. There's nothing particularly close to me, although admittedly something like North Dakota wouldn't be quite the arm and leg that a ticket to Saipan would cost me. I've actually got a Secret already but it's through State. I e-mailed HR about it as soon as I got the contingent offer and they said TSA doesn't recognize other agencies' clearances, so I'm back to square one with them. I gather that's a pretty common occurrence, it makes me wonder how useful clearances really are if they're only valid at the agency you obtained them from. Where'd you find the GIS position you applied for? I just checked on NGA's site and they only had a few postings up, but when I clicked on the hiring event it mentioned they were interviewing for a ton more. Closing date is today and I'm probably not going to splurge on a round trip to Las Cruces (wtf) in December just for the privilege of attending a crowded-rear end hiring event. The contractor one I found through Monster disappeared a couple days ago 
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Nov 5, 2010 23:21
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Pompous Rhombus posted:I can probably handle that, there's always one of those ones with the circles that form a shape that give me a lot of trouble though. I applied at Saipan, so it's a huge pain in the rear end to go there for the interview. There's nothing particularly close to me, although admittedly something like North Dakota wouldn't be quite the arm and leg that a ticket to Saipan would cost me. Hey, I got hired through a "hiring event" and all I did was submit an online app and then do a skype interview a couple months later. <3NGA<3
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Nov 5, 2010 23:43
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What is the maximum grade I can come in as with a Master's degree (from a govt school) and a year or so of half-time experience in a field?
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Nov 6, 2010 03:13
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jerman999 posted:What is the maximum grade I can come in as with a Master's degree (from a govt school) and a year or so of half-time experience in a field?
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Nov 6, 2010 03:22
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So I am taking a career qualification battery for the DoD later this month. Anyone know of any ways to prepare for this particular type of exam?
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Nov 6, 2010 04:03
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jerman999 posted:What is the maximum grade I can come in as with a Master's degree (from a govt school) and a year or so of half-time experience in a field? Usually, a Masters starts you at GS-9.
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Nov 6, 2010 05:51
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problematique posted:Where exactly (url)? Yeah, check that website there. They open for a few days because there is a deluge of applicants. The 1811 job is the most coveted in the federal government.
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Nov 6, 2010 07:09
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grover posted:What job field? My work involves defense planning, so I would be working at OSD or PA&E.
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Nov 6, 2010 08:09
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jerman999 posted:My work involves defense planning, so I would be working at OSD or PA&E.
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Nov 6, 2010 13:36
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Pompous Rhombus posted:
Apply for the hiring event. You go there and it's just the interview so it's not like a normal job fair where you are milling around a crowded-rear end event and may not even get an interview out of it. Boren sent out an email about the New Mexico one and said you could do a Skype interview. Wish I had known that before I flew out to St. Louis for the one I went to.
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Nov 6, 2010 18:36
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Ramms+ein posted:Apply for the hiring event. You go there and it's just the interview so it's not like a normal job fair where you are milling around a crowded-rear end event and may not even get an interview out of it. Boren sent out an email about the New Mexico one and said you could do a Skype interview. Wish I had known that before I flew out to St. Louis for the one I went to. CherryCola posted:Hey, I got hired through a "hiring event" and all I did was submit an online app and then do a skype interview a couple months later. <3NGA<3 Sheeeeit, closed now. Think I should bother putting it in the "Future Needs Resume Repository"? Can't hurt, I guess. And apparently I applied for the Special Agent with the Secret Service months ago; realized I got a Change in Application status e-mail last week. They're now reviewing the resumes 
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Nov 7, 2010 23:33
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Sheeeeit, closed now. Think I should bother putting it in the "Future Needs Resume Repository"? Can't hurt, I guess. Many agencies can't start processing applicants until they get the number of new hires for the upcoming fiscal year. I read somewhere that the selection rate for 1811 series jobs is around 10%, so have a backup plan.
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Nov 9, 2010 14:45
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I applied for something a month or so ago and the application status has been, "Application Referred to Selecting Official" for almost a month. Will I never hear back one way or the other? I'm applying to a lot of things, this just happens to be the first time it has been something better than "Application received."
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Nov 9, 2010 23:31
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Evil SpongeBob posted:Many agencies can't start processing applicants until they get the number of new hires for the upcoming fiscal year. I read somewhere that the selection rate for 1811 series jobs is around 10%, so have a backup plan. If anything, the 1811 is a back-up plan (actually one of many)  I remember someone in the thread saying not too long ago that the 1811 positions are pretty coveted, so yeah, I'm not holding my breath on that one. |Ziggy| posted:I applied for something a month or so ago and the application status has been, "Application Referred to Selecting Official" for almost a month. Will I never hear back one way or the other? It means you've met the minimum qualifications, so now (presumably) a human being is looking it over and seeing how it compares against the qualifications of the other applicants. This stage also can take forever.
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Nov 9, 2010 23:43
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|Ziggy| posted:I applied for something a month or so ago and the application status has been, "Application Referred to Selecting Official" for almost a month. Will I never hear back one way or the other? It has taken about a month for me to hear back from positions where I was referred to a selecting official. I just did a phone interview with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife service for a job yesterday, and to give a time line, I applied October 4th, received a called on the 31st, and did and interview on November 8th.
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Nov 10, 2010 00:18
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Well! This process is really movin' along! I got a call from the investigator for my hometown on Tuesday who said that he should be done there by the end of this week! I also know that someone talked to my peeps where I went to grad school, and I didn't get a call from them at all so I'm assuming that went smoothly. Then yeeeesterday I actually got a "Welcome to the NGA" email, but I guess that doesn't actually mean I've finished this process yet. I still haven't heard a peep about my polygraph yet. I was under the impression that the polygraph took place around the same time as the drug and vision test, but could it be that they want to do the BI first so they can find something juicy to ask me? Though, I also read that NGA only gives a partial-scope polygraph...like mostly about whether I'm loyal to the US. Any insight?
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Nov 11, 2010 13:09
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CherryCola posted:Any insight? 
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Nov 11, 2010 15:25
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Would 2 masters degrees and 3-4 years of experience disqualify you from a series 1421 GS-7 job? I know in some special circumstances it's impossible to get the funding for someone that's supposed to have a minimum GS-9 job so you can't hire someone that's actually more qualified. Otherwise, I just get the impression that there's a lot of extremely qualified people with even PhDs and lots of experience grappling for the scraps in series 1421, implying that the wife should just give up on the career she's spent a bunch of money and what amounts to 6 years for 
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Nov 11, 2010 22:05
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CherryCola posted:Well! This process is really movin' along! I got a call from the investigator for my hometown on Tuesday who said that he should be done there by the end of this week! I also know that someone talked to my peeps where I went to grad school, and I didn't get a call from them at all so I'm assuming that went smoothly. Was it a conditional offer letter? Sometimes agencies send those out if you've met all the basic requirements. It will state that the offer is pending certain things if it is.
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Nov 12, 2010 19:08
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Evil SpongeBob posted:Was it a conditional offer letter? Sometimes agencies send those out if you've met all the basic requirements. It will state that the offer is pending certain things if it is. I already have my conditional offer. It was more like a "thanks for accepting our offer, you still have to do some poo poo before you start though" So I'm not really sure what their paperwork timeline is...
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Nov 13, 2010 02:06
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CherryCola posted:I still haven't heard a peep about my polygraph yet. I was under the impression that the polygraph took place around the same time as the drug and vision test, but could it be that they want to do the BI first so they can find something juicy to ask me? Though, I also read that NGA only gives a partial-scope polygraph...like mostly about whether I'm loyal to the US. That's right (it will be a counterintelligence polygraph and will be about your loyalty to the US; it's a breeze). As for when they call you in for it, it could be that they're waiting on resources. Sometimes there's a backlog. The polygraph will probably come first, but either way eventually someone will call you and give you a start date. The big thing to get out of the way in the waiting game is your background investigation, so you're moving along very well and you're lucky to have your investigator call you and give you the good news like that directly. Zoo fucked around with this message at 16:04 on Nov 13, 2010 |
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Nov 13, 2010 15:57
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CherryCola posted:I already have my conditional offer. It was more like a "thanks for accepting our offer, you still have to do some poo poo before you start though" Are you on training as condition of employment(TCOE)?
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Nov 14, 2010 06:23
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Well just finished with that Eqip for the PA&E job. For the 6th time. Man those people are picky. And just finished a test for another job I am in the process for. I am cautiously optimistic on that front. But if that fails, PA&E. Top Secret clearance for grunt work and polishing my Russian? Yes, please!
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Nov 14, 2010 07:35
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Zoo posted:That's right (it will be a counterintelligence polygraph and will be about your loyalty to the US; it's a breeze). As for when they call you in for it, it could be that they're waiting on resources. Sometimes there's a backlog. On the topic of the polygraph, there were a few things I have a question about. 1) They say you will be quizzed on illegal drug involvement. How in depth does that go? I smoked marijuana my senior year in high school and the first semester of my freshman year in college but I quit and I haven't done any other kind of drug ever. 2) Subversive acts? Is this more along the lines of palling around with the wrong people?
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Nov 14, 2010 08:10
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Cjones posted:On the topic of the polygraph, there were a few things I have a question about. You should be able to reveal #1 up-front and not have a problem. Just don't try to hide it, because you're not alone and the only test to fail with that kind of drug use is honesty. They won't mind unless you lie, and one of your friends is bound to reveal you smoked. As you may guess, a huge number of people are in your boat and investigators understand that. It would be more challenging for you if you'd done harder drugs or had a much more severe habit, or if you tried to hide your minor teenage experimentation. As for subversive acts, cause for concern is restricted to real threats. Are the "wrong people" kids with tattoos, dyed hair, and funny clothes? Not a big deal. Be concerned about your chances if the "wrong people" are planning terrorist attacks, sending thousands of dollars to terrorist organizations in Yemen, or openly and in practical terms advocating the overthrow of the US government (not just listening to Black Flag or Immortal Technique on your iPod/in concert). You can discuss any of these concerns up-front and get them out in the open so you can get rid of any unnecessary anxiety. On this test, few goons or nerdier disposition types should have much cause for nervousness.
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Nov 14, 2010 12:14
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Cjones posted:On the topic of the polygraph, there were a few things I have a question about. Just be honest.
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Nov 14, 2010 18:05
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Gotcha, just wanted that stuff clarified.
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Nov 14, 2010 19:16
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Cjones posted:Gotcha, just wanted that stuff clarified. The other thing is that while you aren't doing it by asking these questions, they'll ask whether you've ever researched how to "beat" the polygraph. Not trying to sound like a dweebus, but it just makes life easier if you can honestly answer no -- not because they can read minds obviously, but it's just better if you don't bother. It's an easy set of questions; depending on how nervous you are naturally as a person and/or how much your body reacts to sitting still, you could be out in under an hour.
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Nov 14, 2010 19:44
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