Patience and hiring

During the hiring process I have learned one thing.  Patience is a virtue.  Apparently, I am not very virtuous because the waiting is driving me batshit.

I have been applying with various departments since October of 2008.  My first few oral interviews I did not do that well with.  It had been a good 10 years since I had done any kind of interview and I was a bit rusty to say the least.  So the first two departments I applied to, I did not pass the oral interviews.

I started the police academy in January of 2009 and I knew that I would not really be able to focus on the hiring process while in the academy.  So I made the conscious decision to wait until July to apply anywhere else.

So I applied at a local department in July of 2009.  I actually applied with them months before, but they lost my application.

About a month later I had my oral interview which went very well.  They asked me some scenario questions and the basic, "Why do you want to be a police officer?"  They also asked me a few of the basics that everyone should know coming out of a police academy.  Sponsoring myself through the academy helped me quite a bit with the oral interview.  I did not have to think too much when it came to the scenario questions.  I knew what I was supposed to do.

A month or so later I finally called the Sergeant and he informed me that I had passed the oral interview and I should have received a letter in the mail.  I did not, but I was very happy to hear that I had passed.

In November, I had my background interview.  He gave me the paperwork and all the required nonsense he needed from me.  If you are planning on applying to an agency, see if you can get their background form ahead of time as it will take you a while to compile all this information.  I already had everything ready, as I had been through the same thing for the academy.

A few days later I had my polygraph.  People get really freaked out about the polygraph, but there really is no reason to unless you just snorted blow off a hooker before you came in to take it.  Let me explain.  You fill out this big old questionnaire beforehand that asks you questions about your drug past, gang past etc.  The interviewer then goes through everything you put on your form to make sure that he is clear on it.  This is your chance to say anything and EVERYTHING.  If you have ANY concerns about any of the questions, just ask.  The point of this part is to make sure that there is nothing nagging you in the back of your mind about any of the questions.  He then hooks you up to the poly and asks you 10 questions twice.  Something like, "Did you lie about anything in your drug background?"  The answer to every question is no.  Pretty simple and not worth getting stressed about if you have nothing to hide.  So, don't hide anything!

I went on a few ride a longs after the poly and had a good time.  I really liked the people that worked at the department and it made me want to work there more than ever.

At the beginning of February, the background investigator came out to interview my wife and do a neighborhood check.  He just knocks on your neighbors doors and asks them about you.  If you aren't a complete jack-hole to your neighbors, you should be fine.  This marked the end, or close to the end of the background.  He had already sent out and gotten back all the letters he sent to employers, references, family and the like.

Up until this point I have been pretty patient and it really has not bothered me that much, but the closer I get to the end, the worse it gets.  As far as I know, my paperwork is sitting on a supervisor's desk just waiting to be approved.  It has been on this same desk for over a month.  Their original estimate for completion of my hiring process was January.  So don't believe any estimates, it will be done when it is done.

So I am understandably impatient now.  I am just doing my best to keep busy and not think too much about it.  I have been told to give it one more month.  Not that I have a choice in the matter.  It has been almost 9 months in the hiring process.  Logically I know it could be worse and I am lucky that I am even this far.  Many people are applying right now and the competition is tough. 

None of this will matter once I get the badge pinned on.