If you want to become a police officer, but are concerned about your credit, visit our IMPROVE YOUR CREDIT REPORT page!
When you are ready to apply for a law enforcement officer position, visit the website of the law enforcement agency that you want to work for. Law enforcement agency websites will usually provide detailed instructions on how to apply. Application and hiring processes can vary greatly from department to department. Follow instructions carefully. If the department does not have a website or the website does not answer all of your questions, call the department, and ask to speak with a recruiter or someone that can answer your questions.
There are some simple, but important, things that you can do to increase your chances of being hired by a police department or other law enforcement agency.
The Application:
If you have to pick up an application, make sure that you look and act appropriately when doing so. Remember, you never know who will see you, and first impressions are often lasting ones. This is something that you should remember from now on, especially after you become a law enforcement officer. When you are in public, always assume that someone is watching. Always look, act, and sound professional.
It is important that you fill out applications and other paperwork neatly. Your application can be a first impression. It can make you appear professional or it can make you seem sloppy. If it is not neat, it may not be legible. If it is not legible, it could delay things such as your background investigation.
It is important that you fill out applications and other paperwork completely. Follow the instructions exactly. Use only black or blue ink. If the instructions specify blue, use blue. If they specify black, use black. Police officers must pay attention to details while on the job. If you start off by filling out your application incorrectly, it will not look good. Be sure to use and spell words correctly. Use a dictionary or spell checker if necessary! When using complete sentences, be certain that they are grammatically correct. Don't use slang. Make sure to answer all questions. Answer all questions honestly. Honesty is extremely important! Make sure that your facts are straight. If you list a previous employer and indicate that you worked there from 01-12-05 to 03-04-07, but during your background investigation, the employer provides the background investigator with different dates, it could cause a problem for you. It might appear as though you just wrote the wrong date by mistake or that you were trying to be dishonest. Either way, it won't look good. If an employer believes that you have intentionally provided false or inaccurate information, you will almost certainly not be hired. Make sure that the information is correct and up-to-date for the references that you list.
It is important that you submit your application on time. If there is an application deadline, make sure that you meet it. If you are instructed to submit other paperwork with your application, be sure that you do so. I have seen applications get shredded without even being looked at just because applicants failed to submit things like a copy of their driver's license or birth certificate when required. If a written test is part of the hiring process, you might be required to pay a fee when picking up or submitting an application. If you are delivering your application in person, remember to dress and act professionally.
You will be required to complete a background questionnaire and/or other paperwork as part of the hiring process. Follow the above advice when completing and submitting any paperwork. Be sure to make a copy of your completed application and background questionnaire for yourself before you submit them. Keep them in a safe place. Applications and background questionnaires ask several questions about your past. It might take you a while to remember or look-up information such as previous addresses, names of previous landlords, dates of previous employment, dates of any traffic citations you might have received, etc. Once you have all of this information, you don't want to have to gather it again if the department looses your application or if you decide to apply to another department.
More and more law enforcement agencies are accepting applications or resumes online or via email. Some law enforcement agencies require you to complete an application online.
If you are required to submit a resume, make sure that you know how to write a good, professional looking resume. If you do not know how to write a good resume, ask for assistance from someone that does. There are also many resources available online, through schools, or at libraries that you can use to learn how to write a good resume.
The Written Test:
Many law enforcement agencies require applicants to take a written test as part of the hiring process. Often times they are civil service tests. Sometimes applicants are required to pay a fee for the tests. There are many police exam study guides and test preparation books available online or in bookstores. Most of them are relatively inexpensive, and can prove very beneficial. Some law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Border Patrol offer specific study guides for their tests. If that is the case, be certain to take advantage of them! If you don't know if there is a specific study guide, ask someone. If there is not a specific study guide, ask a recruiter or human resources person if there is any information that they can provide you about the test.
You should brush up on basic grammar and written communication skills. Written communication skills are very important for police officers. Brush up on basic math skills to include working with fractions and long division. Reading comprehension is a big part of many police exams. You can practice your reading comprehension skills with a partner very easily. Simply read an article or chapter of a book, and have your partner ask you questions about the article or chapter. Questions pertaining to observation and memorization are often a part of the test. you can easily improve your observation skills with practice. Some police departments require you to watch a video, and then answer questions about events that took place during the video and/or ask you to provide a description of someone that was in the video. Sometimes you might have to write a narrative of what took place in the video. Written tests will usually contain questions designed to gauge your common sense and decision making skills. Again, study guides and test preparation books are readily available, and offer practice or sample questions. Do all the practice questions that you can, then do them again and again. Make sure that you understand why the right answer is the right answer. If you need help, do not be hesitate to ask for it.
If you are taking a police exam, make sure that you get plenty of sleep the night before. Make sure that you eat a healthy breakfast. Dress appropriately. Always maintain a well-groomed, professional appearance. Make sure to follow all instructions. Be sure to read the questions in their entirety before answering. Be aware of any time limits that may be in place. Pace yourself, but don't feel too rushed. Take your time, but don't spend too much time on any one question. If you are having difficulty with a particular question, skip it, and go back to it later. Just don't forget to go back to it! Don't leave any answers blank unless you know that it will not be counted against you. Use the process of elimination if necessary for multiple choice questions. Determine which answers you know are incorrect, and then make an educated guess from the remaining possibilities. For math questions, if you have time, go back and check your answers.
MORE TO COME! TRY OUR FORUMS!
