But understanding job, hiring process can boost chances

Since Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of new government jobs have been created with law enforcement positions in particular demand. American workers responded to the call. Within the next three years 150,000 people applied to the FBI alone to be special agents — but only 2,200 got a job.

No matter how badly someone wants to be an FBI agent, most do not make it, says Joseph W. Koletar, a 25-year veteran of the agency and author of "The FBI Career Guide: Inside Information on Getting Chosen For and Succeeding in One of the Toughest, Most Prestigious Jobs in the World" (AMACOM, 2006).

If you are interested in such a career, or got turned away previously, your conception of what the job is like could be a problem — especially if it's based on what you've seen on television's "The X-Files" or "Without a Trace."

But with better preparation and an understanding of the job and how the application process works, you can fare better.

First, though, get a better picture of what FBI agents actually deal with. Koletar describes the cases they handle as small, medium and large. Small might be a crime aboard an aircraft such as an unruly or drunken passenger giving the crew a hard time. Medium is a bank robbery and large is a hijacking or investigation of a mob family.

One of the big differences between what FBI agents and most of us do is the presence of danger. After all, criminals are dangerous people, he says. And besides the use of weapons, working with informants can be dicey.

Although working hours are theoretically 8:15 until 5, most agents work 10 hours or more a day. He says the FBI "makes reasonable attempts to accommodate the family life" but when there's conflict, the FBI's needs always come first.

To get through the first round for consideration, you must meet one of five minimum qualifications, such as being a certified public accountant, having a Juris Doctor degree from a recognized university or a four-year degree from a recognized college or university. Then your abilities must fall into one of the FBI's critical skills categories, such as engineering, language or physical science.

You'll be automatically disqualified if, among other things, you've been convicted of a felony, defaulted on a student loan insured by the U.S. government or failed a drug test. You must meet certain physical standards including having no more than 19 percent body fat if you're a man and no more than 22 percent if you're a woman.

You'll have to take a battery of tests and you need to think of this as "one very long interview," says Koletar, taking place over weeks, months, in person and over the phone.

There are about 70 applicants for each special agent position and just like the interview process for any job, the interactive part of the process is "chock full of clues" to get a feel for who you are.

One no-no in the application process is trying to negotiate salary, office assignment and vacation days. "The FBI has the ability to negotiate almost nothing, except perhaps the date of entry to duty," says Koletar, so efforts to negotiate are futile.

One sure fire way to make a bad impression in an interview is to ask, "If I am on vacation and something big happens, will I be called back?" Not to mention how bad you'll look if you ask, "What kind of guns do you guys carry?" and "Did you ever shoot anybody?"

Reach Andrea Kay at andrea@andreakay.com.