I ran into a FANTASTIC job oppurtunity yesterday!

[redrose85]

You should definitely learn Spanish. If you stay in TX, it will be very very handy.

[EQD]

Lol yes Binoo, that's exactly what I meant.

 

I like it how I'm this short fragile girl who can tote a gun with style.

 

I'm not indimidated.

 

Put me in a Cell with a murder to question them, and I wont get the least bit squemish.

 

I don't have a very high stress level though...I get stressed easily.

 

What kind of things would you not be able to handle on a police dispatcher job Binoo?

 

you are 19 right? you cant really tote a gun until you are 21 unless the handgun laws are different in texas.

what bothers me is the "put me in a cell with a murderer" thing. have you ever been in a cell with a murderer?

[JadedStar]

i never wanted to learn spanish, it's a bland language to me since I'm in TX and EVERYONE speaks it.

 

.

 

That is one of the number one reason TO learn how to speak it if you plan on going into public service jobs.

 

What makes it anymore bland than any other language?

[jcrisph]

IF you learned Spanish or knew multiple language, you know how much better that would look on your resume rather then other people who just knew ENglish. Knowing multiple languages in the criminal Justice field could put you in front of so many people for the Job.its VERY VERY important.

[Rose21]

Well I didn't mean I was put in a cell with muderers.

 

I walked into a cell with prisoners in there, I don't know what they were in for.

 

I will be 20 in June, and I know you can't just tote a gun around. For my main career field, a Criminologist, that's not even part of the job requirements. I would have to get a CHL on my own, like my mom did and she's just a high school teacher.

 

I'm aware they will do an extensive background check and it doesn't phase me in the least. I have a SPOTLESS record. I've never touched a drug, cigerette, or been drunk. I have never gotten in trouble with the law, I don't even have a minor speeding ticket!

 

My record is as clean as you can get. And no I didn't email them. But the profile here isn't a problem. And my myspace profile doesn't have anything questionable on it either. I don't have any crazy party pictures of me drinking etc (like alot of people do) It's just simply me, and my friends at different places.

[EQD]

"I like it how I'm this short fragile girl who can tote a gun with style."

 

thats the part i dont get. but i digress.

i think that you not being able to speak spanish will definitely hurt you in this instance.

anyone who speaks spanish even a little will get priority over you.

but good luck!

[MJ23]

Yes, why not try it? If you don't like it fine, but why not give things a decent try? Good luck to you.

[JadedStar]

I agree that any job in law enforcement, even just a dispatcher job, warrants a much higher background check than your regular call center type position. I got the fact that you meant seeing her online activities could show maybe she doesn't have the capability of handling stress, not that it meant she didn't have a 'clean' record.

 

I have a lot of friends who are police officers and as such they have a lot of friends who are dispatchers. They do go thru a much mroe rigid background check than the average public because of the nature of the calls they process.

 

There is no sense in her not trying for it. Either way it can be a good interviewing experience and she can find out what types of things they might be looking for. And i do advise her against saying some of the things she stated in this thread as reasons why she might be a 'good fit' as it might go against her rather than help.

[mgirl]

I think it's spelt like this: "despatch". Check though

[melrich]

There you go Rose.

[JadedStar]

 

4. Pass a full background check, which includes a personality profile test for emergency dispatching, a personal and criminal background check, a polygraph or voice stress test (CVSA), a psychological profile interview and a physical examination including a drug screening

 

There you go Rose.

 

I do believe it is number four that many were talking about. And in that regard I don't think horsecraz was at all off the mark in the reasoning behind what was stated regarding the ability to handle stress. This core competency is far more critical for this job than a call center job in retail, for example.

 

But as stated, there is no reason she shouldn't try for it regardless. It can be good experience and if she gets it, the icing on the cake.

[melrich]

I don't think horsecraz was at all off the mark.

 

I had no doubt there would be background check and psych testing. Almost every job where you are dealing with the public or children or the elderly does it nowadays.

 

It's the IMPLICATIONS of this that I think are way over the top.

 

If you have a psychological prerequisite they will probably find enotalone, and you.

 

What happens now, eNotalone members should never apply for jobs that may require background checks? Here's a fact, very few young people in western countries do not leabve a snail trail on the web.

[JadedStar]

I

 

 

What happens now, eNotalone members should never apply for jobs that may require background checks? Here's a fact, very few young people in western countries do not leabve a snail trail on the web.

 

The majority told her to go for it.

 

And Melrich, social websites ARE used extensively in background checks of this nature. The average company doesn't use them. Any job requiring security clearance, law enforcement, etc will use them and even interview family members.

 

To be honest, even tho i have a clean background I wouldn't even want to apply for a job that goes to the lengths that my law enforcement friends were subjected to. It was rather stringent and i'd rather not be subjected to it, so the intent here is just to make her aware of what is involved, since it was pretty obvious she had no idea.

 

As for the snail trail on the web, i think that more and more young people (and older if it applies) will become gravely aware of the possible consequences of having questionable myspace and facebook pages. It is education that young people really should be aware of. And to be honest it is a good thing because too many people post things and don't realize how easy it is to find their pages. Most of them are simply unaware how it can affect their reputation. I am not sure if a site like ena would be used unless the participant is using their own name or their myspace handle is the same because I don't know if they go to the lengths of checking every site one visits with their IP, i don't even know if they have that capability. That would be like checking their phone records to find every person they called, and i don't even think that is legal. But if the posts are easily found by googling their name or it is a handle that is easily recognized in a search, then it might be used in that case. But i don't think they are using one's IP to see everything they visit on the Net, not to my knowledge anyway.

[melrich]

And Melrich, social websites ARE used extensively in background checks of this nature.

 

I know they are. It's not my point.

[JadedStar]

I have no doubt that our activity CAN be tracked by certain entities, but i am very leary about certain companies/gov't agencies performing background checks actually DOING it. I do not think even a law officer job results in IP/computer activity checks.

 

Do i think they will google your name? Absolutely. But they won't infiltrate your computer. NOt for this kind of job.

[Rose21]

I do believe they can check everything you've done (myspace, face book, blog sites etc) on the web.

 

But if they were to see what I wrote here, they couldn't decide if I was capable or not to peform the duties at task.

 

That's what the psch test is, not posts on the internet.

 

Infact I know that tons of cops suffer from depression, but does that really affect how they do their job in the field? No. If theyre good at what they do, that's all they care about. Not what they post online asking for help.

 

If they can do what is asked of them, who's to say they arn't suitable for the tasks ahead due to a post asking for help about depression or a number of other things?

 

They simply cannot make that deduction.

[Rose21]

And I seriously doubt they would go that far for this kind of job.

 

Now, when I apply later on for a Criminologist for the FBI, certaintly then.

 

But not for a job where you don't even need any college experience.

 

Why would they go to that much trouble?

[JadedStar]

I do believe they can check everything you've done (myspace, face book, blog sites etc) on the web.

 

But if they were to see what I wrote here, they couldn't decide if I was capable or not to peform the duties at task.

 

That's what the psch test is, not posts on the internet.

 

Infact I know that tons of cops suffer from depression, but does that really affect how they do their job in the field? No. If theyre good at what they do, that's all they care about. Not what they post online asking for help.

 

If they can do what is asked of them, who's to say they arn't suitable for the tasks ahead due to a post asking for help about depression or a number of other things?

 

They simply cannot make that deduction.

 

Curious, how do you KNOW they suffer from depression? DOn't you think you are overstating this to say you personally know tons of cops with depression? It is these absolute statements you make on a regular basis that make eyebrows go up....you state conjecture as fact constantly and credibility wavers. Even if they did (and i am sure some do, but i can't say i have seen the medical records of even my good friends who are police officers), likely they didn't when they were a rookie and going thru the testing or it just wasn't showing up anywhere.

 

But that isn't true that all they care about is if they are good. They have to do extensive backgrund checks and even a great potential police officer will be deselected if he/she fails it.

 

If I were a person who performed the background checks for the police department and let's say they DID look at posts, it wouldn't be the illnesses you speak of that would make me ponder the decision, it would be the maturity level, because a dispatcher might not have to have a lot of educational background but they DO need to have a high maturity level, calm head and ability to handle a lot of stress. Those are going to be the three main factors required to do that job well. And your many many threads here can easily reveal that you might have an issue with those three things. Just sayin.

[laisla]

I do believe they can check everything you've done (myspace, face book, blog sites etc) on the web.

 

But if they were to see what I wrote here, they couldn't decide if I was capable or not to peform the duties at task.

 

That's what the psch test is, not posts on the internet.

 

They simply cannot make that deduction.

 

true. what matters is you pass their tests. good luck with it.

 

just a tip. maybe you could go to a career counsellor at your school, even for a half hour? i've been to them a few times with resume, interview help, and for other things, they were very helpful! they just might help you land a job that works for you. they give great interview tips as well.

[jcrisph]

true. what matters is you pass their tests. good luck with it.

 

just a tip. maybe you could go to a career counsellor at your school, even for a half hour? i've been to them a few times with resume, interview help, and for other things, they were very helpful! they just might help you land a job that works for you. they give great interview tips as well.

 

This is true. I had to get interview help because i kept on failing the oral interview part of the police tests and i had no idea why. It turn out to be little things i didnt even know i was doing wrong.

[JadedStar]

true. what matters is you pass their tests. good luck with it.

 

just a tip. maybe you could go to a career counsellor at your school, even for a half hour? i've been to them a few times with resume, interview help, and for other things, they were very helpful! they just might help you land a job that works for you. they give great interview tips as well.

 

I think that is a wonderful idea and i think she could really benefit from this a great deal, to learn what NOT to say in the interview especially.

[Rose21]

Yes I suppose.

 

I'm pretty good with people and talking, I do that alot lol.

 

I pretty much know what to say and what not to say, what they would WANT To hear.

 

I don't have a resume though.

 

They just gave me this application and history to fill out.

 

It took me like 2 hrs, but it's mostly done.

 

Now I just need to attatch a picture of myself and get copies of all the documents they need.

[JadedStar]

Yes I suppose.

 

I'm pretty good with people and talking, I do that alot lol.

 

I pretty much know what to say and what not to say, what they would WANT To hear.

 

I don't have a resume though.

 

They just gave me this application and history to fill out.

 

It took me like 2 hrs, but it's mostly done.

 

Now I just need to attatch a picture of myself and get copies of all the documents they need.

 

They asked for a picture? Is this for the background check? That is an odd practice becuase it could lead to discrimination lawsuits. If they ask for a picture with no valid reason for it then a minority, woman or older person could say that they didn't get the job for that reason if it went to a young, white male for instance. Maybe they need it for the type of background check they perform, but that is a very questionable practice if they are asking for that.

[JeckyllNHyde]

I've seen people add a picture to their resume. Not that I would unless obligated but I remember looking thru old files somewhere I worked, and people who wanted to make an extra effort with the resume added the pic.

[JadedStar]

I've seen people add a picture to their resume. Not that I would unless obligated but I remember looking thru old files somewhere I worked, and people who wanted to make an extra effort with the resume added the pic.

 

People do it, but an employer should NEVER ask for it. That's a big difference. I've never heard of such practice and i always wished they WOULD NOT add it because it is not at all valuable in the selection process to see what they look like during the phone screening process.