Full Disclosure
About Full Disclosure
We have all applied for a job. But no one is born knowing how to survive the rigors of a public safety background investigation.
This book is written with the applicant in mind.
When applying for a position as a police officer, deputy sheriff, correctional officer, highway patrol or state police, dispatcher – even a firefighter, all must endure a very thorough probe of their backgrounds before being considered for hire. While thousands apply for these careers, only a small percentage of applicants successfully pass all testing and academy training before serving a single day in uniform.
Author Sean Mitchell was an officer and background investigator with one of the most reputable agencies in the country, the California Highway Patrol. This agency, as with many other public safety agencies, rejected one half to two-thirds of all applicants in the background investigation process. Sean wrote this book after finding that many candidates were rejected, not because they were bad people, but because they were poorly prepared and didn’t take the process seriously enough.
This book will walk you step by step through the various elements of the investigation. It will explain what the investigators are looking for and how they obtain information. This book will increase your competitive edge by explaining:
How to conduct your own research
Collect and organize your background information
Prepare a Personal History Statement
Write complete, effective narrative statements
Successfully complete a Truth Verification session
Present yourself as a serious dedicated candidate
Chapters include:
1. Testing for a Public Safety Position
2. What You Need to Know
3. The Investigators
4. Preparing the Personal History Statement
5. Identifying Information
6. References
7. Residences
8. Education
9. Applications to Other Police Agencies
10. Employment
11. Military Service
12. Motor Vehicle Operation
13. Legal Issues
14. Drugs and Alcohol
15. Credit and Finances
16. Narrative Statements
17. General Issues
18. Initial Interview
19. Background Investigation Questionnaire
20. Truth Verification Sessions
21. Writing Assignments
22. Social Media
23. Final Interview
24. Waivers
25. Odds and Ends
A career in public safety is not for everyone. But if you are an honest, serious, focused candidate who wants to be as prepared as possible for the background investigation process, this book is for you!