Hiring FBI Agents - Essay Example

Only the best of the candidate pool even make it to a formal interview stage. The disadvantage to this process is that some excellent candidates may be looked over and denied an opportunity to advance within the FBI because of one test score that is just a few points off the mark.  Such cut-and-dry approaches to determining the validity of candidates can backfire at times because it negates the human aspect of looking at other desirable qualities that might be present in excess and are just what the FBI is needing.

            Such a multiple hurdles approach to hiring would motivate me to choose a career with the FBI, were I to be interested in that path.  The special agent position is a coveted role within law enforcement (Bowman, Carlson, Colvin, & Green, 2006).  It is an elite position that I would be proud to be a part of and it would be seen as a great life accomplishment were I to make it through the entire process and be hired by the FBI in this role.  The complexity of the hiring process illustrates the seriousness with which the organization views the job.  I would be lined up against the very best of the best, and this would serve to increase my level of motivation to pass each exam, ensure that my personal life was well-rounded and possessed integrity, and work hard to eventually land the job.

            In the end, the FBI is not the only such law enforcement position that is coveted by such-minded individuals today.  As such, the process may be too long and drawn out to bring out the very best applicants in any given hiring season.  While the steps involved in the process do not necessarily need to change, the FBI might look at ways to speed up the process so individuals know much sooner where they stand in terms of the likelihood that they will actually be hired.  This is important for many reasons.  To begin, if the individual is in the middle of a long hiring process with the FBI and receives a competitive offer from another agency in the meantime, they are more likely to go ahead and accept that, not wanting to jeopardize their standing should they not make it through the multiple hurdles that the FBI requires for the FBI position.  It is important to consider as the organization continues its quest to hire the very best for these roles within the agency.