Just FYI, 

My background check commenced a full month before my fingerprinting and drug test.  All portions of the investigation are conducted simultaneously.  While it may make sense to do it in a particular order, that is not the case due to the many groups who will be working on it.

Good luck!

Keiko,

It does not surprise me that it has been two months since you received the e-mail stating you met the basic qualifications and have heard nothing yet.

When I initially applied I received a similiar e-mail about one month after I submitted my application online.  It was not until approximately 1 Year later after receiving that e-mail that I received a call for the interview.

Hopefully, it does not take that long for you, but I would not get your hopes up about hearing anything, anytime soon.   

I had pretty much given up and forgot that I even sent in an application online when I received the call for an interview.   

Take Care!

I submitted an application online and received notification that I met the basic qualifications. However I have not heard anything yet and it has been two months. How long does it take to hear something back after this be it a rejection letter or interview offer?

Gentlemen,

  My BI preceded my poly.

Triple X, Fair Chance, and 1st sgt,

Thanks a bunch for the information you have provided it as been extremely helpful.

Triple X - Your analysis on the conditional offer makes perfect sense, thanks.

I just have a few more questions:

1.  Why would my application package be sent to the BI department if I have yet to receive a conditional offer? Is this the department that makes the decision if I receive a conditional offer or are they just preparing the NCIC to make sure things check out and then will send to the appropriate people who make the decision? For me this is the most confusing part of the process.

2.  If I do not proceed any further in the process, will I receive notification of this from the FBI?


Thanks again!!!

Dear Triple X, Irish, 1st sgt,

Triple x, you have gone through hell and back during your application so I can understand if your application was different from mine.

Irish, it is not unusual for a preliminary NCIC background check to be performed at or near the process of urinalysis and polygraph.  This check is for glaring discrepencies between reality and your application (i.e. not posting any traffic tickets and the NCIC showing incarceration or arrest for DUI).   I have not heard of anyone getting their official FBI background check initiated before passing their urinalysis and polygraph.  I know of no one who was employed before complete adjudication of their background.  On the first day of employment, it is pressumed that you are top secret certified and treated as such in the issuance of equipment, credentials, and information about operations on a need to know.  There are no jobs currently in the FBI MIOB which are "conditional jobs".  Any employee who's clearance is questionable is assigned administrative duty at home until the problem is adjudicated.  Things have gotten very paranoid since 9/11.  Many foreign nations are using American citizens as moles and it is not as easy to stereotype the bad guys according to any set criteria.

1st sgt,

I cannot comment on my employment but I can attest that I have learned just about everything there is concering an application to the FBI.  If they could have keel-hauled me during my application, they would have.

Regards.

Irish,

I currently work for the bureau, however, I will not specify in what capacity. I personally received my conditional appointment letter from the FBI prior to the pre-employment polygraph, BI, drug test, fingerprinting, etc… 

The following is an excerpt, verbatim from the FBI conditional appointment letter that I received “prior” to my personal security interview, pre-employment polygraph, BI, finger printing, drug test, etc…

Dear Mr. xxx,            

   “I am pleased to offer you a conditional appointment as a __________________ in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Department of Justice.

This appointment is contingent upon the existence of a vacant funded position for which you have applied and successful completion of a background investigation, personal security interview, pre-employment polygraph examination, and urinalysis drug test. The FBI will make every effort to ensure that your background processing is completed within 35 days of receipt of this letter. You will be contacted within seven days by an Applicant Coordinator in your nearest FBI field office to schedule your processing.”

You will be notified upon the successful completion of your processing. If the results are favorable and a vacancy remains open for the funded position for which you applied, you will be contacted regarding a reporting date. Your salary will be at the GS/WG xx level, step 1, with a base salary of $00, 000.00 per annum.” [End quote]
 
All FBI job candidates selected for a support and/or special agent position receives a conditional appointment letter of employment prior to a pre-employment polygraph or BI being administered. The FBI does not administer pre-employment polygraphs and BI’s to all job candidates that apply for advertised/posted bureau positions, and then send out a conditional letter after the fact, that would defeat the purpose of the “conditional letter”…  Does this make sense…??

Only the candidate selected for a position will receive a conditional appointment letter. The “condition” of the conditional letter is based on successful completion of the pre-employment polygraph and background investigation, drug test, etc. I hope that this helps to clear up some of the questions you have raised. 

I would agree with your assumption[s] as referenced below.

[You wrote] 
“I would have to agree that I think a conditional offer would be given before the polygraph, BI, drug test, etc. but employment is "conditional" based on you passing all those requirements.”
 
[You again write]
“I would think that they would not give you an official start date in your conditional offer because you would still have to pass all phases of the hiring process and could be DQ'd in any of those stages.” 
 
[You ask]
Is it fair to assume that the next stage for me, if I move on would be to receive the "conditional offer" since I have already completed the interview? 

If you have already applied for an available advertised position on the FBI’s web page, and have completed the interview process, my best guess is that a conditional appointment letter will be forthcoming to the most qualified candidate selected for the position for which you applied. I can almost assure you that the FBI is not proceeding with a background investigation prior to you taking the pre-employment polygraph exam. The pre-employment polygraph exam always precedes the pre-employment background investigation.

The request for additional information such as your college transcript is not uncommon from the bureau. This was most likely to support the information you provided on your educational background such as a BA, MBA, Ph.D. etc., etc… This does not necessarily imply that you were the candidate selected for the position. Again, the candidate selected will receive a conditional appointment in writing for the position in which you applied. 

In my opinion, the bureau individual you spoke with via telephone regarding your college transcript needed the additional document to complete and fwd your application package on to the BI department. 

Completed application packages for candidates not selected for the position’s in which they applied, are not kept on file. They are destroyed. If at a later date, a previously qualified candidate applies for a different position with the bureau, the individual must re-submit all required information all over again. 

[You ask]
“Have any of you in the process past or present gone through the same situation.” 

Yes, I went through a very similar screening process with the FBI a few years ago when I applied. I was also asked to provide additional documentation in support of specific certifications and qualifications relative to the position in which I applied. This is not uncommon.

[You wrote]
“It seems to me that everybody has a different story to tell and goes through something different.”

Keep in mind, that my response[s] to your question with respect to the FBI’s hiring process is indicative of my own personal experience. 

Good luck.


Triple x

Quote:


Yes, if you passed the interview step.

]quote]I have received a call from an individual who requested more information (i.e. transcript), which I have sent.  When I talked to him he said this was the final item he needed for my information to be passed onto those doing a background... [/quote]

That is a good sign you passed the interview part and are on your way to the following steps. 

Quote:


Remember you are dealing w/ gov't and it is all a matter of timing.

I would suggest you go to the following website 911jobforums.com. Under the federal employment section it deals only w/ Fed. LE agency hiring and folks experiences going through process. Also, you will find information pertinent to the SSG.

Good Luck

Thanks for the information!!!

I would have to agree that I think a conditional offer would be given before the polygraph, BI, drug test, etc. but employment is "conditional" based on you passing all those requirments.

I would think that they would not give you an official start date in your conditional offer because you would still have to pass all phases of the hiring process and could be DQ'd in any of those stages. 

Is it fair to assume that the next stage for me, if I move on would be to receive the "conditional offer" since I have already completed the interview?

I have received a call from an individual who requested more information (i.e. transcript), which I have sent.  When I talked to him he said this was the final item he needed for my information to be passed onto those doing a background.  I find it hard to believe that they would start my background, since I have yet to receive a conditional offer, unless this is just some sort of initial screening.

Have any of you in the process past or present gone through the same situation.  It seems to me that everybody has a different story to tell and goes through something different. 

From what my AC has told me all apps go tothrough adjudicaion process to make sure all is good before official offer is made. Triple check all information is in place, that is the entire app. from begining to end.

Conditional letters do go out before poly, med., bi, etc. Again w/ the famous line, "upon successful completion" of any of the steps in the hiring process.

If issues do come up during the BI they have to be resolved by the applicant, i.e. give explanation, show documentation, etc. to get the final approval. Also, upon final revision of app. during adjudication process additional information may be requested by analyst looking over all paperwork. Again to make sure all t's are crossed and i's are dotted.

I get the impression that one can't start training or the job itself until a final approval is given.

Fairchance,

Are you currently employed as an agent or support personnel?

Fair Chance and 1st Sgt,

It’s been a while since I received my conditional letter of appointment. I thought for sure the letter reflected a start date, but perhaps it did not. I may be mistaken. I will locate and re-read my conditional letter of appointment, and post whether or not the letter had an actual start date on it, or did not.

I completely understand that all bureau positions require a TS clearance. Even custodial personnel are required to have TS clearances. However, [please correct me if I’m wrong] if the NAC [National Agency Check] does not reflect any adverse information at a glance, the candidate receives an "interim" TS clearance. Meaning the individual is cleared on a temporary basis, until the BI is completed and a full TS clearance is issued. In addition to being granted a TS; a 5-year PR [periodic review] is required to maintain a TS DoD, DoE and/or DoJ security clearance.

The reason I say this is, I know for certain [no guesswork involved] that some candidates for employment with the bureau have “issues” surface during the BI, and will require a significant amount of time to resolve.  This is not uncommon with regard to adverse financial matters, assault charges, DUI’s, etc., etc… BI’s do not normally go to adjudication, unless adverse information surfaces during the BI, and must be resolved.  Contrary to belief, all bureau personnel are not completely free of past indiscretions stemming from their college years, being a teen [18 & 19], or during young adult hood.

I would like to add, I’m sure I received my conditional letter of appointment [short of digging it out] prior to my pre-employment polygraph and BI being completed. I did however understand that this implied “upon successful completion” of the pre-employment polygraph as well as the BI. Nevertheless, I did receive my conditional letter of appointment prior to “my” poly & BI. Perhaps this has since changed… 

What I’m not sure of is, if it [my conditional letter] actually had a start date as I previously stated or indicated. The more I think about it, the more uncertain I become. I will find my conditional letter of appointment, and post whether or not it reflected a start date, or, did not.


Respectfully,
Triple x

Forgot to add, the same goes for SA positions. Academy date is given after all steps are completed successfully. 

Before going through process for support position I went through SA process.

Quote:


I would have to agree on this one. I too rec'd conditional letter and in reading it again it states that all steps need to be completed before an official offer is made, hence given start date. This was confirmed by the person that is handling my application when I first started the process.

Dear Triple X,

I was given a conditional letter of appointment with no starting date.  I would be given a starting date only after successful completion of the polygraph, background, and physical.  Since all positions in the FBI must qualify for top secret clearance, the background must be completely adjudicated before any appointment.  No applicant will start any position unless the background is adjudicated.  There are no "excepted positions" that I know of but I would be more than willing to investigate any information that you have to the contrary (it would not be the first time that I have to eat my words!).  Life is a learning process and I am still breathing.

Regards.

1st sgt,

Prospective candidates for professional support positions will receive a conditional job offer and start date prior to their pre-employment polygraph exam and BI.

The conditional offer is pending successful completion of the pre-employment polygraph exam.

Applicants are not required to wait for the BI to be completed, as this can take several months. The positions are filled with the selected candidate following a passing polygraph result. 

If the candidate is dq'd during the BI, they are dismissed as per the "conditional agreement".

Candidates are accepted into their prospective support positions following the polygraph, [if they pass] however, they can still be dismissed during the BI for various adverse reasons.

If a BI issue is raised, the issue goes to adjudication, and could be tied up there for weeks to months before a decision is made whether a TS security clearance should be issued. 

Professional Support candidates are not required to wait until the entire pre-employment BI is completed before starting the job applied for. However, if they fail the polygraph, the BI is not even initiated.


triple x

Quote:


A start date is provided after app has been adjudicated and ALL steps have been given the stamp of approval by HQ.

Irish,

[You wrote]
"I was hoping someone out there could give me guidance on the hiring process as it relates to professional support positions with the FBI."

The hiring process for Professional Support positions will entail... 

1) Apply for the advertised support position. 
2) Your application meeting all qualifications/certifications for the position. 
3) Structured interview.
4) Selection for the position.
5) Receipt of conditional job offer. [Pending successful completion of a polygraph and BI.] 
6) Medical examination.
7) Finger printing.
8) Pre-employment drug screening/test.
9) Polygraph. 
10) Report date.
11) FD-140 FBI Background Investigation. 

The selected candidate will be provided with an official start date upon successful completion of the pre-employment polygraph exam. The background investigation will be initiated immediately following a passing result of the polygraph. 

Although the candidate "may" successfully complete his/her pre-employment polygraph exam, the candidate must still successfully complete the background investigation. Should any undisclosed adverse information surface during the BI, it will be thoroughly investigated. If the adverse matter cannot be adjudicated, the candidate could be disqualified, and immediately terminated.

Good luck.

Triple x

Kodak-

I applied for the surveillance specialist position, are you going through the same process, and/or have any information on what the next phase is??? Thanks

Irish wrote on May 14^th, 2004 at 4:47pm:


What position did you apply for?

I was hoping someone out there could give me guidance on the hiring process as it relates to professional support positions with the FBI.   

Specifically, I was wondering what is the typical process of events.  I know first you must fill out an application and from there receive an interview, but what is the order of events after that?

After the interview and a decision is made to hire you is there a conditional offer that you will receive, like other FLE agencies, indicating that they will hire you so long as you pass BI, drug test, polygraph, etc?

I am currently going through the process and have received a call indicating that my application materials are being submitted for the background analysis (Whatever that means???), but have heard no other words besides that, it has only been one month since I interviewed.

Any guidance or knowledge based on your experiences would be appreciated. Thanks