Every jurisdiction around you will
probably have a civil service hiring procedure (or their equivalent) in place. This means that they will test in cycles (for example, every 2 years) and generate a list based on that test, which is good until the next test. You can call the PDs, or the local civil service commission (or whatever) and ask when the next test is, and what the requirements are. They will vary from place to place.
Common requirements:
High School education or GED. College degrees are becoming more standard, and may be viewed as a bonus, even if they aren't required.
Physical ability. This will run the gamut from no testing to a full physical agility test where applicants are rated on their performance. Many places have a simple pass-fail physical exam.
Testing. This runs the gamut from a full civil service exam to a police-specific test.
Background. They check to see if you're a solid worker and for criminal convictions. You'll probably get a form to fill out. Put everything down, and don't lie, because they DO check and, regardless...
Polygraph. They'll go over your background packet. If you were honest in it, you have little to fear. Just tell the truth and relax.
Oral Interview. This is the "fun" part. These will vary from touchy-feely love fests (rare) to hostile "put you on the spot and try to get you riled up" grillings. The latter is more common. I screwed up several until I got the hang of it.
All candidates are generally scored and rank ordered and placed on The List. All open positions are then filled off The List, and the hiring authority has a variable amount of lattitude in passing/skipping applicants (each jurisdication will have its own rules in place).
Due to the somewhat slow and arbitrary nature of the whole process, I FIRMLY encourage the "shotgun" approach to hiring. Take every test for every jurisdiction in your area. Jump through every hoop. Do EVERYTHING asked of you for every jurisdiction. Don't do well on one test and then stop everything else. You'll be #3 on a list and they'll hire 2 people and quit. You'll accidentally miss an interview. You'll bomb an oral board. Stuff happens.
Good luck, and DON'T get discouraged. I know many FINE officers who tried for YEARS to get hired. if you get turned down at first, keep trying. The testing process is frustrating and slow, and seems designed to not hire the best people. Stick to it.
Oh, and make a photocopy of your background packets and keep them for yourself. That way you can make all your answers be the same. I'm not saying to lie (NEVER lie), but let's face it...you might easily forget a traffic ticket or two, and PDs DO compare notes. I had to explain a "missing" citation once in an oral board. This leaves you saying "I lied to you" or "I'm not careful with my paperwork." Yeah. Didn't get THAT job.
Mike
