Is it normal to get rejected for a lot of jobs before being hired?

[smokeythebear06]

I have been getting really discouraged about a career in Law Enforcement. I have applied for many correction officer jobs, community service officer jobs, police officer/deputy sheriff trainee/recruit jobs, and have been rejected pretty fast every time. I am probably about 0/15 right now. I have gotten one oral board interview, one background interview, but that is as far as I have made it. I mean every job I apply and test for has crazy number of applicants for a few spots. Like one job was 450 people testing for 7 spots, one was 120 people testing for 2 spots, and one was 2,000 people testing for 20 spots. I seriously start feeling like getting a career in this field is about as hard as getting into Harvard or getting on a professional sports team. I am just getting disappointed a lot and its starting to make me feel a bit discouraged, and I feel like my family is getting disappointed in me as well. I just want to ask is it normal to get rejected a lot before getting hired? Did you personally get rejected a lot before getting hired?
p.s.: I have not been DQ'd for any job, I just am not being selected.

[Citicop]

Things to consider:

1.) The market is tough right now. The economy gets bad, and people who would otherwise be employed in the private sector are looking at other options. And as tax revenue goes down, departments are laying people off, so many people with experience are applying at other departments, so that makes competition even tougher.

2.) Have you looked into moving to other areas of the country? Some are hiring more than others.

3.) Have you looked into improving your resume at all? Complete your degree, get some military experience (either full time or guard/reserves), etc. Some areas allow people to "self certify" and attend an academy prior to being hired (paid for by the recruit). In my area, this is pretty much the only way to get hired.

4.) Don't give up. Keep applying while looking at some of the above options. It's a numbers game.

-Citicop.

[smokeythebear06]

Things to consider:

1.) The market is tough right now. The economy gets bad, and people who would otherwise be employed in the private sector are looking at other options. And as tax revenue goes down, departments are laying people off, so many people with experience are applying at other departments, so that makes competition even tougher.

2.) Have you looked into moving to other areas of the country? Some are hiring more than others.

3.) Have you looked into improving your resume at all? Complete your degree, get some military experience (either full time or guard/reserves), etc. Some areas allow people to "self certify" and attend an academy prior to being hired (paid for by the recruit). In my area, this is pretty much the only way to get hired.

4.) Don't give up. Keep applying while looking at some of the above options. It's a numbers game.

-Citicop.

The only problem with moving to other areas of the country is it would take a lot of money to do so. I got my AS in Law Enforcement, and I plan on getting a BS(I have been considering getting that in something other than Criminal Justice for many reasons), but with money being so tight right now its hard to do while working 2 jobs totally about 54-60 hours a week. I have had a lot of people telling me to not give up. I was just wondering if this is something that happens and if getting rejected a lot is not a recipe for disaster. I have applied as a non-affiliate to two academies though. I was planning on getting a student loan to help pay for that. Does going as a non-affiliate give me a better chance and less amount of people to compete against for jobs when I graduate?

[Ispbear]

First of all, what part of the process are you having troubles with. If it's the written, then take some time and brush up on your basic reading, math skills. Lets face it, it's been a long time since most of us has done long division or multiplication and division of fractions by hand. If it's the physical, well then start hitting the gym. Always be thinking about how you present yourself during every phase of the process. Looking professional and a simple thank you sir, as you turn your written test in might be the difference between being called in for the oral or not.

[retdetsgt]

First of all, what part of the process are you having troubles with. If it's the written, then take some time and brush up on your basic reading, math skills. Lets face it, it's been a long time since most of us has done long division or multiplication and division of fractions by hand. If it's the physical, well then start hitting the gym. Always be thinking about how you present yourself during every phase of the process. Looking professional and a simple thank you sir, as you turn your written test in might be the difference between being called in for the oral or not.

+1

Bottom line is, you need to score higher on your tests. More education, etc. isn't the problem.

[JR180]

Just keep trying. I was turned down by about 11 agencies for being too young or not already certified. I eventually got hired when there were about 400 people trying for 11 spots. It just depends on what the agency needs and if you will be a good fit.

[1depd]

You have more persistence than I did when I started. I applied at five agencies and didn't even get a call back, then gave up and joined the military and got some experience. Of course not having the money to buy clothes, fix my car, or put decent food on the table kind of helped with the decision to join the military. After discharge I got lucky and applied at a local jail (one of the five that initially turned me down) and was hired within a month. Left that for various reasons and was able to be hired into several other LE positions. I didn't have a difficult time again until I started applying to federal jobs. I think I put in for 11 federal jobs before I was finally hired and that was with a BS, experience, and veterans preference.

Don't give up, but try to make yourself a better applicant. Like Citicop said, your up against some pretty tough competition right now. You might be better off completing your BS and waiting for a better economy. You could also try the reserve officer route, while you are waiting. I know those spots can be as tough to get as a paid position, but if you can find one, it can make you look better to the hiring boards.

I don't know your living or financial arrangements, but moving really isn't that expensive. The last time I moved we used PODS, if I recall correctly it cost something like $600 for the POD and they brought it right to our front door at our new place. The cost was less than the cost of a U-Haul plus gas and I only had to load/unload my stuff one time (big bonus). All the money spent moving is a tax write off, if you can itemize.

[smokeythebear06]

First of all, what part of the process are you having troubles with. If it's the written, then take some time and brush up on your basic reading, math skills. Lets face it, it's been a long time since most of us has done long division or multiplication and division of fractions by hand. If it's the physical, well then start hitting the gym. Always be thinking about how you present yourself during every phase of the process. Looking professional and a simple thank you sir, as you turn your written test in might be the difference between being called in for the oral or not.

I have been doing great on the written and physical tests. Its just after the conclusion of the testing they start reviewing the candidates that passed the tests, and I just don't seem to get picked. Other times I have applied I just ended up getting either a letter or e-mail saying, "Due to the high number of applicants we can only select a few candidates to continue with the process. We regret to inform you that you have not been selected to continue in the process..."

[Ispbear]

I have been doing great on the written and physical tests. Its just after the conclusion of the testing they start reviewing the candidates that passed the tests, and I just don't seem to get picked. Other times I have applied I just ended up getting either a letter or e-mail saying, "Due to the high number of applicants we can only select a few candidates to continue with the process. We regret to inform you that you have not been selected to continue in the process..."

It obvious then that other candidates are doing better on the written and physical portions of the test. Even thought you might be doing "great" others are doing better. Start working on basic skills and putting more time in on the pavement.

[mcsap]

I tested for 2 years and than got two offers the same day.

[smokeythebear06]

Thank you all for your taking your time to answer my question. It is encouraging to hear from people who have failed and kept trying and eventually succeeded. I do realize that people must be doing better on the testing, and I do need to make myself a more desirable candidate. I am very young(only 21). I have plenty of time to make myself a better candidate. I am not going to wait around for "somebody to give me a chance". I am going to earn it. Thank you all for your time.

[ChesCopPodz]

To be honest, it's not that you're not being selected, it IS that you're being DQ'd. maybe not for a huge thing, but something is making the departments disqualify (by the definition of the word) you. Find that thing and work on it. Maybe you do fine on the tests, but only having an associates is holding you back. Maybe if you did great on the tests, it could overcome having less education than other applicants. Maybe it's the other way around, that the AS isn't holding you back, but you don't score quite as well as another group of applicants. Depends on where you live, it's possible they give bonus points on the tests to military vets, and your scores aren't overcoming the bonus points.

With the number of applicants you say are testing along with you, you have to stand out. Find out what's making you not stand out, and fix it. Good luck and keep at it.

[mcsap]

The average age we hire is mid to late 20's. A 21 year old ( on average) doesn't have a lot of life experience and won't do well during the oral interview.

You need a few more birthdays IMHO.

[Switchback]

You also have to understand that there is a HUGE difference between being qualified for a job and being competitive for it. It is even harder to be competitive in today's economy. It's great you have a AS in LE and I assume that you have a clean background & you're in decent shape. What you need to understand is that you are competing with guys who have bachelors degrees, military experience and they are in exceptional shape.

So, what you need to do now is just keep your spirits up and plodding along in your life, continually taking opportunities to make yourself more marketable. You can do that with not only finishing up school and getting a bachelors, but also with a solid work-history. If you "give up" and start pursuing another career, you STILL may be making yourself more marketable for an LE job later. I came into LE from another field with a completely unrelated degree. It is not uncommon.

[Cat_Doc]

Keep on trucking, Smokey. As mentioned, this economy has put a major damper on hiring and any hiring at all is extremely competitive. Things may be looking up in the near future, just hang in there and don't give up. Besides that, each time you go through the process you learn a little more.