Passed Poly. Want more eggs in different baskets. Will that crack the Golden Egg?

[John Solo]

I see my mixed metaphor was effective in getting you here

Sorry if its a bookish, I felt had to get a lot of info in here to answer effectively and this way anyone who gets through it doesn't have questions at the end. But if you are short on time, I've bolded the nitty gritty down below.


background:
--Back in High School FLE became the career path I wanted, looking for 1811 one day, need experience to get there. 23 yr old 5/2011 college grad, Bachelor's in History.
--Since then: Living with parents, currently employed in an accounting department working 39 hrs/wk, will have to let me go after 1000 hours this fiscal year.
--Applied online July 2010 for a DHS agency for their equivilent of a police force (don't know if I should say exact agency, lol), got COE in Feb., passed Panel interview in April.

I was told to expect a poly call in July, got in in late October. In the panel/poly call time span I declined a COE from BP in July and -mildly concerned by Sept.- did some poking around on USAjobs to find similar offerings ). I was ready to put some of my "eggs in other baskets" and click "apply" when I was contacted for Poly.

Passed the Poly this Week:
It took almost the max of the 3-6 hours they said to prepare for. In a month I should know if second polygrapher reviewing my results requests another poly or I can progress to medical, and was told to call if I hadn't heard anything by then.

More than any other point in the Application/COE Hiring process, the possibility of not getting into FLETC for this "golden egg" job (It seems darn near perfect for me and my career goals) hit me. I didn't feel like I performed very well like all the previous steps, almost just the opposite in fact.

Side-Note:
By having a revelation this late I do not mean to sound ignorant: I never underestimate the caliber of the other applicants, difficultly of the job, etc. -- I just have a healthy confidence in myself as a person/applicant and in how well I felt the process was going.

As much as I want the "Golden Egg," I certainly don't want to start the year-plus process over from scratch.

The Actual questions:

1. Via USAJobs, I want to apply to FBI Police, Nat. Geospatial-Intel. Police, USCP, so far, and some analyst positions as well, is this ethical to do so?

2. Do I need to tell the agency I have the COE from that I've applied online for other positions or only if I hear back/get COE offers from the newly applied to agencies?

2b. If so, do I need to call them right away or will the next scheduled hiring interaction be fine?


Thank you in advance for the input everyone. I have been reading a lot of threads since February before signing up over the Summer. I have found many revelant to me, I hope this one may be to other newbies as well.

[charlydevo]

So you're in the process with the Border Patrol and you've applied or a bunch of other jobs. O.K. Sounds good. You might not get hired by the Border Patrol, but you're still going to need a job.

[Kimble]

1. Via USAJobs, I want to apply to FBI Police, Nat. Geospatial-Intel. Police, USCP, so far, and some analyst positions as well, is this ethical to do so?

There is nothing unethical about applying to more than one job.

2. Do I need to tell the agency I have the COE from that I've applied online for other positions or only if I hear back/get COE offers from the newly applied to agencies?

For federal jobs, a conditional offer of employment is usually nothing more than a confirmation that your application has been received and you meet the minimum qualifications. It's not a job offer, not even close. If you notify Agency A that you have a COE from Agency B, they're probably going to react with something similar to, "Okay... " If you're asked if you've applied anywhere else, be specific about where you've applied. If you're never asked, it's probably not important to them. Let the agency dictate what they need you to inform them about, minor things like a COE from another agency or having applied elsewhere are usually a given (i.e. there's a lot of applicants out there for a handful of jobs), and they probably could care less.

2b. If so, do I need to call them right away or will the next scheduled hiring interaction be fine?

Technically you need to have a question "2a" before a "2b," but I'll let you slide this once. See above for the answer to this question.

[John Solo]

Thank you for the replies gentlemen.

Charlydevo - USSS UD was the main agency I was referring to (BP also gave a COE that I had declined). Not sure why I hesitated to mention UD specifically, perhaps that 5+ hour poly gave me an attack of paranoia

Kimble - Wonderful, I figured as much but needed some advice from those who have [successfully!] applied in the field. I obviously do not want to badger a potential employer like a Celebrity with a Twitter.

Ahh not cool I've known that since those 5 part essay questions back in grade school. Thanks for the mulligan

[BP348]

I'm a little confused, you did or did not take the polygraph exam for USBP? If not then why not? You wouldn't be the first person to join USBP with the goal of an 1811 job in the future.

[John Solo]

Hi BP348. No, I didn't the poly was for USSS UD. And I agree, I often read here/online that many come into FLE through BP, UD, or USCP looking to do just that!

I got a COE for a BPA position in July and within a week I called to respectfully decline. I was farther along with USSS UD (COE in Feb.) and have a personal and professional draw to the area and the mission of UD.

I envisioned myself in a BPA interview not as passionate about the position or confident in matching my skills/experience to their vital mission. BP told me my test score could be carried over if I reapplied (+the test didn't change), and I took a calculated risk that the need for BPAs won't subside in the near future. BPA is a solid option but I just didn't feel right going forward with it.