By: Anthony Orrico
The FBI held a hiring event in the Career Development Center on Tuesday to give students insight on the hiring process for a career with the bureau.
The FBI is currently accepting applications for their honors internship program for next summer in 2023. Applications are open through Sept. 18 and are only available to students who are not graduating in the spring of 2023.
Special Agent Evette Riverra said the “FBI hires from all professional industries,” and that the degree of the student applying is irrelevant to the hiring process.
“There are people in my role who were previously teaching, veterinarians, pharmacists, socials workers, and computer scientists,” Rivera said. “The truth is that there are certain skill sets we are looking for and they have nothing do with a degree or particular work experience.”
Riverra described the hiring process for an internship with the FBI as “rigorous.” Any position in the FBI requires top secret security clearance, with certain positions requiring a higher level of clearance than others.
“We will be looking at three overarching categories; financial suitability, criminal history, and your ability as an applicant to meet our drug policy,” Rivera said.
Financial suitability includes background checks on credit scores, history filing federal or state taxes, regular student loan payments and other specific financial information.
Automatic disqualifiers include records with at least one felony, the use of cannabis within the last year and the use of any other drug in the last 10 years. This includes the misuse of prescription medication.
Applicants must pass a drug test and fill out Standard Form 86, a questionnaire for national security positions about 136 pages long.
“Yes, this is an intrusive process no one really asks this much information but if you’re an intern or employee of the bureau you’re in a position of trust,” Rivera said.
Many of the students who attended the hiring event had a background in either criminal justice or the military or both.
“Ever since I was a kindergartener, I’ve always wanted to be a policewomen or part of law justice system, but FBI has always been the dream,” said Onora Hatchette, a criminology and criminal justice major.
Joseph Hassan, a marine corps veteran and criminal justice major, said joining the FBI had been a goal his since leaving the armed forces in 2020.
“When I was stationed in King Bay, Georgia, we did a training exercise with FBI SWAT and, because my specialty was CQB (Closed Quarters Battle), it really spoke to me to see them operate at such a high level,” Hassan said.
Students can visit the Career Development Center on campus for more information on a career in the FBI or visit FBIjobs.gov.