Fema Employment
How thorough are entry-level federal government employee background checks?
When I was 19 years old, I got into an alcohol-related fight at my college. As a result of this incident, I was arrested, fingerprinted, spent a night in jail, and charged with "minor in possession" and "assault and battery" (a felony). When I went to court, the charges were suspended, so they would be dismissed as long as I didn't get into any further trouble, which fortunately I didn't. Now, six years later, I've finished my education and am considering applying for entry-level government jobs as an economic analyst in Washington, D.C. Although my state and federal criminal records are clear, I'm still concerned that my youthful indiscretion will show up when I apply for government jobs, since I was fingerprinted and arrested (the police report never goes away). I think this would pose no problem for jobs in the private-sector, since my criminal records are clear. But are government background checks more thorough, and so it might pose more of a problem? Thanks!
Public Comments
- It depends on the level of security clearance that is needed. Generally, it would simply be a check against the national criminal database and/or a credit check.
- My husband works for the government they are very though. Good Luck..
- what you need to do is be very honest... explain it. don't try to hide it. you hide it, you lose any chance you had. I had a dui on my background a year old and i just started working for the feds... they just want to know if your a security threat and your level of trust.
- Many of my sister's friends work for the government, and she's been interviewed several times because her friends were trying to get jobs. She said to just be COMPLETELY HONEST. A lot of the times, they interview you simply to try to catch you in a lie. They'll ask the same question different ways, etc. So just be honest and my sister also said that a lot of her friends did a lot worse in their past than you did. They just want to know that you can be trusted. I hope to work for the government when I get out of law school, so I know the anxiety you're feeling lol. Good luck and don't stress it.
