Got the long awaited call for Diplomatic Security Service - Special Agent.
It's been a ride and a process, stoked to have made it. Thanks to everyone who's shared / provided info along the way.
- Background - 29 y/o M - LE / Military / BS Degree
11 years Air Force (4 Active / 7+ Reserve) Nuke Missile Silo MX / Air Logistics. 1 Deployment / 1 Large Joint Overseas Exercise.
6+ years full time Law Enforcement (State / City). Current Narcotics Detective (1+ year). 4+ years as a Patrol Trooper - including 2 years as a Tactical Flight Officer / Rescue Specialist on Helicopter Unit, some Criminal Interdiction experience. 1 year as a City Cop. + Several years of prior non paid / volunteer experience with a couple of Sheriff's Offices (Explorer / Intern / Reserve Deputy).
Bachelors Degree in Business Admin. & CCAF AS Degree
Always was interested in Federal LE, after getting to do some overseas work in the military I decided to look into agencies with a large international presence. I never knew DSS existed until couple years ago. Learned about DSS on deployment / after getting invited to an Embassy in the ME. Began the process shortly after returning stateside, was torn between HSI / DSS.
I declined a FJO with HSI in September, was offered a shockingly good location (by luck), but declined due to perceived uncertainties with the expedited hiring surge / current climate.
- DSS Hiring Process
(I won't get into each stage / test / what they consist of since thats been covered plenty of times in other posts and can be found on the State Department's site)
The DSS Hiring Process for me felt long, but wasn't nearly as long as some people are currently experiencing. All in all I think I'm around 22 months in total (Application to EOD). I first applied around Sept 2024. Some applicants are experiencing a 3+ year process in total currently. Hopefully that may possibly improve soon, rumor has it DS is looking to hire a high volume of Agents over the next few years.
The frustrating thing with the DSS process is that the list of cleared candidates is "dynamic" based on scores. So once someone makes it through the whole hiring / clearance process they are added to the "Register", basically a list of qualified candidates waiting to get the official job offer to start training. Since the list is dynamic if someone is added to the list with a higher score than you, they will jump in front of you in line. (Keep in mind it may take 12-18 months just to make it through the application / testing / clearance process, at which point your added to the Register "wait list").
So if you were to make it through whole process with a 5.6 score, you'd cut in front of all the existing 5.3-5.5's, who have been already cleared (and may have been waiting on the list for over a year). However as you now wait to get the call / official job offer, anyone who joins the list after you with a higher score will bump you down the list, and cut in front of you. This becomes brutal because the longer you wait for an official offer, the more people jump the line in front of you as time goes on.
Some high score candidates may only end up waiting on the Register list for a few weeks before getting a final offer, as opposed to someone (with a lower score) who could be waiting cleared on the hiring list for 12-18+ months (on top of the 12-18 months it took them to get there). This is why it is crucial to study and prepare to get the highest score possible during the testing / BEX process. I got lucky on the timing and started the process right as the application window closed for about a year, so not many people were able to jump ahead of me after I was added to the list.
Expectations-
Be prepared to do all the medical portions on your own, seeking local providers, including an exercise stress test, which may be hard to final locally. You will utilize your own insurance, however can seek reimbursement for anything not covered / out of pocket deductibles. (Not like police agencies that coordinate / schedule / pay for everything for you).
Be prepared to potentially travel a bit for the hiring process at your own expense. I had drive a couple hours to the nearest testing center for the initial DSSAT Test, and I had to fly out of state (out of pocket) for the BEX Interview. Since I moved during the process I was able to PT Test in a local city. None of those costs will be reimbursed.
For military members - Standard DD-214 may or may not grant you veterans preference points. My initial active duty DD-214 did not meet the requirements, thankfully since I had a later deployment I was able to meet the requirements and checked the box. This was unexpected coming from the police hiring process, where many agencies grant a blanket set of Vet Points for anyone with any military service. A VA Rating may also grants additional points .
Best advice I would give for those interested is start preparing now. The BEX / Interview process is no joke, for sure the hardest interview process I've been through. Cookie cutter answers / lack of preparation won't cut it. In hindsight I'm shocked I passed (barely) with the amount of preparation I did. HSI and other LE interviews I had were much easier, far less in depth, formal and cumbersome.
Don't be worried about your background or lack of experience (Mil / LE) when applying. From what I've gathered and in my experience, you should go into the process with the mindset of applying as a Diplomat who is pragmatic, intellectual, and will represent the US professionally abroad, not necessarily someone who has super cool high-speed experience in XYZ. You really need to sell yourself, apply critical thinking, correlate real world experience to problem solving abilities. Don't just bank on a cushy resume and a fancy degree to give you the golden ticket.
There are many good resources out there to include the Cody Perron YouTube series, careers.state.gov site, DSS Podcasts, and there are some Facebook / WhatsApp groups for the DSS hiring process out there as well. I also suggest taking some time to do some research on the State Department / Foreign Service as a whole too before jumping in head first.
Bottom line - Just give it your best shot and live your life in the process, forget you applied until you get the next email requesting something new, don't focus on the timeline or you'll drive yourself insane. I think timing and luck plays a big factor.
I'm super grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity and can't wait to get started!(And yes to the guys in the WhatsApp group, you have already accounted for my invite, good luck, I hope you guys/gals get called soon!)