r/1811Jobs

Like the title says, I’m currently an SRT operator for the Department of Energy and have been looking at switching careers, due to my wife and I hating living in the middle of nowhere, lack of retirement benefits (we’re technically federal contractors with arrest authority, not actual LE), poor management, and lack of job satisfaction since people aren’t exactly stealing nukes every day. Having already done the “shoothouse team guy tacticool” stuff for the last several years, a change in job scope to be an actual investigator and work real cases seems like an awesome career to me, so I was wondering if you guys had any input.

Has anyone heard of any DOE guys going the 1811 route? Or have any advice on how to become a more competitive applicant? I’m 30, finish my bachelors this winter, am a former Marine infantryman, and also have some EMT experience. So far I’ve applied to DEA and ATF, and intend to apply to just about everything else once my degree is finished. Also have applied to CBP and Border Patrol, and have considered applying to local law, and was wondering if anyone had input on pursuing those careers over the 1811 route.

EDIT: Also, does anyone have any info on other SRT/SWAT teams doing taking any real preference to other agencies certifications, like mine? I’d fully expect to try out and go through the pipeline and everything like anyone else, but am curious to if my current certs actually really count towards anything or not.

I know I’m kind of all over the place, since I don’t want to limit my options, so any input is welcome. Thanks!

I applied for IA position August 2024. I passed poly and started my background in April 2025. It is now August 2026. I have gotten calls here and there from the same investigator to confirm employment and they’ve contacted individuals I know and have gone to previous employers to speak with them. That investigator told me that they sent everything to HQ. And then last call I got was 1 week ago from a new investigator asking for my current employment’s HR department contact information to send them a “release.” When I asked what this all meant and where I’m at in the process, the contractor had no answers for me. Does this sound pretty standard?

I’m 19, from FL getting my CJBAT (Basic abilities test) done tomorrow. I want to work in local corrections, move to the BOP and apply to a job where I would be under the 1811 designation, what would be my best bet and easiest process to do this, what agencies should I look into and apply for while I’m in the BOP?

7 years military LE, disabled veteran, ~2 years municipal LE experience, bachelors degree in IT management. I tailor my resume for each application I submit (not lying, just fitting in different experience for different agencies: highlighting narcotics/firearms cases I’ve had for ATF/warrants and security missions I’ve worked for USMS, etc).

I usually qualify for GS7/9 depending on the agencies I apply for, but have never made it a single step beyond referral to the hiring manager.

I know failing at that step usually means that either I am not as competitive as I thought I was, or my package doesn’t capture my experience sufficiently, but realistically I don’t have relevant experience beyond the investigative work I’ve already done. I speed ran my BA and am looking to hopefully complete my MA in ~6 months depending on my hustle (I am also working the road), but realistically that may only qualify me for GS9 just to be under qualified for that pool too, lol.

So how do I make myself more competitive without actual investigation experience? My agency is smaller and is not opening up its investigator spot for another year and when they do they will expect a few years out of me (I’m 33 and don’t have that time).

Hey guys,

Ex LEO

Trying to get into federal law enforcement

Was wondering how internal transfers work. I heard they were quicker and you get a slight advantage.

Say if i applied and started a federal civilian job in my area. How long would i have to work that job before i could apply for an internal transfer for a FED LEO position.

Im already applied to a few FED LEO jobs and been referred. But it’s been crickets since.

Hello, I’m a college graduate with no reliving LE experience. I attended a job fair yesterday and spoke with Secret Service Agent who told me that the secret service has a STAR program for aspiring 1811’s with no experience. She also mentioned that if I did not want to go through STAR because of the limited locations, I could apply straight up as one of her colleagues that was also at the job fair had been hired as an 1811 with no experience. Has anyone gone through this process or can verify that it does happen and if so is it often? I went and applied and received a confidential offer this morning but still am not too sure if they’ll consider me.

Edit: Apologies, the email didn’t state conditional offer explicitly but instead this

“This is a record of the results of your application for the position of Special Agent - HAZARDOUS AGENT MITIGATION & MEDICAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (HAMMER) with Special Operations Division for announcement number SAB-26-Q3-HAM.

Eligible for the following position or positions:
GL-1811-7; We reviewed your application and found you eligible for this series/grade combination.”

Would this be considered the same as a conditional offer.

Hello,

I’ve been looking into the federal side of law enforcement, especially the Secret Service, which I’ve been interested in for a while.
I was recently dismissed from a police academy after failing EVOC. Since then, I’ve been working on improving myself and gaining more experience. I’ve talked to officers from different departments, and they’ve recommended that I look into federal law enforcement because I speak two languages, Farsi and Russian.

Since leaving the academy, I’ve taken civilian EVOC courses and several firearms training courses. I also got a security job at a casino, where I’ve gained experience dealing with angry drunk people, drugs, and different situations with the public.

The casino also offers training in handcuffing and beating de-escalation.
I’m also taking college classes and working toward my bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity and currently have my associates in Criminal justice.

I’m trying to keep improving myself and build more experience after what happened at the academy before getting into the process again. I was one of the younger recruits in the class, I was 22 years old and I was always getting targeted unfortunately and made a lot of mistakes during the academy, so I’m taking all the mistakes I’ve made to better improve myself and get more experience. (23 now) looking to apply in a year or two

I appreciate any advice on what I can do to become a stronger candidate for the Secret Service and how I can excel forward onto bettering myself.

Took my poly and the agent mentioned that I didn’t pass or fail and I’ll likely come back again for a second test. Is this normal? I wasn’t grilled about any questions or anything. The agent just told me that she can tell I’m so nervous. I definitely am nervous because I’ve always wanted this job. Do people usually get results right away? Is there anyone that had similar experience and passed? Any advice would be appreciated!!

I applied for the DEA back in 2023 after I got out of the Army and failed my poly because I received a “Significant Response”. Been a local cop for 3ish years now and applied again for the July Announcement.

The recruiter told me that the polygraph unit could deny me even the chance to take the polygraph again based on my last failed polygraph. Kinda confusing to me cause I figured once you wait the three and if you make it all the way back to the polygraph, why wouldn’t they just let you retake the poly?

I’m still taking my chance and rolling the dice. Anyone have any experience getting denied a second chance at a poly?

I’m currently 25 and working toward a bachelor’s degree in Project Management. I’m also planning to have minors in Business and Global Studies. I should graduate around early 2028, and I’m trying to figure out what I can do between now and graduation to make myself a stronger candidate for an 1811 position.
My current professional background is in construction. I work as a construction superintendent and have experience managing projects, coordinating subcontractors, working with owners/architects/engineers, handling documentation, resolving problems in the field, enforcing safety and project requirements, and being responsible for day-to-day project operations.
A few questions for people familiar with 1811 hiring:
● Would construction superintendent experience be considered relevant professional work experience for an 1811 application, even though it isn’t law enforcement or investigative work?
● Does professional experience need to be obtained after completing a bachelor’s degree, or can experience gained while attending college still count?
● Is a bachelor’s in Project Management with Business and Global Studies minors a reasonable educational background for 1811 positions?
● What agencies would you recommend I focus on with this background? I’m currently looking at HSI, DEA, FBI, USMS, DSS, and similar federal investigative positions.
● Between now and graduation, what could I realistically do to make myself more competitive? Internships, languages, certifications, federal employment, particular types of work experience, etc.?
● Would it be worthwhile to start applying for federal positions before I graduate as a way to get my foot in the door?
I’m not expecting my degree or construction experience to guarantee anything. I’m mainly trying to figure out how to use the next year and a half effectively instead of graduating and only then starting to prepare.
I’d appreciate any advice from current/former 1811s or people who have been through the hiring process.

Anyone interview the last week of July with ATF, that doesn’t know their results? I’ve texted recruiter but no luck.

For the DEA, how long after completion of medical before you got to schedule and complete poly? (I applied in March)

I received the application received email on July 30th saying to look out for the PTA and written assessments invite links. It has been over 7 days and I still haven't received an email to schedule them.

Has anyone else received it yet?

UPDATE: I emailed them and they responded back that they are sending the invites out in batches over the next five weeks.

Thanks!