r/FBI

When I took my phase 1, I got my results immediately. How soon can I expect phase 2 results?

Hi everyone,

I recently received an interview request for the FBI Investigative Specialist position under the CIRG/SSG program. I understand this role involves physical surveillance, irregular hours, travel, long periods in a vehicle, documentation, communication, and supporting sensitive investigations, which is fine with me.

My background is more on the federal finance/regulatory/compliance/risk side, with experience in documentation, analytical review, and working in high-accountability environments. I’m trying to prepare as seriously as possible and would really appreciate any general advice from people familiar with the process or role.

I’m especially wondering:

• What should candidates understand about the day-to-day reality of the role?
• What qualities do interviewers usually look for?
• How can someone without prior law enforcement/surveillance experience best frame transferable skills?
• Any tips for answering behavioral/structured interview questions?
• Anything candidates commonly underestimate about the position?

Not asking for anything confidential or internal — just general preparation advice and realistic expectations. Thank you!

I’m in the early stages of the hiring process now and I’m aware that towards the end of the process you get to make a “dream sheet” of where you’d like to go. I’m from VA, but would like to go to the Philly office. Does anyone with experience know how likely it is I’d get that assignment? I’m really trying to stay on the East coast and Philly is the ideal spot for me.

I have had alternate Reddit accounts in the past which were created using temp emails which I used to discuss unscrupulous things with others, and am worried they may come back to haunt me. All of them again are long deleted and used temporary generated emails so I have no clue if they'd be able to dig them up or have any reason too, but I'm just paranoid now.

I’m looking for advice on the FBI Special Agent age requirement and whether there are any realistic waiver pathways for someone with a healthcare/scientific background.

I’m currently 37, so I understand I’m over the standard age requirement for FBI Special Agent applicants. I’ve read that age waivers may exist for certain military or federal law enforcement backgrounds, but I do not have either of those backgrounds.

That said, I’m very interested in the Special Agent: Healthcare Services/Medical Background pathway. I hold a BS, MS, PhD, and postdoc experience and my background is primarily in clinical/bio-medical research. I’m trying to figure out whether there is any possibility of an age waiver based on education, healthcare experience, or specialized scientific expertise.

I’ve emailed the general recruitment addresses, but so far I’ve only received generic FAQ-style responses. Does anyone know who would be best to contact for a more definitive answer, or is this likely a dead end because of the age requirement?

Any insight would be appreciated, especially from current/former agents, applicants, recruiters, or anyone familiar with the waiver process. TIA!

I have a degree and am looking to start a career in the federal government in the TSA. Will this job count as specialized experience that will give me an advantage to join the FBI down the line?

I read another post about the ongoing drama that is the Epstein files, and a thought occurred to me.

We can probably safely say that Trump does not want them to be published, and we can also say that the current FBI admistration is perfectly happy to oblige him.

So the question is: Do they even still exist? Or exist in their entirety? Is there some kind of mechanism that protects case files and the according evidence from tampering or outright destruction? And does it hold against individuals and even a whole administration with a willful disregard for laws and regulations?

Hello,

Wondering if anyone can give me tips about making a FOIA request for my grandpa’s case files during his time as a G-Man.

He never really talked to anyone about his work, but he wrote a brief autobiography and outlined a few career moments that were interesting to him. Turns out he was in the right place during a lot of important historical events (Cuban missile crisis, wounded knee, etc). It’d be fun to figure out which cases he worked on, who he interviewed, and what he thought about his cases.

His career started in 1960 and ended sometime in the mid-80s, so I’m hoping that I can get files that aren’t totally redacted.

If there are any SAs here who have requested their files, or people who have requested files of their friends/relatives, I’d love to hear any tips and tricks for getting the best response from the archivists.

How do i go about reporting concerning material i found in my daughter’s iPad i believe she may be a victim? I’m on the FBI website but can’t locate the tab specifically for reporting this information

Hello. I’m a full distance learner who’s majoring in criminal justice. I’m interested in an internship with the Federal Government. I’m a U.S. citizen.

I’m 22. I’m about to start my sophomore year. I have a GPA of 3.6.

Would it be feasible for me to obtain an internship at the San Antonio field office?

hello! i got accepeted to the internsip, but not to the division i interviwed for/not one i even had on my ranking? i am very greatful but the one i was selected for is a completely different field of study than the one i had ranked first/ intervieed for. has this ever happend to anybody? should i reach out and ask if it was a mistake or was i probably just assigend to something else.

I am a 20m and I am separating from the Air Force soon. I have 2 years of college done (Associates; general education credits) that I completed whilst in high school. I have been active duty Air Force for 3 years, and will do 2 more years in the reserve. I am in the intelligence career field and I am going back to college full time in August.

I was wondering what I should major in to give me the best chance of being a special agent. I read that majority of special agents have a criminal justice degree so that is currently my major, but I was recently told by someone I work with (smart and trustworthy guy but is not associated with the FBI at all) that they are really looking for people with STEM degrees and to “separate myself from the others”. He also said that if they were gonna take someone with a criminal justice degree they would take a street cop who has experience. So I was wondering if it is smarter to just do a STEM degree or stick with criminal justice and get my masters, then go be a cop for a few years. I have had my clearance requirements met and hold a clearance at the moment so I’m not worried about qualifying for that in the future. Additionally there is a 2 year professional work requirement and I’m guessing my time in the Air Force won’t count for since it’s pre graduation and not criminal justice related.

From what I understand it is quite difficult to get into and I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket with this, but I would like to give myself the best shot possible.

How long after the interview for OCT/OST needs to pass for it to be clear you did not get the role? Do they send rejection emails if you didn’t? Is this a situation where “no news is good news” if you haven’t gotten a yes or a no?

I would like to receive some advice about how I should structure my career and future to have the best possible chance of being selected as a federal agent.

My main goal is to work for either the FBI or HSI. I am particularly interested in the investigative aspect and the mission of both agencies. I have ethical hacking/penetration testing experience (as a hobbyist), and I think I would be a good fit for either agency as an investigator. I am also relatively fit (running/lifting weights 4x a week), and I am confident I would pass the requisite physical tests. I also have a clean background (no arrests, minimal debt, etc.). I do have a few foreign contacts due to my work as a researcher/PhD student, but that is really the main thing I think could be an issue (not romantic or financial relationships, professional only).

Here is my background:

25-year-old male

Education:
Master's in CS (Should finish in a few months)
Master's in Chemistry (Should finish next May/June)

Bachelor's in Chemistry, 3.78 GPA
Bachelor's in CS
Bachelor's in Foreign Languages (German), 3.78 GPA

Security+ CE
CySA+ (In progress)

Experience:

PhD student (Full-time researcher in an organic synthesis lab/teaching assistant) (1 year in progress)
Chemist (Full-time, 8 months; part-time, 1 year)
Bartender (4 years part-time)

Here are my main questions:

1. Do you think I would be a reasonably competitive applicant for HSI, either for their GS-7 or GS-9 posting? I wanted to apply to the open GS-9 position, but I do not have the qualifying experience or the finished master's degree yet.
2. Do you think I should consider joining the military to bolster my odds of being selected? If so, I would probably join as an officer and do everything in my power to get an intelligence/cyber role. I am open to going down this route, but if I already have a decent chance of being selected, I would like to try that first and see if the opportunity would be available to me.
3. For the FBI specifically, I am assuming they would not count my experience as a full-time research assistant/PhD student as professional experience. To be clear, it is essentially a full-time job where I work in a lab and teach laboratory classes, but I understand that it is probably not what they are looking for.
4. What other opportunities should I consider to increase my odds of being selected if I choose not to go into the military?

Thank you any advice you may be able to give me. I sincerely appreciate it.