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Main Page Psych Interview and Alcohol.
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Posted by: Soccer4822

I just completed my psych interview with a dept and the psychologist did not like how much I drank in college. I have just graduated in May, and I would go out on the weekends with my buddies on campus. Sometimes I would get drunk other times I wouldn't. But now that I have graduated I have only gone out two times. I don't drink like I have done in college, but the psychologist said how it didn't look good because I drank alot in college. Anybody have some insight? I have a meeting with the Chief coming up and I am going to explain myself to him.

Posted by: Channy1984

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soccer4822

I just completed my psych interview with a dept and the psychologist did not like how much I drank in college. I have just graduated in May, and I would go out on the weekends with my buddies on campus. Sometimes I would get drunk other times I wouldn't. But now that I have graduated I have only gone out two times. I don't drink like I have done in college, but the psychologist said how it didn't look good because I drank alot in college. Anybody have some insight? I have a meeting with the Chief coming up and I am going to explain myself to him.

The best thing to say is you drink casually and that there was a few times you had too much. I dont think you'll get screwed unless theres something more to what you said.

Posted by: Soccer4822

The psychologist did not recommend me to the department because of my alcohol consumption in college senior year. Even though when I graduated I stopped drinking. But the chief still wants to meet with me. My fate is in his hands. I wonder if he will still pass me and understand my circumstances.

Posted by: fjmas1976

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soccer4822

The psychologist did not recommend me to the department because of my alcohol consumption in college senior year. Even though when I graduated I stopped drinking. But the chief still wants to meet with me. My fate is in his hands. I wonder if he will still pass me and understand my circumstances.

A lot of towns won't hire you after the Psychologist puts the negative brand on you. It's a liability to the PD to go against what the psychologist recommends. However......I think psychologists are full of crap. Hopefully your chief will be willing to give you a shot.

Posted by: Soccer4822

I know the negative brand isn't good. But the chief could have easily said he didn't want me and not waste his time meeting with me. I think he wants to get the full story and actually see who I am, and not just see what the paper says. The psychologist completely blew me out of perspective.

Posted by: fjmas1976

Don't mean to rain on your parade.......but this happened to me once too. Different circumstances but same situation. The chief might want to meet with you to discuss your appeal process or explain your next course of action. REQUEST A SECOND EVALUATION FROM AN INDEPENDENT PSYCHOLOGIST THAT IS AGREEABLE TO YOU AND THE CHIEF

Posted by: Soccer4822

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjmas1976

Don't mean to rain on your parade.......but this happened to me once too. Different circumstances but same situation. The chief might want to meet with you to discuss your appeal process or explain your next course of action. REQUEST A SECOND EVALUATION FROM AN INDEPENDENT PSYCHOLOGIST THAT IS AGREEABLE TO YOU AND THE CHIEF

Well HR had called the Capt. and he said to keep me in the process. So now the chief wants to meet with me and determine if he wants me.

Posted by: PBC FL Cop

The Psych doctor needs to have a few beers and relax!!! They are usually earthy crunchy people with no idea about the real world. Hopefully the Chief isn't a recovering alcoholic and you can explain yourself as someone who had fun in college and who's alcohol use didn't cause you any trouble with the law or your family and you SHOULD be fine. Emphasize that it was college, not who you are today.

Good luck and remember, if you ever take a Psych exam again, they don't use a polygraph, so use your discretion when answering baited questions like alcohol consumption

Posted by: j809

Quote:

Good luck and remember, if you ever take a Psych exam again, they don't use a polygraph, so use your discretion when answering baited questions like alcohol consumption [img]images/smilies/eusa_liar.gif[/img]

Worst advise I ever heard of. If you LIE , you are done in this career. You tell the shrink something, a thorough background reveals something else, now you get disqualified for lying. Any other PD you apply for , asks on their applications if there is any other PD that did a background on you. Don't lie, because a good background investigator can pull up your BOP requests file and see what PD requested yoru BOP for employment purposes, even years down the road, then you lie again and are disqualified for life. Just be honest and that goes more than enything else in your career. Good luck with the interview.

Posted by: j809

Quote:

I don't drink like I have done in college, but the psychologist said how it didn't look good because I drank alot in college

On another note, if you were such a booze bag for years and graduated in May, it's a little hard to believe that your drinking problem is under control once you graduated from college. You don't just go cold turkey unless you entered an AA program.

Posted by: ROBOCOP1982

Soccer, having graduated from college in May myself, there are a few important things for you keep in mind
I was recently hired as a Permanent Intermittent, and at 22, I am more than thankful to be on a civil service department. Many candidates chock mistakes they made in college up to "youthful inexperience," or so a lot of them tell me. I imagine you are around my age. So remember, for people like us, any Youthful indiscretions are probably in the not so distant past...here are a few pointers.
1.Be completely honest, I can't stress that one enough! Background checks are intense (at least mine were) there is very little about you that they don't find out. You're better you telling them, than letting them find out on their own.
2.These department officials were not born yesterday, they know that guys/gals drink in college. However, if you expect to be a police officer at 22 or 23, you better be able to prove that you have a certain level of maturity that rises above the average college student. Rising to that level of maturity meant doing and not doing a lot of things...like a keg stand on the porch of the frat house...or the bar crawl (anyway you get the idea!)
I'm not trying to preach from on high, because everyone has had their indiscretions, myself included. I have, however, known what my career goals were for a long time and have lived accordingly....luckily it paid off. The department obviously has an interest in you, otherwise they would have just tossed you to the curb, so don't be that upset...but remember college wasn't that long ago!

Posted by: fjmas1976

Quote:

Originally Posted by j809

Drinking problem? What normal college aged person doesn't have a drink or two every now and then and possibly more every so often? That does not constitute a drinking problem (unless we're living in Mormon country..........)

Posted by: PBC FL Cop

Quote:

Originally Posted by j809

Worst advise I ever heard of. If you LIE , you are done in this career.

I don't remember using the word LIE, Mr. Mormon. I didn't realize using discretion meant lying.

Posted by: Deuce

Drank too much?? Is there such a thing? Hell you'd fit in with most of us just fine...

Posted by: kttref

Be honest, no matter what, that is important.

Departments know that college is a drinking stage of life for a lot of people. Let me give you an example of a kid I went to college with:

This kid was in a frat since Freshman year, never got caught drinking or anything that would put him into danger pursuing LE. Senior year he and his brothers threw a HUGE Halloween party. Cops showed up and arrested all the brothers and put over 450kids into PC. The dean of the school had to come and bail everyone out. A week later he had a polygraph for CSP, he failed. But 1.5 years later he was hired by a local city.

Put time between you and your drinking and you'll get hired. The case I just spoke of is extreme, and honestly I don't know how he got the job, but he did...and you will too.

Remember, be honest and give it time. You'll be fine.

Posted by: lowellaux1

Hi,

I work p/t right now in LE and used to work fulltime in LE. Currently, I am in the final phases of getting licensed as a school psychologist. As far as the psych's reccomendation about your alcohol consumpstion, during a pyschological interview, they look for a few things. One would be impulsivity, preponderance to take risks, addictive personality types and oppositional personality traits. Sometimes the most beningnly seeming phrases sound malignant when an evaluator is specifically looking for deviatnt traits. I need to be blunt now. There is very little black magic that occurs in this interview. Any inferance a psychologist may make comes from your own disclosure and admission. If you had to do this over again, I would really think long and hard about how you MAY come across to people when talking about alcohol consumption. I would by no means encourage any person to be dishonest about their lifestyle during any LE employment assessment, but would remind any candidate that 80% of how you are perceived is based on what/how you say. Live and Learn. Good Luck! Others who are currently employed have made the same mistakes.

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