Personal life prevent deputy assignment?

[pac]

I'm currently going through the application process for a deputy postion; I'm very excited about the possibility and very much want the job. However, my personal life recently went into a tailspin. Among other things (dad's getting scammed by a con man, mom's got cancer again, my curent job's unsecure, my realationship with my daughters bad...), I'm separated from my wife and we're both in individual counseling. In the last year we had some problems and I had a nervous breakdown. When I was filling out paperwork I didn't want to hide anything, it's the way I am and they said they can get over a lot if you're upfront. I said I had to "seek immediate medical attention", had been sexually abused but recovered, and "my wife and I have had problems but are reconciling". If I wasn't so close to divorce and had so many things going on I wouldn't worry. Will it affect my consideration? How much and what can I do in response? It's something I'd really like to do and I don't want to lose this opportunity as well as everything else in my life. I'm afraid they'll look at all this and think if I'm not already too emotionally unhealthy I soon will be. Please give me some advice.

[Bodie]

I don't think you have much of a chance.
Sorry but you seem too mentally unsuitable for law enforcement and a pysch screening will rule you out.

[L-1]

Pay no attention to Bodie. He's our resident Scrooge and tells everyone they don't have a chance.

The fact that your dad is being swindled, your mother has cancer, your daughter is ****ed at you and you are facing divorce has no bearing on your qualifications to be an officer. If your current job is not secure because your work performance is unsatisfactory then this can pose a problem. But, if it's due to a lack of business or other things beyond your control, it shouldn't be an issue.

Now, the fact that you have had emotional problems in the past is going to be a big red flag. However, whether this will disqualify you depends on how much you have recovered, what the likelihood is of recurrence and what the standards are for the agency you are trying to work for. If you make it past the written, oral and physical agility exams, you will go on to the background and medical. As part of the medical you will be given a written psychological exam and most likely will be seen by a shrink. It is this trained medical profession who will determine your emotional suitability and not a background investigator who lacks expertise in this area.

How well you do here depends on how you answer the questions on the written psych exam and how you present yourself when you meet the shrink. Projecting a positive, confident persona will gain you a lot more points than if you come off like you are still overwhelmed by life's problems.

Best of luck.

[pac]

Thanks guys, even Bodie. I appreciate honesty myself, even if it's not what I want to hear. Let's say that it does have enough effect that they say "no", would this mean permanently? I'm also concerned for myself. I know that I'm different than I was, say, three or four months ago, but I really think it's temporary. It could show up at the inteview with the shrink, but in my heart I believe that by the time training starts I'd have re-established some stability for myself (training shouldn't be for maybe two more months and I'm determined about improving things for myself). I guess two options are: A. voluntairliy withdraw so any personal fallout wouldn't be affecting somone who has/will soon have a badge and a gun. Which might be a good sign in regards to honesty and similar traits, as well as just a practical idea so I'm at the top of my academic game in class if I ever do make it; or B: go for it and hope for the best because these chances don't come along every day. You know, it doesn't help being told charges could be brought against me for misrepresentation. More advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[L-1]

The wording of your last two posts (the self depreciating language and tone) suggests you are very unsure of yourself. If you present yourself in this way to an oral panel or the shrink, it's going to raise a lot of red flags and I suspect you won't get any further in the testing process. (Remember what I said about projecting a positive, confident persona?)

So, you need to make a decision - whether to continue or to drop out. Here are some things to think about.

If you feel you are not ready then by all means, drop out now. You won't get any brownie points with the hiring agency if you tell them you are quitting because you are unsure of your emotional stability. If anything, it may flag you for additional scrutiny if you re-apply later on. Simply tell them you are experiencing a number of family and personal problems that make it difficult for you to continue, but that you may try again later.

OTOH, If you decide to go ahead, the psych test will determine if you are ready or not. If you fail, you won't be allowed to proceed any further in the hiring process so you won't be cheating another qualified applicant out of a job. Failing the psych doesn't preclude you from testing again with that or any other agency. Many agencies use different shrinks and have different tests and different standards. In addition, as time goes by mental states can change in either direction. As a result, I have seen people fail the psych at one agency, only to pass it at the next and vice versa.

If you pass, you need to remember that the screening process (especially the background and the medical) is very costly and time consuming for the hiring agency. It is not considered acceptable for you to go through the entire process only to drop out just before going to the academy because you are still unsure of yourself. If you continue in the testing process, it must be with the understanding that you will take the job if it is offered to you. Otherwise, you should drop out now until you feel ready.

[pac]

Yeah, I understand all that. It's not that I don't have much confidence, I really do belive that I'll be fine by the time that training classes start and I wouldn't be awful even if I went in today. I just don't want to ignore that small chance of not passing. I'm not getting my hopes up anyway, from what I've heard theres around 400 applicants, the open positions I've heard from 5 to 10. And you're right it is costly just to look for people so I wouldn't drop at the last second. If you don't think telling them about what's going on would be too detrimental than I guess I'll fill them in and stay with it. Thanks, I appreciate it.