Yupa wrote:
Work experience? Mostly with writing/publishing so far and some community volunteer work. I currently don't have any law or law enforcement training experience, which I understand puts me at something of a disadvantage at the moment. However since I'm in college at the moment I've been considering taking a few law/pre-law or criminal justice classes to get my feet wet in the field. As far as interests go: psychology, critical reading, research and communication.
Your writing/publishing experience may help, depending on what kind of writing you do. Preparing investigative reports is very different from creative writing or journalism. Business or legal writing would be a closer fit. Your volunteer work may also be valuable, depending on the nature of the work and what your actual experience was.
Since you're in college I would definitely try and take some criminal justice classes, particularly in subjects such as report writing, investigations, evidence law, and legal process. It might be worth considering a major in criminal justice, particularly if internships with private investigation firms are an option. A public speaking class would probably be helpful since you may have to testify in court or during a deposition regarding your investigation. While not completely necessary, I would also recommend taking some kind of "Intro to Business" class and maybe a semester or two of accounting; being able to understand how businesses operate and being able to read financial statements can be helpful both in investigating corporate/financial matters and running a business, if that's what you want to do. Psychology is good in that understanding human behavior can be helpful in investigations; I would try and include a course in social psychology if that's available. If you think you might be working in a health care-related field, such as insurance fraud, taking a class on medical terminology and/or medical coding could be helpful.
Having said that, though, most private investigation firms aren't going to be looking at what kind of degree you have (or if you even have one). I have a music degree (and I don't work anywhere near the music business), so I'd say as long as it's something that interests you, that you do well in, and provides experience working with others, anything is fair game. There may be some exceptions, such as fraud investigations where they like to see some kind of business/accounting/finance background, but if I had to choose I would rather risk having a background that was too broad than one that was too specialized.
Research skills can be very important, depending on what type of investigations you do. Remember that a private investigator (or any kind of investigator) is first and foremost a fact-finder. The key is being able to document everything and prepare acceptable reports (I keep emphasizing report-writing skills because an investigator who can't prepare good investigative reports is essentially useless in my opinion, and those of several professionals).
Yupa wrote:
Ideally I'd like to handle criminal investigations and background checks as those are the aspects of the job that appeal most to me. That said I'd also like to be able to handle a variety of assignments both on behalf of individuals and organizations.
I'd hate to say it, but you probably won't be doing criminal investigations without some kind of law enforcement background, at least as a private investigator. It's certainly possible, particularly if you work for a private investigator or private investigation firm that works criminal cases, but in that case you're probably going to be working for the defense. If that's OK with you, then it might be something looking into.
There are other options for criminal investigations that aren't exactly law enforcement. Have you considered working as an investigator for a district attorney's office, or a state attorney general's office (or public defender on the defense side)? Also most states have a variety of regulatory agencies that use investigators, some of which may be considered peace officers and others which may just be civillian investigators. It's not private investigations, but the experience you'd get and the contacts you'd make could be valuable in the private sector.
Background investigations is an excellent way into the field, in addition to doing surveillance work. I can think of two national private investigation companies off the top of my head that either specialize in background investigations or have units that specialize in background investigations. Those are often entry-level positions that can lead to other types of investigative work. Also, the experience you gain as a background investigator (talking to people, finding and researching records, preparing reports, etc.) can be valuable in just about any other field of investigation.
I wanted to touch on the subject of versatility. You mentioned that you wanted to work a variety of case types. That would probably be more in the vein of the traditional "private eye," who is kind of a jack-of-all-trades within the investigation business. It may seem counterintuitive, but you may want to consider becoming a specialist in a particular field. Getting experience in a variety of case types is good because it exposes you to the various idiosyncracies of each case type while developing good core skills, but what I've seen so far leads me to believe that investigators who specialize in a certain type of investigation are more in-demand and may have a better time finding work. Even traditional "private eyes" will sub-contract specialists in their cases.
Yupa wrote:
Since you're pretty familiar with the business, what qualifications should I (ideally) have in order to begin an internship/apprenticeship with an investigator/investigative firm aside from my state's required intern license (CC class Private Investigator's license)?
I think taking a class or even conducting an informational interview can go a long way towards getting you started. The main thing you want to convey is that you're serious about pursuing a career as a private investigator, that it's not just some kind of whim or fad for you. There are a number of certifications available, but most of them are for experienced investigators. They can also be quite costly because you often have to pay for the certification, membership in a professional association, and meet continuing education requirements. At one point I was spending over $600/year to maintain various memberships/certifications; I've since pared that down. Do some research and see what's available that you qualify for, interests you, and fits your budget. Also check to see how respected the certification is within the industry.
Membership in a professional organization can also help. It can provide points of contact for you and can often direct you to training and/or job opportunities. Some of these organizations have membership categories for students or those with an interest in the field but don't currently work in it.
As an applicant for an entry-level investigation job, getting a certification,or just a certificate (there's a difference), shows a potential employer that 1) you have the skill set described in the certification/certificate and 2) you're serious about pursuing investigations as a career rather than just trying to get a job or doing something that seems cool.
You can also try offering to work for free and see if that gets you anywhere. I knew a private investigator who started out by typing up the reports for a private investigation company. By doing that he learned how to construct a good report as well as learning how the investigations were done. From there he started doing surveillance work for them and eventually ended up becoming a specialist in worker's compensation fraud investigations. This probably isn't typical, but it may be something worth trying.
Sorry for the rather lengthy post. I hope you found it coherent and at least somewhat useful.
08 Jun 2010, 7:22 pm
