Them telling you “you failed” is meaningless. Been told that, cleared. Been told “your numbers look great, not calling you back.” Boom, called back.
I had my polygraph with a three letter federal agency. Did my poly and the examiner had to ask me some clarifying questions because I showed I was hiding something. I clarified my response and showed improvement. We finished and he said my results looked fine and he would send it up to the panel for review and I should be good to go from his experience my results looked passing. I got my fingerprints and was expecting the background investigation to start shortly. I received an email today saying after review of my application I wouldn’t be considered. Turns out after calling some people I didn’t pass my polygraph? I wasn’t lying and don’t have much of a history of anything. Very discouraged because I can’t take it again or reapply. I hope it isn’t like this for another federal agency if I make it to another poly. I’ve been a police officer for 8 years trying to make the jump to special agent. 31 years old.
Third Update: Took it a third time and failed it again. Exact same as the last time. Think I’m gonna start looking for employment elsewhere. Just feeling annoyed because I really don’t have anything I’m withholding. If they really believed I was lying about my illegal drug use so much, wouldn’t they just drug test me?
Sorry to hear that, did they say anything about taking a 4th?
What do you mean you “failed.” Don’t believe anything the polygrapher tells you. They are liars who are paid to lie to your face for a living. If you really “failed,” you would have received official notification that your application is being discontinued and you would not have been invited back.
The reason you have had three sessions is because you are being interrogated over certain areas the government finds concerning, such as lifestyle and counterintelligence. The government cannot cram all of that into a 1-hour session, so they break it up over a number of sessions and they interrogate you in areas of concern. You have already been told twice that you “failed.” If you really failed, you would not have been brought back two more times. Again, they are just trying to get to you confess to something that a background check would not be able to reveal.
My advice for you moving forward is to not give up just yet. If you do not hear anything in the next few weeks, you can assume that your case is moving along in the process. Your recruiter would be the best point of contact to know where in the process your application is. They will be able to tell if and when your application is in adjudication, which is the final step in the process.
1 Like
The irony of the polys is the polygrapher tries to determine if you’re lying by lying themselves! I would not make any decisions based on what the polygrapher says.
Thank you for the advice. To clarify, they just said I wasn’t able to “successfully resolve” my polygraph. Thats what I’ve been told every time. I’ll definitely go back and take it again if they let me.
Yeah, seems they don’t like to say “fail” but something like “inconclusive” or the phrase you heard.
So, is it common practice for a polygraph examiner to give you a “failed” result and you still continue with the process? I am thinking of applying to a airline company and they want you to be able to go for TS and full scope poly. I am a very nervous person, like I am super jittery. Any thought of taking a poly freaks me out. But, if the machines misreads that for lying do I still have a shot with the job?
I’ve heard many stories of people more or less being accused of being a drug-dealing child molesting terrorist on their first try, and then passing with no issues on a subsequent try. So yes, you can “fail” (or whatever term they use) and still continue.
2 Likes
From what I understand, it is a game really. Stressful situations cause people to look back and think about everything. Just keep your story consistent and be honest. If you have something REALLY bad in the past that you are trying to hide then this isn’t the career field for you. But if you smoked pot or stole something as a teenager then just be honest.
Spot on. Been told I lit up like a Christmas tree. Not called back, told exactly what you were told “looks really good,” got called back. Ive seen most take 2, a good meadure take 3. And a handful take 4. Remain consistent. Maintain same answers. Sometimes an adjudicator calls to clarify a question…boom all done. Vanilla nailed it. They lie through their teeth.
Interesting you say that after claiming you with your degree in criminal justice knows more about the law than lawyers or police. What’s your license in?
Lol, reading comprehension must be a struggle for you. I never claimed to have more knowledge of the law than a lawyer, I also did not claim to have more knowledge than a police officer although since many officers have an Associate degree in Criminal Justice and I have a Masters, you can draw your own conclusion. What I DID say (on the other post you’re referring to) is I have “probably” had more law classes than the person I was responding to (who never claimed to be an officer or a lawyer). To claim that every person with a CJ degree couldn’t make it as a cop or lawyer is a very ignorant statement that does nothing but prove that you have no idea what professions and positions are available in the CJ field. I have the upmost respect for police officers as a profession, it is very dangerous and puts a lot of strain on the officer and their family. I don’t envy the position though and I have never wanted to be a police officer. I have a flexible schedule, full benefits, all holidays off, I am home with my family everyday, and I don’t have to work overnights; so tell me again why I would envy a police officer position? Concerning your statement every background investigator “failed to make it as a government employee and a cleared professional” again this just shows your ignorance. Background investigators ARE cleared professionals. We have to get a positive adjudication on a T5 investigation the same as all the Subjects we interview for T5 investigations. We have the same reporting requirements and can be debarred just like all other cleared professionals. With every comment you make you are embarrassing yourself more and more. You should probably stop commenting on topics you are completely clueless about.
Sounds like you’re projecting.
Update 4: Took it for the fourth time, made some progress! I passed the Counterintelligence section, but couldn’t resolve the Background and Personal Conduct sections. Answered everything the same as last time. Already confirmed to take it again. While I’m a little disappointed I didn’t fully pass it, I’m relieved to finally make some progress after 3 unsuccessful sessions.
2 Likes
Nice one! Just keep chipping away at it.
1 Like