I’m currently interviewing with each of the NBIB contractors in Boston area. I’ve had a video interview with each and I believe that it’s likely that I will get more than one offer.
I was hoping that someone with more experience could give me some insight on which company provides the best career outlook.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and I hope to pay it forward at some point.
@srithikdatta just go with your gut, pick one and begin your career. Everyone on this board has their own opinions which are based off of their own individual experiences. The job is what you make it. I glanced at these boards before starting my career to get a feel for what the general opinion of the job was but in my opinion, at the time, there was more griping than anything. But then again, as an investigator, you don’t have anyone to grip to. Anyway, it’s the best job i’ve ever had. I would say connect with investigators on linked in who work for the four contractors. Alot of the younger investigators seem to be jumping around between the four.
I think you first have to decide if this is something you want to do. After doing the job, you’ll find out that you may not share share some the the same opinions or complaints about the job as some other people. I’ve only worked for one contractor and i’m waiting on final selections for an interview I had with OPM for an investigator position that opened up in my area. You have to remember regardless of who you go with, it’s the same job. But I will say your Team Lead (supervisor) or whatever they may be called will set the environment.
Cannot nailed it. 4 out of 5 dentists agree…what if you are dentist 5? It doesn’t matter 4 other guys gripe. If you are okay with the situation…cool. We used to send people off the clock if I had no work for one of my departments, of course folks griped if they lost hours. I fought hard to get them 40 hours, now they sit idly by on standby. Griping. Because they are bored…and how wrong it is to sit there…getting paid. Trust me no matter how good it is, people gripe. When its bad, they gripe, when its good they gripe. Human condition I suppose.
Before I became I fed I worked for CACI it was a good company in my opinion. I liked my section lead, he was the best manager I’d ever had until I started at OPM. CACI had decent benefits but CSRA had great benefits and better pay (I was offered a job but turned it down to go fed). I know for sure at CACI you can really have work/life balance because the production requirements a super low. I never felt pressured to level up and produce more work. However, the pay leaves a lot to be desired but CACI can get away with it because they seem to be considerate of their investigators.There was plenty of room to grow outside of investigations at CACI and they encouraged career development. That’s all I got about them and that’s just one person’s option about one company.
All of the major firms conducting BI work in today’s market have pros & cons. The real litmus test is how well your personality matches the company’s personality; what your career goals are & how well the company OFFERS opportunities for that growth and lastly how much experience the mid & upper levels of management have on the contract; if your manager has never worked a case, driven hours to an interview and then been stood up by the subject, even after you confirmed the interview, the manager will only judge you by metrics on paper. Real world experiences matter. Believe me, that counts towards real world performances and expectations.
Speaking for just myself here:
This is the best answer.
Your personality type will be the “lowest common denominator,” if you will. They’re all driven by business goals, but you may find one scratches your back more than others. This is true of any company and not just BI’s.
@srithikdatta I’ll bite and say the opposite of CACI. All of my present and former colleagues left because in our opinion, management was a mess PLUS the pay was not worth the stress. Their incentives program was also a mess and unreasonable. Things may have changed, but people I know who still work there say it has gotten worse. There is a big disconnect between upper management and the field.
Keep in mind I worked in a high-volume, difficult metro area. However, I was indeed treated fairly and my immediate superiors also treated us fairly. End of the day, pay wasn’t worth it.
Everyone I know who worked for KGS HATED it, both FTE’s and 1099’s. Feds I run into never have anything good to say about KGS either.
I’d also have to disagree with @Majorrework about opportunities and development within the company. I think there’s potential for growth within the contract and within lower-mid management. But they always brought in outsiders for senior leadership positions. Otherwise, OPM work requires (and gives you) a very specific skillset. Keep your career/encore career goals in mind. You can’t easily jump ship to another contract because you’re “in,” you obviously still need to meet qualifications.
Production requirements are rather similar at all vendors, with some slight variations.
I think by now you’ve done enough evaluation to figure out who you’d rather stick it out with based on anecdotes. Go with your gut.
Is it the same job whether you’re the Big 4 or NBIB? Yes. Do their individual strategies and attitudes affect how the work gets done and espirit de corps? Damn right.
@datesnotrecalled My perspective on career development was definitely different because I was still working in the intelligence field while I was at CACI and the opportunities we’re available to me. You make some very valid points about the bonus system and the upper level management. Whilst it’s relatively easy to hit production (at level 1), It is extremely difficult to have a quality score that will qualify for a bonus. The disconnect is obvious between the business unit and the operations unit. Ultimately the company’s purpose is to turn a profit and investigators are a means to that end. When I started in the industry the only options for full-time were CACI and KGS. I chose CACI specifically because it has other opportunities, whereas with KGS the opportunities are very linear.
I had a buddy that also worked in intel for the company before switching over, then BI’s really weren’t for him. He ending up leaving altogether. He was pretty miserable all throughout both assignments, so all the more reason to say mileage may vary.
What was starting for all 3 salary wise who paid more
I takes to someone who was coming on with caci. I heard pay about 30 an hour. Can someone confirm this. Also what is pay for 1 year experience, 2 years and so on?
Thanks
CACI pays the lowest of all vendors and they definitely do not pay 30/hr