FBI Special Agent Interview

Shane C. is an FBI Special Agent based in Las Vegas, Nevada with 11 years in the Bureau.* Shane is part of the International Terrorism Squad. He was kind enough to sit down with us and walk through the path he took to become an FBI Special Agent.

How did you get interested in becoming an FBI Agent?

Well, my Dad was a Special Agent with the Bureau and I had always had in my mind that I would like to follow in his footsteps. My older brother had also joined the FBI.

What steps did you take to get into the Bureau?

In college I found out that the FBI wanted accountants, lawyers and people with foreign language skills. I had no foreign language skills and didn't want to take any additional foreign language classes that would keep me in school any longer than I had to be. My first semester I took two accounting courses and decided I didn't want to become an accounting major anymore. It was a lot of work that took away from my other classes and hurt my overall G.P.A. I decided to stay in the school of business, but switched to a marketing major and really liked it.

So you moved away from the idea of becoming an FBI Agent?

Yes, after graduation I went to work in the advertising field. The problem I found with a career in advertising is when you lose a client or are done with a campaign, you lose your job. Basically, every two years I was looking for a new job. I was disgruntled with the lack of job stability in advertising and my father was always saying that the FBI had stability and jobs. I decided it was the time for a switch and applied to the FBI and was accepted.

How did you get in lacking the skill sets that they were looking for?

I did not apply for a special agent position. I applied for a support capacity role to get my foot in the door since I did not meet the special agent skill sets. I was accepted and where did they put me? In the accounting department.

Wow. How did that work out for you?

I spent 2 years there and got as far as I could with regards to promotions. If I had stayed there, the same people that were there above me are still there today. I would have never been promoted and decided I needed to get out of there. With that experience under my belt I applied for a surveillance position and did that for a year watching the Russian Consulate. Watched the Russians for a year.

That gave you the experience you needed to apply for a special agent position?

I was actually presented with an opportunity at that point as the FBI came off an FBI Special Agent hiring freeze. The hiring process for special agent applicants from outside the agency takes a very long time. The FBI wanted to fill special agent classes immediately when they were coming off this hiring freeze, so they wanted to hire anyone from inside the Bureau who is eligible first. Then when they got the outside people hired that have the actual skill sets, they weeded out anyone who didn't have those particular skills. For me it was luck and good timing that allowed me to get into a special agent position. However, had I stayed in surveillance another year I would have developed the skills they are looking for in a special agent.

Do you have any recommendations for a high school or college student looking to become an FBI Special Agent?

The one thing I would suggest is to take a look at the fbi.gov website to find out what job opportunities are available and what skill sets are currently needed for special agents. There are various options when considering a career in the FBI and often, as was in my case, you can get your foot in the door and develop skill sets that may help prepare you for a career as an FBI Special Agent. The special agent skill sets can change as they fill positions, but from what I am seeing, people with cyber crime, internet security and computer forensics skills are being highly sought after for special agent positions and this might be a good area to focus your training and education prior to applying.

Thank you for your time Shane.

Sure, and I hope this information can help students find their career path in the FBI.

* Names and Locations and Facts may have been changed to preserve confidentiality.

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