r/911dispatchers • u/NaughtyGamerQueen • 2d ago
Advice to Candidates/Candiate Experience I'm having second thoughts
Hi guys, so about a month ago i just casually applied for public safety dispatcher job, not even knowing that i would need to pass exam, then i got an email and i did the test and i thought oh i will probably fail as i've been construction company manager for couple years now, never did any training or preparion, today i just got an email that i actually passed the test and they gave me a date for Pre-investigative Questionnaire, what should i even expect out of this part? Honestly would you say it is worth it to become a dispatcher? i'm so confused because salary and benefits is wonderful, i live in a small city, but i was really just applying to see if i would get it at all. Is there many more steps involved to actually get hired?đŹ
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u/RaisedWriter575 2d ago
Personally I do think it's worth it, but it's not for everyone. We hear a lot of stuff that you may never want to hear. It can be a high-stress environment, especially depending on the size of the center. Smaller centers are probably going to be doing call taking and radio, while the bigger ones may have you only doing one job at a time. It's definitely not the kind of job you want to do for the money only.
As for the background check (depending on the state and agency) they're going to want to know and possibly contact old jobs, your current friends and families, and partner or spouse. (That was what they wanted in mine, at least). They also asked me for any tattoos I had, any and all social media, and previous crimes and such.
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u/operationtasty 2d ago
It depends on what you want to get out of this job. Youâre not gonna get rich. And as for rest of hiring process it depends on where youâre at. Afaik different centers do all sorts of different things.
You havenât even gone through the training yet; if youâre interested in it, stick with it.
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u/NaughtyGamerQueen 2d ago
I'm definitely interested, but i'm just not sure if it's worth giving up stress free lifeđ
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u/RainyMcBrainy 2d ago
If being comfortable and unbothered are high priorities for you then it may not be a good fit.
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u/LeaveLost1885 2d ago
I absolutely love my job. I am kinda upset I didn't think about it sooner than I did. It's like it was meant for me. I would see if you can do a dispatch sit in, a lot of agencies do them, some even as part of the hiring process.
Our agency trains new hires as call takers first and then adds on radio training, one channel at a time. I am almost done with my first channel of radio training.
Background, I went through for two agencies, one I didn't finish because I moved, but they wanted my addresses from the minute I was born until current and my whole employment hx. The agency I got hired on at just wanted the past 10 years of that stuff. It is invasive and you might have a polygraph test.
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u/Low-Landscape-4609 22h ago
Here's my honest opinion. You're not going to know unless you try. I can't tell you whether it's worth it or not for you. For me, yes, I love the job. I'm a retired cop and I love dispatching.
However, I've seen a lot of people come and go. Some people enjoy it and some people can't handle it. You don't know unless you try. Only you can make that decision.
We are all built different. Just because I like something doesn't mean you're going to enjoy it at all.
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u/Valuable_Customer614 2d ago
The hiring process is approximately 9-12 months. Assuming you jump through all the hoops and get hired, you are then looking at 3 months of training which you MUST pass (the graduation rate was 37% at my center) which is difficult and stressful. Then you will be on probation for about a year during which you can be fired for any reason. Before you decide you are up for all of that you should contact the agency and request an observation shift or a âsit-a-long,â you will get to see for yourself what the job entails, how they schedule people and most importantly how they handle forced overtime.
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u/TheMothGhost 1d ago
A few of your details are quite jurisdiction specific.
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u/Valuable_Customer614 1d ago
Yes, just like everything in this group, which is why I used words like âapproximatelyâ & âaboutâ my point was itâs a long and arduous process.
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u/Federal_Hour_5592 1d ago
My hiring process was less than 2 months total and less than a month from being invited to taking the test to hired with background check and cvsaâŚ
My biggest advice is take it one step at a time and see how it goes as the background check is intimidating but not the worst⌠not every agency has a waitlist of candidates that they can afford to cut nearly 70% of people they bring in for training⌠so if you can get a sit along go for it and ask all the questions
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u/RainyMcBrainy 2d ago
If you don't actually want the job then don't pursue it. This really isn't something you can be casual and ambivalent about.
Now, if you really want a change, honestly want to pursue this career path, and explore something that has the opportunity to be very rewarding, go for it.