FBI Reviews

Pros

Ever changing work environment . Work can be exciting at times. Still the premere position to be in lawenforcement. The up side out ways the down side

Cons

Bureaucracy is the root of all stagnation within the Bureau . Coordination with other agencies is subject to too much scrutiny by supervisors no longer in the field.

Advice to Senior Management

Consult with all the agents before making blanket investigational decisons on individual cases with need to be viewed by the nuiances of the case.

Pros

Mission is exceptional, the work is powerful and the impact on the community is very positive. The training programs and experiences help to ensure a set of knowledge and skills that ensure success. Not for everyone, workforce filled with TypeA personalities, all overachievers who want to make a difference. Field work is filled with teamwork and commitment to excellence.

Cons

IT needs are holding back the workforce and must be a continuing focus for future success.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to focus on the workforce and its needs, not your next promotion.

Pros

Pride in an important mission
Good core values and comradery
Stable and secure

Cons

Since the push to turn this agency into an "intelligence" organization, the job has gone into the toilet. There is no longer any clear or concise mission and, as always, senior management is SO FAR out of touch with what field agents are expected to do it's pathetic. For the last ten years the director has been preaching how the job will be streamlined with less administrative burden on the agents actually trying to do the job (..or whatever it is we're doing). In reality, today's agents are lucky to get out of the office anymore due to useless, time consuming reporting requirements on domain awareness, intelligence gaps blah blah blah.

Advice to Senior Management

Go back to the drawing board and do as the 911 Commission report suggested...split the agency into the classic FBI and a separate intelligence branch. Trying to accomplish two specifically different tasks with the same tool never works and reduce FBIHQ by 75%.

Pros

- Great federal government benefits
- Flexible work hours (though dependent on each Unit)
- Fair amount of opportunities to move around
- Very supportive on work/life balance

Cons

- Bureaucratic, too much politics, etc.
- "Old heads" tend to run the show regardless of whether they're competent or not
- Extremely difficult to affect change for the better
- Many mid-level and Senior level management seem to make decisions to make themselves look good but such decisions may not be better for the people under them

Advice to Senior Management

Reward those employees that actually do the work and do it well. Have an open ear about ideas to improve the Unit's and FBI's overall mission and actually make a change. Don't base change on what the "old heads" say because 9 times out of 10 they just don't want change to be made.

Pros

Flexible work schedule, promotion potential, professionalism. I took a 50% paycut to work for the FBI and I have not regretted it for one minute. It only took me 4 years to get back to my old salary level due to the pormotion potential available in my division.

Cons

The only downside is our facility. Due to obvious budget cuts we do not have the best facility, but it is not horrible. The carpet is in really bad shape, we could use better office equipment etc. Nothing I would ever complain about.

Advice to Senior Management

Middle management really needs "management" training. They know the job but do not know how to manage people and get the best work out of them.

Pros

Self fulfilling, make a difference

Cons

Slackers receive compensation even though they don't produce

Advice to Senior Management

Reward excellance, penalize bad or non performance

Pros

Ability to directly contribute to protecting the country.

Cons

If you're not an Agent, you are treated as a second-class citizen by the Agent population.

Advice to Senior Management

Open up mre of the senior management positions (SES) to non-Agent employees.

Pros

Good benifits, good amount of money.

Cons

Hard work, long hours, overtime.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep it up

Pros

The opportunities were great and most of the people were very approachable. I definitely liked working here. The salary also was substantial.

Cons

Like in any other job, you will have people you don't like. This is the case for the FBI. The pressure was also intense and overwhelming.

Advice to Senior Management

Stay focus and really be sure you want to get into it. I don't regret it but definitely was a taxing experience.

Pros

Great mission and a brand that makes you interesting.

Cons

Bureaucratic mess and a military-style culture that emphasizing rank at the expense of people giving good ideas.

Advice to Senior Management

Fight for the flexibility to put the right people in the right place. We have to get rid of incompetent middle managers--it can't take three years to do it.