corrections recruit - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

lordfriday2 · 09-10-2010, 03:01 AM

okay, here's my story...

so... i've had a tough time the past 4 years... well.. i moved up here to oregon back in october of last year.. i was struggling with a job at a security company waiting for an opportunity to get into a police officer position or corrections...

2 months ago... i get an email saying that the state is hiring... so.. i take the time i need to get everything to them... i don't hear from them until three weeks ago... at that point, I gave them everything that they needed to know... the background investigation person had it from there...

On Tuesday, I get a phone call .... the person on the other end says.. "Hello, this is Clara from the state of Oregon Corrections department, I would like to schedule an interview with you for Correctional Officer Recruit."

My response is ... Absolutely....

Her response.... "I'm sorry it's short notice but could you be here tomorrow. (here was 4 hours away. i could not go because i had to work on tuesday and it was not something i could just cancel.)

After I explained the aforementioned problem, she told me that I could do a "telephonic" interview.. instead of being there in person....

Of course... I accepted...and we scheduled it for 10am on Wendesday...

Keep in mind, the fact that I work graveyard and sleep during the day, it took a LOT out of me to go to bed at 1AM and wake up at 9AM in anticipation of the interview...

I spent 4 hours studying the facility... learning about their approach of rehabilitation, and... on notepad.... typing out my responses for what I anticipated their questions could be.... IE.... My strengths...weaknesses... would i use deadly force to prevent an escape... and my closing argument...

I went to bed and woke up at 9am on wendesday... 10am came... and no phone call...

10:15... no phone call...

10:30... The phone rings....

"Hello, This is Captain Frazier, I'm here with (three other correctional upper level people) we're calling regarding your oral board interview for the position of Correctional Officer."

as each person introduced themselves... I said Hello, ... and since it was a phone interview the first two thought i was "checking to see if i was still connected to them".. which was rather embarassing ... so I moved to say "Good Morning, Great to hear from you." instead...

"We're sorry we're late in the phone call.... though let's begin.. we have three questions for you.... and then we'll ask you if you have any questions...."

I'll only note, for you all the first question...

"what have you done to prepare your self for a correctional officer position and how does this fit into your long range career goals..."

........ What happend next i'll never forget...

I stumbled over everything... appearently nervous... started with my childhood and ended with my degree in criminal justice... though.. half way through I had to take a pause for about a minute to collect myself... I have never been so nervous in my life, and holy god... what a time to be nervous... Capt. Frazier told me not to worry, and that we'll get through this... I didn't hear ANYTHING from any persons on the panel except him....

I took a moment after apologizing profusely about my nervousness and blamed it on the short time I had to prepare....

(Internally I was frustrated at what I studied for the past night and didn't dedicate time to what I had done for the position in my past....)

In the end, I answered a question about ethics... and what it was like to grow up with my family (my father was a captain in the airforce by the time he was 26 years old, fought 212 missions in vietnam, and 180 of those missions were over north vietnam.)

in the end, they asked me if i had anything else to add, to make them remember me for the position...

I went on a whole 10 minute speel.... ending on a note that said... i'm sorry if i started out on a weak note... though.. i'm ending strong... (and I was hoping that i did)

they told me that they had 8 openings, and had interviewed 87 people... and they would be calling candidates tomorrow if they were offered a position...

.... I thanked them very much and hung up the phone.... when I DID.... I screamed at myself for my performance at the start... I couldn't believe how nervous I was!!!

Today... my power is out when I woke up....

I call the power company to see what the issue was... come to find out it's just an outage and it's being worked on...

During the end of the call my brother calls me.... telling me that he is getting ready to board a plane to visit our grand parents.... I wish him a good flight and hope that he makes it safely...

After I finish the call a voicemail rings in.... "Hello this is Clara from the department of corrections, you had your interview yesterday and we would like to offer you a job."

...........I FREAKED OUT...... I called her back... got the information... thanked her profusely and cried....

I called my brother... told him I hated him... (he asked why?).... I told him it was his call that made me miss the most important call of my life... he laughed.. congradulated me.... and told me he would call me when he landed...

..... I am absolutely happy about this oportunity...

oh.... and... remember how I mentioned my father? ...

I was given this life changing oportunity Thursday, September 9th, 2010... My Father, passed from this world.... Saturday, September 9th, 2006...

Mayhem Matt · 09-10-2010, 03:12 AM

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING STORY! I AM SUPER HAPPY FOR YOU! YOU DESERVE IT!

I am currently going to school for my degree in CJ and Sociology in Southern California. I hope to graduate in about 2 years. After that its off to the academy for me and I hope just as you have; I get in the same position where I receive the same phone call telling me I have been accepted for a correctional/law enforcement position! Just hope the only difference is that I answer so whoever is on the other end hears my reaction

I congratulate you and wish you the best of luck on your future endeavors. Stay safe and have fun with it at the same time. You'll do awesome brother!

*Mindz* · 09-10-2010, 03:25 AM

Congrats Friday! Great story too. You know he was looking after you because of the dates. =)

Good luck and stay safe!

lordfriday2 · 09-10-2010, 07:28 AM

Thanks you two.... hopefully others can look past my poorly written title and read it ... it's just been an absolutely crazy day...

Da Hose · 09-10-2010, 07:38 AM

Congrats OP......Great Story!

Stovall-SS · 09-10-2010, 07:54 AM

WOW congrates brother, The end gave me the chills!

mrray13 · 09-10-2010, 09:36 AM

Congrats!! Watch your six when you get going, I'm sure your father will be helping!

lordfriday2 · 09-17-2010, 06:47 AM

OK...SO... UPDATE...

I went through the inital medial test... the first two "blood pressure tests" were high... the third one was fine.. but they told me that i had "white coat hypertension" which was pretty much my blood pressure going up due to the highly stressful situation i was in....

at any rate... i got in there today, and scored a really low blood pressure, which proved that it was just nerves... unfortunarly the doctor on my care won't be in until saturday, meaning that i wont have an update until then.... wish me luck.... !

Dr Jkel · 09-17-2010, 07:08 AM

How old are you? The reason I am asking is that after you get a little Experience you can then apply for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and I believe the benefits and pay are more.

Normally they start you out at a GS 5, but you can go up quickly. Here is a copy of the pay scale for Oregon

garcmol · 09-17-2010, 07:52 AM

Great story. Phone interviews suck!

Pamaro · 09-17-2010, 08:52 AM

Congratulations! They obviously saw through the nervousness and realized what a great job you'll do in the position! Knock 'em dead!

WadeWilson · 09-17-2010, 08:56 AM

Congrats and good luck!!

txrhino · 09-17-2010, 09:37 AM

Enjoy your job. You will be doing a great service to your State and community. Very few people want to do this job but it is vital for it to be done and done right. I have worked for Texas Dept. Of Criminal Justice over 15 years.

Good Luck And Stay Safe!,
Txrhino

v6sonoma · 09-17-2010, 09:46 AM

Congrats. Clearly someone is watching over you. Good luck!

09-10-2010, 03:01 AM	#1
lordfriday2 Proud Owner! Drives: 2010 Camaro SS RS Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 878	corrections recruit okay, here's my story... so... i've had a tough time the past 4 years... well.. i moved up here to oregon back in october of last year.. i was struggling with a job at a security company waiting for an opportunity to get into a police officer position or corrections... 2 months ago... i get an email saying that the state is hiring... so.. i take the time i need to get everything to them... i don't hear from them until three weeks ago... at that point, I gave them everything that they needed to know... the background investigation person had it from there... On Tuesday, I get a phone call .... the person on the other end says.. "Hello, this is Clara from the state of Oregon Corrections department, I would like to schedule an interview with you for Correctional Officer Recruit." My response is ... Absolutely.... Her response.... "I'm sorry it's short notice but could you be here tomorrow. (here was 4 hours away. i could not go because i had to work on tuesday and it was not something i could just cancel.) After I explained the aforementioned problem, she told me that I could do a "telephonic" interview.. instead of being there in person.... Of course... I accepted...and we scheduled it for 10am on Wendesday... Keep in mind, the fact that I work graveyard and sleep during the day, it took a LOT out of me to go to bed at 1AM and wake up at 9AM in anticipation of the interview... I spent 4 hours studying the facility... learning about their approach of rehabilitation, and... on notepad.... typing out my responses for what I anticipated their questions could be.... IE.... My strengths...weaknesses... would i use deadly force to prevent an escape... and my closing argument... I went to bed and woke up at 9am on wendesday... 10am came... and no phone call... 10:15... no phone call... 10:30... The phone rings.... "Hello, This is Captain Frazier, I'm here with (three other correctional upper level people) we're calling regarding your oral board interview for the position of Correctional Officer." as each person introduced themselves... I said Hello, ... and since it was a phone interview the first two thought i was "checking to see if i was still connected to them".. which was rather embarassing ... so I moved to say "Good Morning, Great to hear from you." instead... "We're sorry we're late in the phone call.... though let's begin.. we have three questions for you.... and then we'll ask you if you have any questions...." I'll only note, for you all the first question... "what have you done to prepare your self for a correctional officer position and how does this fit into your long range career goals..." ........ What happend next i'll never forget... I stumbled over everything... appearently nervous... started with my childhood and ended with my degree in criminal justice... though.. half way through I had to take a pause for about a minute to collect myself... I have never been so nervous in my life, and holy god... what a time to be nervous... Capt. Frazier told me not to worry, and that we'll get through this... I didn't hear ANYTHING from any persons on the panel except him.... I took a moment after apologizing profusely about my nervousness and blamed it on the short time I had to prepare.... (Internally I was frustrated at what I studied for the past night and didn't dedicate time to what I had done for the position in my past....) In the end, I answered a question about ethics... and what it was like to grow up with my family (my father was a captain in the airforce by the time he was 26 years old, fought 212 missions in vietnam, and 180 of those missions were over north vietnam.) in the end, they asked me if i had anything else to add, to make them remember me for the position... I went on a whole 10 minute speel.... ending on a note that said... i'm sorry if i started out on a weak note... though.. i'm ending strong... (and I was hoping that i did) they told me that they had 8 openings, and had interviewed 87 people... and they would be calling candidates tomorrow if they were offered a position... .... I thanked them very much and hung up the phone.... when I DID.... I screamed at myself for my performance at the start... I couldn't believe how nervous I was!!! Today... my power is out when I woke up.... I call the power company to see what the issue was... come to find out it's just an outage and it's being worked on... During the end of the call my brother calls me.... telling me that he is getting ready to board a plane to visit our grand parents.... I wish him a good flight and hope that he makes it safely... After I finish the call a voicemail rings in.... "Hello this is Clara from the department of corrections, you had your interview yesterday and we would like to offer you a job." ...........I FREAKED OUT...... I called her back... got the information... thanked her profusely and cried.... I called my brother... told him I hated him... (he asked why?).... I told him it was his call that made me miss the most important call of my life... he laughed.. congradulated me.... and told me he would call me when he landed... ..... I am absolutely happy about this oportunity... oh.... and... remember how I mentioned my father? ... I was given this life changing oportunity Thursday, September 9th, 2010... My Father, passed from this world.... Saturday, September 9th, 2006... Last edited by lordfriday2; 09-10-2010 at 03:52 AM.

09-10-2010, 03:12 AM	#2
Mayhem Matt Drives: 10' 2SS/RS M6 SUPERCHRGED BUMBLEBEE Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Orange CA Posts: 607 View My Garage	ABSOLUTELY AMAZING STORY! I AM SUPER HAPPY FOR YOU! YOU DESERVE IT! I am currently going to school for my degree in CJ and Sociology in Southern California. I hope to graduate in about 2 years. After that its off to the academy for me and I hope just as you have; I get in the same position where I receive the same phone call telling me I have been accepted for a correctional/law enforcement position! Just hope the only difference is that I answer so whoever is on the other end hears my reaction I congratulate you and wish you the best of luck on your future endeavors. Stay safe and have fun with it at the same time. You'll do awesome brother! __________________ Ordered Bumblebee 10/15/2008Part of the Family 6/11/2009 #11423 My Bumblebee to Superbee build story...http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105163 Superbee's 536hp Dyno Run...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE7wePluPAc Last edited by Mayhem Matt; 09-10-2010 at 03:30 AM.

09-10-2010, 03:25 AM	#3
Mindz E.B.A.H. Drives: you wild... Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: In the happy padded room wearing a jacket that makes me hug myself... Posts: 18,421	Congrats Friday! Great story too. You know he was looking after you because of the dates. =) Good luck and stay safe! __________________ Blue Rush, 2010 SS [Car of the Week 3/22/2010] Traded in on...ZLZBUBB, 2013 ZL1

09-10-2010, 07:54 AM	#6
Stovall-SS Drives: 2010 SS RS M6 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Goodyear, AZ Posts: 285	WOW congrates brother, The end gave me the chills! __________________ 2010 2SS M6 RS 6.2 "LSX 427 to come" 2008 Z71 X/cab Silverado 4x4 5.3 *2001 2500 Suberban 4x4 8.1 "The Beast" RIP 1998 S-10 4.3 V-6 Turbo "You will be missed"

09-10-2010, 09:36 AM	#7
mrray13 Drives: 2010 1LT RS Rally Yellow Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: southern Illinois Posts: 2,973	Congrats!! Watch your six when you get going, I'm sure your father will be helping! __________________ *PacMan*

09-10-2010, 07:28 AM	#4
lordfriday2 Proud Owner! Drives: 2010 Camaro SS RS Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 878	Thanks you two.... hopefully others can look past my poorly written title and read it ... it's just been an absolutely crazy day...

09-17-2010, 06:47 AM	#8
lordfriday2 Proud Owner! Drives: 2010 Camaro SS RS Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 878	OK...SO... UPDATE... I went through the inital medial test... the first two "blood pressure tests" were high... the third one was fine.. but they told me that i had "white coat hypertension" which was pretty much my blood pressure going up due to the highly stressful situation i was in.... at any rate... i got in there today, and scored a really low blood pressure, which proved that it was just nerves... unfortunarly the doctor on my care won't be in until saturday, meaning that i wont have an update until then.... wish me luck.... !

09-17-2010, 07:52 AM	#10
garcmol Drives: 10 1LT SIM; 91 B4C sleeper Z Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Ft. Mitchell, Alabama Posts: 7,199	Great story. Phone interviews suck! __________________ Pedders Pace Car Package, Injen CAI, Flowmaster AT, AAC Lighting, ZL1 fascia/skirts, RKSport Ram Air hood, vented fenders, painted stripes (Gary's Customz), Honor and Valor badged (Thank you, John)

09-17-2010, 08:52 AM	#11
Pamaro Litho recipient #191 Drives: 2010 2LT IOM w/white hockey & hoods Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Euless, TX Posts: 841	Congratulations! They obviously saw through the nervousness and realized what a great job you'll do in the position! Knock 'em dead! __________________

09-17-2010, 08:56 AM	#12
WadeWilson How U Doin? Drives: 2014 CTS-V Coupe Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Californication Posts: 24,156 View My Garage	Congrats and good luck!!

09-17-2010, 09:37 AM	#13
txrhino Drives: '10 LT1 CGM "Sweet Emotion" Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Tx Posts: 688	Enjoy your job. You will be doing a great service to your State and community. Very few people want to do this job but it is vital for it to be done and done right. I have worked for Texas Dept. Of Criminal Justice over 15 years. Good Luck And Stay Safe!, Txrhino __________________ "SWEET EMOTION" is an LT1 CGM RS FLATBLACK STRIPES w/ RED PINSTRIPING, SUBWOOFER ON BA SYSTEM, ABL DOOR PANELS, BLACKWING INTAKE, GREY MATS, CARBON FIBER BOWTIES & A CUSTOM ENGINE COVER SEE MY ALBUM FOR PICTURES! THANKS CAMARO5.COM MEMBERS!!!

09-17-2010, 09:46 AM	#14
v6sonoma Drives: 2010 SS RS Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 8,108 View My Garage	Congrats. Clearly someone is watching over you. Good luck! __________________ Mods: BBK Intake, BBK LT's and High Flow Cats, Corsa Cat-back exhaust, Hurst short throw shifter, SLP skip-shift eliminator. 7/1/09 Placed order for IOM/IO int/ SS/RS 6M 9/26/09 Took delivery!