5 Key Police Officer Applicant Engagement Areas!

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Tired of losing Police Officer candidates, again and again, to other agencies? 😩

I’ve got a truth bomb for you…it’s not bad luck.  It’s likely because you’re not taking care of business in these five key areas of applicant engagement.  Wanna know what they are?  You bet you do...keep reading! 👀

Hey everyone, it’s Tom Sye your Police Marketing FTO, and this week, I’m tackling a major problem I constantly hear from other Background Investigators and Recruiters from around the country and that is…why agencies can’t seem to get good applicants through their hiring process.  Incredibly frustrating, right? ✔️

Look…I don’t mean for this to be rude and I’m terribly sorry to smack you right in the face here at the start of the newsletter and get straight to the point…but this is one of those little ‘love shoves’ I like to give from time to time to help get you back on track.  You know I’m always going to shoot you straight; feelings be damned. 💯

If you’re tired of applicants being flaky, not returning your calls, or flat out ghosting you…if you’re sick of people withdrawing from your process for no reason at all, or consistently choosing other agencies over yours, here’s a massive reality reset for you…and it’s gonna sting… It’s not your applicants…it’s you. 😳

Now…there are exceptions to every rule and this one is no different, but if you are having problems, over and over again, with people abandoning your process, it is likely because you or someone in your agency has said or done something along the way has turned them off. 🤯

 Sure, they’ll tell you it’s because they can get more money at the place next door, have better opportunities for specialties or promotions, or whatever else it is that people come up with as an excuse to not have to tell you to your face that they don’t like you.  Human brains are weird that way. 🧠

So, if you want to start seeing more people staying in your process longer and actually making it through to being hired, lock down these five key areas of applicant engagement with some good old-fashioned friendliness and start winning with recruiting...

#1 Police Testing

Often times, this is the first look an applicant has at the inner workings of your agency…translation = what kind of people work for you.  Are you being friendly and welcoming, giving your first name, making a few casual jokes, and encouraging your applicants?  Or are you 'officer so and so', yelling at everyone in attendance, and giving death stares to those who are struggling during the test?  😡

There’s a big difference between the two with the latter, quietly sending your applicants to seek a better situation. 💨

#2 Background Interview

This is a critical step in the evaluation process for police agencies and is very important in determining who meets qualifications and will be moving forward in your process.  But lost in all of that instant analysis is the fact that your applicants are doing the same.💡

If you’re acting holier than thou, super judgy, and trying to catch everyone lying…you have no shot at building rapport with them…which is the biggest factor in swaying someone to choose your agency.  Still be super judgy and try to catch people lying mind you…just keep it to yourself under a friendly, we’re on the same team here demeanor. 🙌

#3 Polygraph

Depending on how your agency conducts these, you may not have much control over how the polygrapher behaves during the examination. 🤷‍♂️

If you do them in house, make sure your polygrapher isn’t brow beating someone to death or going in with the mindset that they have to catch people lying.  Remember, the whole reason for the poly in the first place is not to catch them lying, but to verify your applicant is telling the truth. 🤥

That’s a huge mindset difference and a subtle shift that will keep applicants more interested in staying in your process. 👍

#4 Ride Along

I just told a story last week about how I lost a future two time officer of the year to a bad ride along, so if you haven’t seen that, make sure to check it out after this newsletter, but to sum it up for you…you must be very careful in who you select to pair your applicant up with. 🤔

Definitely make sure whoever your applicant is riding with is in a good mental place in their career, has a friendly attitude, the heart of a teacher, and for an added bonus…has something in common with your applicant.  This will make for a much more influential experience. 🍎🍎 

#5 In person Interactions

Anytime that you, as the Background Investigator or Recruiter, interacts with your applicant, you should keep their interests at the forefront of the conversation.  Whether it’s face to face, over the phone, or through an email, always use a friendly tone, keep things light (unless you’re delivering bad news), and be genuinely excited for your applicant. 😀

After all, going through your process is a major life changing event for both them and their future….treat it as the privilege it is to help them through it.  That’s how you win them over. 💪

If this newsletter has made you realize that your approach may be the thing that’s really affecting your ability to recruit Police Officer applicants, let’s accelerate that so you can thrive in 2025!  🚀

My Road to Better Recruiting online super course is open right now and will teach you the exact same mindset, direction, and strategies, just like tips offered here, that I’ve used at my agency for the past decade plus to turn applicants into new hires! 😎

Check it out now on my website by visiting forcopstraining.com/rtbr and start winning with recruiting! 🏆

Know someone at another agency who really needs a love shove like this one?  Share this newsletter with them so they can learn too!  It’s going to take all of us, working together, to change the future of police recruiting.  🤝

Have more questions about police recruiting, marketing, or anything else you're struggling with? Don't hesitate to reach out...I’m always here to help. 🙏

Until next week my Police Marketing Squad, happy recruiting! 😃

Tom

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Have a marketing or recruiting topic you would like more info on? Drop me a message 📩 and let me know what you would like to learn! It might just make its way into next week's newsletter! 🤞

👋 I’m Tom Sye, your Police Marketing FTO. I founded ‘For Cops’ Training to teach Police Departments how to attract more qualified candidates through the same tried and tested methods I’ve used for the past ten years at my own department to keep up with turnover and stay ahead of vacancies.

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