Careers In The Secret Service
As a federal law enforcement agency, the United States Secret Service is responsible for two primary duties: the protection of past and present political figures and their families, as well as visiting heads of state, and the investigation of financial crimes against the US.
Its workforce includes special agents, Uniformed Division officers, technical law enforcement staff and administrative, professional and technical staff. This page focuses on the special agent role.
Types Of Secret Service Jobs
As a Secret Service special agent, you may be assigned to a range of duties, including:
- Ensuring the safety of protectees such as the President, Vice President, and other US and foreign government officials.
- Planning and executing protective measures for buildings or events as a matter of national security.
- Investigating activity relating to financial crimes including counterfeiting, fraud, theft and cybercrime.
How To Get A Job In The Secret Service
To be eligible for a special agent role, you must be a US citizen, at least 21 when you apply and under 40 when you are referred for selection. Exceptions to the upper limit may apply if you have current or past service in certain federal law enforcement roles.
You must also hold a current driving licence, meet set vision and hearing standards, and have no visible body markings, such as tattoos, on the head, face, neck, hands or fingers.
On meeting these requirements, you must then complete a comprehensive application process, including a challenging entrance exam and a range of online and in-person tests.
Secret Service Application Process
The special agent hiring process has two phases: a competency phase, which runs from the resume review to a conditional job offer, and a security phase of further checks. Preparing for each stage in advance can help.
The Secret Service Qualifications And Resume Review
Having submitted your application online, your qualifications and resume will be assessed to ensure you meet the basic criteria.
The Secret Service Aptitude Tests
The Secret Service SAEE Written Examination
The next stage is the Special Agent Entrance Exam (SAEE). This is a computer-based assessment split into five sections.
Each section is timed, and focuses on core skills deemed essential for a serving special agent. All questions are multiple-choice.
The Secret Service Logic-Based Reasoning
Section one is a verbal reasoning test that looks at your ability to interpret new information and draw logical conclusions.
You'll read through passages of text, each accompanied by a number of statements. Using the facts presented, you must decide if each statement is true or false, or if it's impossible to say either way based on the evidence.
There are 30 questions in section one, with a 40 minute time allowance.
Experience Inventory Part 1
This section has 64 statements describing situations you may or may not have met before. For each one, you choose the option that best describes how often you have been involved in it.
Section two has a time limit of 20 minutes.
Language Usage
This is a form of error checking test. You'll be given memoranda and summary report documents containing mistakes that you'll need to identify.
Errors may relate to punctuation, grammar, syntax, language use or structure. You'll have 40 minutes to complete 25 questions.
Experience Inventory Part 2
Section four asks you to evaluate your character and behaviours from the perspective of past employers or tutors.
You'll be given a series of statements and must indicate the extent to which you think others would say each one applies to you. There are 96 questions and a 30 minute time frame for this section.
Detail Observation
The final section of the SAEE looks at observation and memory. You'll be shown three photographs of scenes a special agent might see, such as a rope line or a city street, and will need to take in as much detail as you can.
You'll then answer some unrelated questions before answering questions about what appeared in the photographs, without being able to see them again.
This last section takes around 40 minutes.
Applicant Physical Abilities Test (APAT)
The APAT ensures you have the required level of fitness to perform the physical duties of a special agent.
It includes sit-ups, push-ups, an agility run, and a 1.5 mile run.
The Secret Service Pre-Employment Interview
If you pass the earlier stages, you'll be invited to an interview. The Secret Service does not publish its format.
The Secret Service Hiring Panel Review
The Secret Service lists a hiring panel review as the next step. It does not publish who sits on the panel or what it considers.
The Secret Service Conditional Job Offer
If you're seen as a strong candidate, you'll then receive a conditional offer of employment.
This will only become official once you've successfully passed the second phase of recruitment.
The Secret Service Security Phase
To complete the application process, you'll need to pass a series of additional interviews, tests and checks, including:
- Security interview
- Polygraph test
- Medical and drugs testing
You'll also be subject to a comprehensive background investigation. This involves credit and criminal record checks, employment history checks, referencing, and verification of qualifications.
The duration of a background investigation varies, but typically takes between six and nine months.
Tips To Get Hired At The Secret Service
Understand Exactly What You're Applying For
Employment with the Secret Service is a major commitment, and not a decision to be taken lightly. You'll be put through your paces throughout the recruitment process, and will be expected to have carried out due diligence prior to application.
Make sure you understand the organisation's structure, purpose and mission, and can show how you live up to its core values of courage, loyalty, duty, honesty and justice.
Be Ready For The Background Investigation
The security phase includes a security interview, credit checks, a polygraph examination, a medical examination and a background investigation. The investigation verifies your employment history, police records, credit history, school transcripts, references and any military records, so being accurate and consistent in everything you submit makes sense.
Prepare For The Entrance Exam
The SAEE may be unlike any form of assessment you've come across before. Its five timed sections include question types rarely found in academic exams, such as the two experience inventories and the detail observation section. It also comes early in the hiring process, before the physical test and the interview. Timed practice can help you get used to question types like the logic-based reasoning section, which is similar to a verbal reasoning test, and show you which areas need more work.
