Couple ?'s regarding recruting process

[03COBRA]

Hey guys/gals, Im new to the site and currently in the RCMP recruiting process. If Im putting this in the wrong forum I apologize.

In August I passed my written test, October I passed my PARE (3:15) and a couple days ago received a call from central recruiting to tell me my application was moving to the Interview phase of the application process.  I honeslty answered every ? on the polygraph questionnaire and my question is what do I do if between now and when I have my polygraph I remember certain aspects of my youth which I accidently couldnt remember at the time of filling out the polygraph questionnaire.

All the major ? were answered very truthfully and honestly but Im worried that I might remeber something small and not disclosed it on the polygraph because I couldnt think of it at the time.  Most if not all disclosures came when I was 15-18 and sometimes you dont remeber all of it right away and it comes to you later.  I purposely waited till the last day I could to fill it out just in case I remebered something so I could disclose it.  I want nothing more than to be a RCMP officer and that is why I am being completely honest in all my answers.  My worry is that I go into the polygraph and make a disclosure before I do it, but the RCMP might see it as trying to hold out on some info until the last minute.  That is not the case, sometimes little things you dont remember cause they were so long ago.

Thanks alot guys I have searched all over the web to try and find answers and Im hoping you might be able to help me. Thanks again.

 

[geo]

If you suddenly remember "very pertinent" parts of your life that you did not disclose previously, it might be reasonnable that you make the RCMP aware of it with a written disclosure - sent to them ASAP.
WRT the various bits you might remember between now and the polygraph test... don't swear it.  It's not like you weren't the 1st candidate who has forgotten wee little details... just don't omit the big stuff.

 

[03COBRA]

The big stuff as u say were answered truthfully, just small stuff I might have done when I was 15yrsold.  Just knowing the polygraph could be around the corner has me thinking of every little thing Ive ever done all my life. Stressful is a under statement at this point.

 

[geo]

If there is something that is stressing you out, then it is BIG stuff.  And you should consider making a statement about it.
If it isn't anything to sweat about..... THEN DON'T STRESS IT!

BTW, you will have an oportunity to talk to the evaluators before undertaking the test.  Have a written statement at hand that will explain what is worrying you - let them formulate questions that will clear the air.

 

[noneck]

03COBRA-

This happens all the time, call your file manager at recruiting and advise them....that's all you have to do!

 

[03COBRA]

Thanks alot guys.  As Im sure Im not the first Im finding myself becoming more and more nervous.  I have never gone into an interview of this magnitude before. I will be reviewing the RCMP site and utilizing the STAR etc..... formats.  I know alot of people have been saying to stay calm but I think thats coming from people who have already made it and now they can look back and say those things.  Physically I know Im more than prepared. I just have to make it past the next few steps, I KNOW I will make a great Cadet and an even better constable, I just need to make it first. One step at a time.

I know this has been beaten to death but if anybody has any useful advise for me at my current stage in the process I would very much appreciate it. Thanks again.

Heck I even went to chapters and bought 3 books about the history of Depot, History of the musical ride and a nice little book called Mountie Makers.  U know what they say Knowledge is power so hopefully they will come in handy some day soon.

Oh and anybody know if they are on schedulw with recruiting in southwestern Ontario?

 

[rw4th]

Having gone through the poly, I am actually going to stress you out a bit. Disclose all the big crap and anything recent. If you did stupid stuff when you were a kid, they will understand (well, unless you murdered somebody or something like that, but if you did that why are you even applying?) 

During the pre-polygraph interview, get verbal diarrhea. Disclose every single thing you can think of without exception, no matter how irrelevant you might think it is. If you don’t do this then while you’re hooked up to the machine if they ask you a question like “have you disclosed all crimes you have committed?” and some stupid crap you did as a kid pops into your head, right after you say “yes” then you’ll be lying and the readings will show it.

Now, I’m the type of person who over thinks stuff. This was the second polygraph I take in my life, and both time I had to deal with this very scenario. Now if this happens to you, don’t panic. Finish answering the questions and at the end, when he tells you its over, tell him you had a problem with a question and explain what happened. He’ll be running through the sequence of question several times to get an accurate reading, so hopefully stuff will stop popping into your head by the last one.

Good luck, and don’t hold anything back.

 

[03COBRA]

^^^ thanks for your honest answer.  If u dont mind me asking. Did u just make a mistake and not remeber or.....................sorry I dont mean to get personal I just wondering why someone would  go into a polygraph and not tell the complete truth. Please PM me if u want.

Does anyone know how long to get the interview? I called yesterday and was told my APP was with Team B and they say 3-6 weeks. Is it really that long? Thanks again.

 

[ixium]

Can they use stuff you say during the test against you?

Most people download mp3s(some even movies and tv shows) which is illegal.
Can you be fined/jailed for stuff you've done in the past and admitted to during the process?

 

[George Wallace]

Right!  Sergeant Major!  March in the Guilty Bastard! 

ixium do you swear that on such and such a date, in such and such a location, that you did wilfully commit a crime in accordance with the Criminal Code of Canada?  Do you waive all your rights and would you be so kind as to sign this waiver disavowing any claims under the Statute of Limitations for such crimes.

 

[noneck]

IXIUM-

Don't worry about the downloading of music ect. Disclose it by all means, but there is nothing wrong with it, they will explain that to you during the process.

As rw4th stated, disclose everything! Do not get on the net and  start searching for ways to beat the poly....this will be pried out of you as well and merely indicates that you are hiding something and that you are naturally deceptive!

Noneck

 

[03COBRA]

IXIUM-

Don't worry about the downloading of music ect. Disclose it by all means, but there is nothing wrong with it, they will explain that to you during the process.

As rw4th stated, disclose everything! Do not get on the net and  start searching for ways to beat the poly....this will be pried out of you as well and merely indicates that you are hiding something and that you are naturally deceptive!

Noneck

Noneck, first off I truely appreciate the responses from you and others. Just to get it out there Iam in no way looking for ways to beat a poly LOL. I have already called the Cst who is handling my file and disclosed certain things to her in an attempt to make her aware and I have already stated I would rather be defered than have my file closed.  I just want to bear my soul and hope they can see how genuine Im being and how I cant change the past but only look to the future. Just for the record I have no record, no driving record etc.... just dunb stuff when I was a teen ( which I disclosed) I just know once Im hooked to that thing Im gonna be nervous, not a guilty nervous but a " I feel like such a loser cause I have to bear my soul".  Anyway  the Cst asured me I did the right thing by calling.

 

[rw4th]

^^^ thanks for your honest answer.  If u dont mind me asking. Did u just make a mistake and not remeber or.....................sorry I dont mean to get personal I just wondering why someone would  go into a polygraph and not tell the complete truth. Please PM me if u want.

Does anyone know how long to get the interview? I called yesterday and was told my APP was with Team B and they say 3-6 weeks. Is it really that long? Thanks again.

No, I didn’t withhold anything on purpose. I’m 35 and can’t always consciously remember every detail of every stupid thing I have ever done.

What happened is that when asked a question, my already overactive brain started working overtime to be thorough and kept remembering new stuff, almost like the pressure of actually being hooked up to the machine kept triggering dormant memories (Oh, I just remembered stealing a quarter from some kid when I was 6!).

I’ll take what I said even further: if you have ever even THOUGHT of doing something criminal, disclose it. Here’s a theoretical situation for you. Something similar happened to me, but this particular scenario is fictional to illustrate a point.

Say 10 years ago somebody rapped and beat your little sister. She doesn’t go to the police because it was some local a**hole with a reputation and she was afraid. This guy has done this before and nobody ever reports him out of fear. The fact that he keeps getting away with it really gets under you skin and you start thinking about killing this guy. Not just fantasizing, but for a while you really get serious about killing this guy and actually start planning it. Then your better judgment takes over and you decide this is stupid idea. You then do what all grown men do when faced with intense emotion: you roll it into a little ball and push it to back of you mind. You don’t really talk to anybody about it because those extreme emotions you balled up are hard to deal with and your blood boils just thinking about the whole thing.

Fast forward 10 years, you’re taking the polygraph for the RCMP. You didn’t disclose this little episode of murderous desire because well, there’s no question in the questionnaire that asks “have you ever thought of doing bad things” and you never committed any actual crime. So you’re hooked up to the machine and the examiner asks you something like “Have you disclosed all infractions to the criminal of Canada?” You say yes, but in the back of you head this incident pops up and for a brief second you relieve those suppressed emotions, as tends to happen whenever you think about the situation. Because of this, the polygraph shows physiological changes. You didn’t commit a crime, you didn’t lie, but still the readings on the machine indicate something. Even if you had disclosed the story, when asked the question the machine will probably still react because the question itself will trigger memories of the incident and the associated emotional response.

Yeah, I know it’s a bit convoluted, but the point is to not hold anything back. If at some point you even came close to doing something stupid but then decided otherwise, disclose it. Otherwise the nagging thought of that in the back of your mind might be enough to show you as lying. If the emotion is too strong, explain the situation to the examiner. Whatever you do, don’t hold it in because “technically” you’re not lying.

 

[03COBRA]

^^^ Did u get deferred?? Not saying I did hold anything back but if by the slight chance I did, it is small crap like the dumbest things u can do when ur 15yrs old. Kinda sucks that something small u did over 13yrs ago can stop you from performing your dream job. I wonder how many people have failed on little technicalities or small small things that they might have just forgot about.

^^^ How did ur interview go??? Any hints for me, tips? Thanks

 

[rw4th]

^^^ Did u get deferred?? Not saying I did hold anything back but if by the slight chance I did, it is small crap like the dumbest things u can do when ur 15yrs old. Kinda sucks that something small u did over 13yrs ago can stop you from performing your dream job. I wonder how many people have failed on little technicalities or small small things that they might have just forgot about.

^^^ How did ur interview go??? Any hints for me, tips? Thanks

I did get deferred, but not because of what I explained here. I worked these issues out with the polygraph examiner. I can't really tell you what the questions they ask are, but there are "test" questions which sort of test your test whether you are purposefully trying to deceive, so the guy can tell that you are telling him the truth but that something else is going on. For the petty stuff you did when you were 10, you don't necessarily need to put all that crap in the questionnaire, but make sure you get it out of your system during the pre-poly interview.

For the selection interview, following the prep guide from the recruiting site is the best thing you can do.

 

[03COBRA]

^^^ OK, Im actually glad he goes through it with you before ahnd and askes you ? to test u right off the bat.  Im glad u have a chance before he tests you to talk with him.

^^^ Do you know how it is scored. Like for Ex. lets say you answer everything honestly and the machine confirms that, then he asks you a ? and the machine says you are being deceptive. Does this one ? fail you on the whole test or does he take the whole test and break it down and base the pass/fail on the test as a whole or ? by ?

 

[JBoyd]

Can they use stuff you say during the test against you?

Most people download mp3s(some even movies and tv shows) which is illegal.
Can you be fined/jailed for stuff you've done in the past and admitted to during the process?

I don't believe Canada has any laws making the downloading of music or movies/tv shows illegal, as long as it is for personal use and you are not distributing it or profiting. As I understand it, Bill C-60 would have made such things illegal but was overturned in 2006, and in 2004 I believe the Federal Court of Canada ruled that downloading music for personal use is not an infrigement, and placing it within a shared directory of a P2P program was not considered distribution. If the Conservative Gov't has since written up a new bill to change such law, I do not know of it. 

As far as being Fined/jailed for something in the past, that depends. Ex Post Facto law could come into effect, if a law was changed to make something previously legal illegal.

 

[noneck]

03COBRA- If you go into the test with the attitude of baring your soul you won't have any issues! These guys have heard it all!

Good Luck
Noneck

 

[03COBRA]

NONECK, thank you sir. I plan on spilling everything. I hope they dont penalize me for telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

 

[03COBRA]

Quick ? for some of the senior guys. Right now Im waiting for a call back to schedule the interview. With taking into account where Im at in the process, is it possible for a depot start date in 2008?? Assuming I pass everything, not sure where RCMP is at as far as being backed up @ depot.

As for all the guys out their with Overtime alot because of the shortage in new recruits,  Im just waiting to make it through and help you guys out.