Crime Scene Analyst Interview Preparation Guide

You should do your research prior to the interview. Look into background history of the company, this will help you stick out. Learn about main people, have they been in the news lately? The interviewer doesn’t expect you to know dates and certain people, but showing that you have enough interest to research the company is a positive impression.

I do not like that I may not always get the results I would like to see but I understand this is necessary in order to maintain an ethically sound and accurate analysis.

I try to learn as much as I can from those around me and in literature and media. I take peoples criticism seriously and thoughtfully without compromising my identity or self esteem.

I have not ruined evidence but I have run out of sample for a test and simply used the computer to locate another sample collected for that patient or request a redraw if the patient was in the hospital.

On television shows like CSI they have criminalists interviewing and arresting people. In real life criminalists do not do that. In some states we can only use the evidence that has been collected by police officers, in other states there are teams that process crime scenes. The person who collects the evidence may not be the one who actually analyzes it. Each piece of evidence goes to its own specialty: DNA, firearms, drugs, toxicology or trace evidence.

One of the best things about the fields of criminal justice and criminology is the sheer variety of career choices available. Of course, there are the traditional career paths associated with the industry, such as law enforcement and corrections, but there truly is so much more to it than that.

College professors, policy makers, conservation officers, lawyers, dispatchers, private security and loss prevention specialists all have important roles within criminal justice and criminology. In truth, no matter what your interest, you're very likely to find a corresponding career path in the industry.

College is a tremendous investment, both in time and money. If you're going to make such an investment, you definitely want to know how much skin in the game you need to have and what kind of return you can expect. The amount of education you'll need to have will depend greatly on the kind of job you want.

There are plenty of criminal justice and criminology careers that don't require any degree at all, whereas others will necessitate a master's or even a doctorate. You’ll have to do a little research here about the specific job you're looking for, and be sure to take earning potential into account so you don't saddle yourself with needless student loan debt and minimal resources to pay it back.

A flip side to the earlier question on weaknesses. Employers want to know what strengths you have that can help the organization. Choose strengths that are relevant to the industry you are applying for. But do not simply rattle off adjectives such as ‘hardworking’, ‘enthusiastic’ etc. as your answers. Instead, back them up with examples of real-life situations in which those aspects were presented. An example would be describing the number of organisations you liaised with to obtain sponsors for an extracurricular project as being a go-getter.

Emancipation is the act by which a minor, who had limited legal rights and additional legal privileges, gains all the rights and responsibilities of an adult and has the legal capacity to act as an adult.

Emancipation does not change the effect of laws which restrict behavior by a minimum age.

Yes and No. We are fortunate in that we are provided with state of the art equipment. We have most of what is shown on television, and we perform a lot of the same functions as seen. However, our agency does not have lab capabilities. We document the scene, process for latent fingerprints and collect evidence. All laboratory analysis is performed at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement lab. Additionally, all our technicians are civilians, they do not conduct interviews nor do they have arrest powers. And finally, it is not as glamorous or as easy as it is on television. The actors and actresses never get dirty and always complete the crime scene documentation, the entire investigation, the autopsy, and lab analysis all in one hour. It is not uncommon for us to spend ten or twelve hours at a homicide scene just documenting the scene, processing for latent fingerprints, and collecting evidence.