A couple of weeks after this I received a call from my placement officer stating that based on the results of my interview that I am a threat to myself and/or others and cannot serve as a volunteer. I was soooo disappointed. My placement officer was extremely nice to me and explained what options I had. Basically I had to wait a year to retake the interview, and she'd put my file on hold. She urged me to obtain a copy of the interview to see why the decision was made. Well I did this - and the biggest blotch on my interview was that the interviewer didn't believe I was being honest! She made several notes that at 6'3" 190 lbs that I shouldn't be drunk after 8 or 9 beers in 2 or 3 hours of drinking on a Friday night during my 2nd semester of my Sophomore year of college (no exaggeration - questions were THAT specific, and this covered every semester of high school, college, and since. Well, honestly, I don't remember how many beers I had on a typical Friday night, or how many hours of drinking it was. It varied weekly - these were all estimates, and I had told her that in the interview.
I was convicted of a DUI in 2003. I knew it would be an issue when I applied, but I was willing to still give it a shot.
I'm not sure if it will be the same for you, as you weren't convicted, but I've had a similar experience: (bear with me, this could be long:
I was convicted of a DUI in 2003. I knew it would be an issue when I applied, but I was willing to still give it a shot. There's plenty of extra paperwork & forms, as well as a couple of extra essays to write - but nothing bad. My recruiter wasn't all too concerned about it. It was brought up in my interview, and I just explained how it was a stupid mistake and that I've matured since then. Based on your experience/credentials you should get nominated by your recruiter.
That being said, once you move on to your placement officer it becomes MUCH more of an issue. That is when they do the criminal background check. I was asked some basic questions, and had to fill out a few more forms & write another essay. The big thing was that I had to arrange a phone interview concerning my arrest. I scheduled the interview and was informed that it could take long so make time for it. It lasted about an hour and a half and covered every drop of alcohol I've had since I spit out my first taste of beer that my dad jokingly offered when I was little. I felt that the interview went well, as I was honest with my answers and I rarely drink anymore.
A couple of weeks after this I received a call from my placement officer stating that based on the results of my interview that I am a threat to myself and/or others and cannot serve as a volunteer. I was soooo disappointed. My placement officer was extremely nice to me and explained what options I had. Basically I had to wait a year to retake the interview, and she'd put my file on hold. She urged me to obtain a copy of the interview to see why the decision was made. Well I did this - and the biggest blotch on my interview was that the interviewer didn't believe I was being honest! She made several notes that at 6'3" 190 lbs that I shouldn't be drunk after 8 or 9 beers in 2 or 3 hours of drinking on a Friday night during my 2nd semester of my Sophomore year of college (no exaggeration - questions were THAT specific, and this covered every semester of high school, college, and since. Well, honestly, I don't remember how many beers I had on a typical Friday night, or how many hours of drinking it was. It varied weekly - these were all estimates, and I had told her that in the interview.
Whatever, there was nothing I could do but wait a year. So I did. I had to fill out more forms/essays (basically the same ones I had already done) after a year. This time around while evertyhing was getting finalized before the dreaded interview (and I was sweating it out!), my placement officer called and said we would move forward withouth the interview this time. I don't know the politics behind it, but I think she just vouched for me based on my file. I was/am so grateful for her trust, and am now awaiting an invitation.
Although you weren't convicted, I assume you will go through most of this, including the extra interview. My advice is to prep for that interview as much as possible (being honest may not be quite enough!). If you had any more specific questions I'd be happy to answer. I'm sorry for the length of this post but I hope it was helpful.
