FBI in Denver pushing to hire more women, people of color

Despite how its agents are depicted in Hollywood films, the FBI wants people to know that working for the bureau means more than kicking down doors and wearing suits.

To combat a growing number of vacancies, the agency charged with domestic security and intelligence is looking to hire more than 1,000 new agents over the next year. In Denver, the field office is focused on recruiting people of diverse backgrounds who might not see themselves as agents.

“We don’t want people to think this is a job just for men, or white men,” said Za Smith-Berthe, the special agent who coordinates applicants at the Denver office.

On Aug. 1, the Denver office is hosting an invitationonly recruitment event for people who meet the minimum qualifications and are interested in pursuing a career in the FBI. The potential applicants will have the chance to chat with special agents and learn more about the jobs. To encourage a more diverse applicant pool, the FBI is reaching out to local chapters of professional organizations for people of color, said Michelle Fehringer, a recruiter with the Denver office.

Over the past few years, the FBI has been pushing for more women and people of color to apply, said Dean Phillips, special agent in charge of the Denver FBI Field Office. The agency also wants people from a variety of professional backgrounds — such as engineering or accounting — to consider a career there.

“Diverse thought makes us stronger,” Phillips said.

Denver’s rapidly changing demographics and proximity to military bases in Colorado and Wyoming make the city a good place to recruit, he said.

Nationally, about 83 percent of FBI special agents are white and about 80 percent are men, agency statistics show. Former FBI Director James Comey started the push to diversify the bureau, Fehringer said.

In recent years, the FBI has struggled to fill vacancies left by retirements. The agency went on a hiring spree in the mid-1990s and many of those people are starting to retire, Phillips said. It can be especially difficult to hire during a strong job market, he said.

Williams applied to the FBI while working as a U.S. Air Force investigator at the Pentagon. FBI agents he knew encouraged him to apply and he did, in part just to see what would happen. Twenty years later, he said he has never regretted his decision. “It’s an incredible job,” he said.

The application process is grueling and takes about a year on average. Applicants must pass a critical thinking test, a panel interview, a physical fitness test and a background check before they can start training at the FBI Academy.

The FBI recently tweaked its testing processes and checked to make sure none of the tests or 20-yearold interview questions showed implicit bias, Fehringer said. In Denver, the legalization of marijuana has created problems, said Smith-Berthe. To be considered for the job, an applicant has to have been potfree for at least three years.

To attend the Aug. 1 event, interested people should apply online at FBIjobs.gov by searching “DAR Denver Talent Network” in the job field. Applicants must be between 23 and 36 years old, have a bachelor’s degree, two years of fulltime professional work experience and a valid U.S. driver’s license.