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Thread: 2/3 Border Patrol job applicants fail polygraph test, making hiring difficult

  1. #151
    Not that I have any exams coming up,

    but in the event I did in the future...


    How is one supposed to do a polygraph test knowing full well they're bullshit and dumb and inadmissible in many courts (and keep a straight face?)

  2. #152
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    Quote Originally Posted by rojocorsa View Post
    Not that I have any exams coming up,

    but in the event I did in the future...


    How is one supposed to do a polygraph test knowing full well they're bullshit and dumb and inadmissible in many courts (and keep a straight face?)
    Do you want the job? If so, let that motivate you to keep a “straight face”.

  3. #153
    Quote Originally Posted by Le Français View Post
    Do you want the job? If so, let that motivate you to keep a “straight face”.
    That would be my plan. I understand it's just another step.

    The last time I sat on a board, they conducted the board after the poly exam. And the first order of business was to discuss how I did on said poly. One of the officers opened up with this line about how these exams were 100% accurate and scientific, etc. Then they asked if I agreed. Being younger and less mature and extremely nervous at the time, I went along with it despite knowing they were dubious and both inadmissible in TX and fed court.

    Should I be asked about something like this again I'll have no choice but to be honest and tell the truth.

  4. #154
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    100% layman's question: what's the point of using a test whose results are so unreliable that it can't be used as evidence in court?

  5. #155
    My take based on having taken a couple during hiring process’ and having witnessed a few more as part of the job: People who believe the test is accurate and scientific may admit to things that they otherwise might have lied about. A polygraph isn’t about the machine. It’s an interview. The polygrapher should, ideally, be an excellent interviewer. The box is just a tool.
    My posts only represent my personal opinion and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official policies of any employer, past or present. Obvious spelling errors are likely the result of an iPhone keyboard.

  6. #156
    banana republican blues's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DanM View Post
    My take based on having taken a couple during hiring process’ and having witnessed a few more as part of the job: People who believe the test is accurate and scientific may admit to things that they otherwise might have lied about. A polygraph isn’t about the machine. It’s an interview. The polygrapher should, ideally, be an excellent interviewer. The box is just a tool.
    Spot on, Dan. I've seen guys who wouldn't know what to do with a nugget that they came upon. Others that knew exactly where to go from there. It's not the machine, it's the dynamic of the interview.
    There's nothing civil about this war.

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  7. #157
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    Quote Originally Posted by DanM View Post
    My take based on having taken a couple during hiring process’ and having witnessed a few more as part of the job: People who believe the test is accurate and scientific may admit to things that they otherwise might have lied about. A polygraph isn’t about the machine. It’s an interview. The polygrapher should, ideally, be an excellent interviewer. The box is just a tool.
    Thank you. That makes sense.

  8. #158
    We had a guy admit to being suicidal in the last batch of polygraphs... so I guess they “work.”

  9. #159
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    Sometimes "failing" a pre-employment polygraph is a blessing.

    In early '93 I had just taken the Personnel Board test and was put on the county-wide list for hire. I was called in for an interview with the local S.O's office. One of the questions during the polygraph was, "Have you ever taken, possessed, sold or given away any illegal drugs or substances?". I answered "No" (because I hadn't). After the poly, the interviewer said I had a "reaction" to that question and began grilling me further..."C'mon...everybody's done it at some point." I reiterated that I hadn't. I never got a call back from them.

    About a month later I got a call from a local suburban department. They asked the same question, I gave the same answer, and nothing was ever mentioned about it. I got the job a week later...making a lot better money and didn't have to work the jail for 5 years before going to patrol.

  10. #160
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    Polygraph results

    From the reading I've done, polygraph results aren't admissible in court because they aren't reliable. Until they are, using a polygraph for any reason is foolish. Having undergone a couple myself, I just wish that employers would have one of their HR people sitting in on the sessions. If they did, I think that companies would stop using them pretty quick because some of the questions can be completely inappropriate.

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