FBI ON A MISSION TO HIRE HUNDREDS OF NEW AGENTS

A new "wanted" poster around the FBI these days seeks 966 new agents and
1,400 clerical staffers to join the bureau's ranks in the biggest hiring
drive since the Vietnam War.

Flush with extra millions from Congress and a new mission to squash
terrorism with highly skilled agents, FBI headquarters has already received
more applicants in two months than the bureau usually gets in a year.

"People recognize the FBI is in the forefront of combating terrorism and
they want to be part of it," said Charles S. Prouty, special agent in
charge of the FBI in Boston.

The government is counting on that war effort mentality to convince high
tech experts, engineers and language experts to forego bigger private
sector salaries for a job where the pay starts at $53,743-$58,335.

"We have a new focus," said Prouty, who was a Navy SEAL when he joined the
bureau in the 1970s. "Our No. 1 critical skill right now is computer
science and information technology specialists."

Patriotic fervor since the Sept. 11 terror attacks has overshadowed the
headline-grabbing FBI blunders at Waco, Ruby Ridge and the prosecution of
Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to put a new shine on the bureau.

Cover letters from some of the 19,000 applicants since February reveal
people driven to help their country, according to Boston FBI recruiter Pam
Swanson.

"They're saying, 'I work in private industry but I have to do something. I
have to help our country to remain the democracy that it is,' " Swanson said.

A doctor, a dentist and a college professor are among those who recently
switched career paths to join the bureau, she said.

Applicants also are needed who are proficient in Arabic, Farsi, Pashtu,
Urdu, Chinese dialects, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Basic requirements are that applicants must be citizens ages 26-36 with
three years of work experience and a four-year college degree.

But few will make the cut.

Historically less than 5 percent will get a job offer.

A written test measuring analytical abilities, personality and math skills
knocks out 30 percent, according to the bureau.

The interview process eliminates half of the remaining applicants. Then an
extensive background check and polygraph test whittles down the pool further.

So the bureau is pushing hard to bring in enough potential agents to find
new hires by the end of September.

Field offices are competing with each other to bring in the most candidates.

The Boston office has openings for two agents and several clerical
personnel, but new agents can't choose their post.

Swanson visits college campuses around New England and also makes stops at
high schools. During the school visits, teens learn that early
experimentation with drugs could make them unable to pass an FBI hiring
polygraph.

Applicants who have used marijuana more than 15 times in their life and
heroin or cocaine more than five times will be rejected under bureau policies.

Then there's the grueling 16-week FBI training program at the academy in
Quantico, Va., where recruits try to solve crimes in a fake town with
stores and props straight out of a Hollywood back lot.

They take weapons and combat training, of course, as well as classes in
ethics, federal statutes and liability.

Recruits earn an annual $43,705 during training.

New graduates spend two years on probation working out of a city assigned
by the bureau. The first stop in a career usually lasts four years,
according to the bureau.

Once hired, few agents leave to pursue other careers, according to FBI
statistics. Pay usually tops out around $113,000 a year. Managers can earn
more. Mandatory retirement comes at age 67.

The bureau pitches the diversity of FBI assignments available in addition
to anti-terrorism work over a long career: fighting organized crime, bank
robbery, health care fraud.

Got what it takes?

Facts about becoming an FBI special agent:

Must be a U.S. citizen between ages of 23-36

Have a four-year college degree plus three years of work experience (work
rule waived for computer science experts)

No felony record

Must pass an extensive background check, fitness test and polygraph test

Must not have used marijuana more than 15 times and must have no marijuana
use in past three years

No other drug use, including anabolic steroids, within the last 10 years or
more than five times ever

Starting salary $53,743-$58,335