We know a lot of people are apprehensive about making a career move to a new field. Many of our EEO investigator training students made the successful transition into EEO. We spoke to two of our former students, Steve Minor and Denise Goldner, to get their perspectives. After completing the online training, Steve and Denise began conducting Federal-sector EEO investigations. In this post, we share Steve’s perspectives.
EEO Investigator Steve Minor, Investigator since August 2015
- Before becoming an investigator, what was your professional background? I was in law enforcement for more than 29 years before I retired in 2016. I worked all facets of law enforcement from walking a beat as a rookie officer to becoming a department-wide leader. In one my professional roles I served as the training officer responsible for administrative training, and I managed a cadre of instructors who delivered all in-service training for my department. My background also includes investigative experience in other forums beyond EEO investigations.
- Why did you decide to be an EEO investigator? I had a neighbor who worked for a veteran organization who recommended I become a contract EEO investigator when I retired. It seemed like an ideal position given my background.
- How long have you been investigating? I was certified in August 2015.
- What have been your biggest challenges as a new investigator? For me, it was the amount of typing. You have to be on top of your game because, it’s your “bread and butter” and, typing faster was what was going to make me the most efficient over time. I invested $36 for an online program called the Almena Method which teaches you how to memorize where each letter key is located. It was a great investment—I had the key memorized in less than one hour and it has help me type much faster. I also discovered a free app at keybr.com which helps increase typing speed.
- How did Art’s EEO investigator certification training course help prepare you for your first year as an investigator? The course was comprehensive. While no course can train to the different internal specifications of agencies or predict every eventuality, the course provides a comprehensive picture of EEO investigations, and provides a solid foundation for doing EEO investigations.
- What has helped you the most in your first year as an investigator? In addition to being able to contact the Art of Resolution instructors when I run into a complex investigative issue, I have found forming a network with other EEO investigators is indispensable. It is important to make contacts in the EEO investigative community because that’s where you can find guidance to complex issues. There are times where you run into a problem as an EEO investigator that you can’t find the answer in the manual or the statement of work. In those instances, friends with expertise are your best resources!
- Has you experience as an investigator been what you thought it would be? In some ways it has been more than what I thought it would be. It is a very satisfying job because you don’t have to deal with adversarial relationships with others, as one faces in law enforcement, at times. It is a liberating feeling to just focus on gathering the facts without having to worry about who is right or wrong. Having a role that is impartial and neutral is the best aspect for me—I don’t have to get mad at anyone, and nobody has to get mad at me.
We’re grateful to Steve for sharing his experience. We hope you find his insight informative and helpful. If you’re interested in growing your EEO network, we highly recommend LinkedIn. Here is a Certified Federal Sector EEO Investigators group https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3956705. If you are interested in learning more about our online certification training, click here.
In our next post, we’ll hear from Denise Goldner, another graduate of our online certification program.