What a Career in Private Investigation Involves?
Hearing the words “private investigators” makes you think of all the cool action movies and it even piques your interest to become a real-life Sherlock Holme. Although in reality, there’s not as much action in the lives of private detectives as portrayed in the movies. You need to have a fine set of skills to successfully execute your job to satisfy your clients. In addition to this, some countries require you to have at least a bachelor’s degree with some detective services background while others require you to get training from a professional tutor at a detective training institute.
Before you kick start your career, you must be familiar with what it is like to become a private investigator. Keep reading!
What Do Private Investigators Do?
A private investigator can either work as a freelancer or with an agency. Either way, they are required to do everything from recording the findings in a report to performing personal background checks on the target. And if you wonder what a private investigator’s workflow looks like you could be interested in the main responsibilities of a private detective that are listed below:
- Interviewing people to gather info – An investigator interviews people who are involved in the investigation to make the case easier and records their findings as well.
- Extensive research – This point includes tracking down social media accounts, history, source of employment, past criminal record of the person, and verifying the sources.
- Going undercover – Such as acting like a customer in a business shop to dig the case deeper.
- Meetings with the client – A private detective also meets with the client to update them on the progress of the case or ask about further info that may help with the case.
- Collaborating with the police – If there’s a need for a private investigator in a case, law enforcement agencies may also hire them to help capture the suspect with reasonable evidence and studies.
- Helping in different cases – Criminal and civil liability cases along with insurance claims and missing person cases.
- Collecting proofs and presenting them in court – The private investigator, with all the necessary evidence, can give a testimony in the court when required.
What Skills Are In Demand?
While most of the skills may be inherited, you may require to hone other skills to become a quick-witted private investigator. The core skills are given below.
- Observational skills – Not everything is as it seems to be, especially when you’re on the hunt to capture the suspect. Hence, you need to have excellent analytical skills and evaluate different situations with skepticism.
- Interviewing skills – Gathering evidence by interviewing the individuals who may be involved in the case in such a way they don’t feel they’re being investigated. You should also be able to analyze when someone is lying and how to extract answers from them.
- Computer skills – When tailing someone, you need to have a strong grip on using the computer along with audio and video equipment.
- Organizational skills – That is being able to work on different tasks at a time without panicking or losing track.
Private Investigator Salary
According to Forbes, a private investigator in the USA earns slightly more than an average wage earner that is around $57,100 per year. The salary fluctuates from state to state depending on the cost of living as well.
However, the highest paying state in the US is California with an average salary of $68,570 while in New York it’s slightly less than $59,100. The least paying state is Florida with an average yearly salary of $41,750.
Whereas, in Australia, a private detective is paid an average of Australian $40 per hour. A mid-career to experienced investigator earns around Australian $45 per hour.
