Workplace Is anybody in Fraud Investigation? Career help needed :p

[Darwin]

I'm beside myself because I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up (Yes I know I AM grown up, but I do still live at home...) I'm scared that I'm going to be one of those people that never knows...
I'm 24 with a BA in Anthropology and a Criminal Justice minor.
About a year ago I saw a posting for a Medicare Fraud Investigator and that really appealed to me- so I applied, and on a whim applied for a medicare claims job. Well I got the job in claims, never heard back from the fraud job. A month or so ago they had another opening, but at the same time a whole other department lost their jobs, so they got first pick at any open job, and again I didn't get it. So now there's another opening for this position... Do I apply and look like a huge idiot that keeps applying for the same position?

My mom has had screaming matches with me about the whole thing; she thinks that I'm supposed to go and find some random manager in the other company (the fraud job is for another company under the same umbrella company that I work for) and tell them how I want to work there... Which is slightly impossible seeing as how they are on a locked floor and I have no idea who to talk to and then there's the freaking WEIRD factor of the whole thing. My company is huge and that's just not in the realm of possibilty.

OR- What other kinds of investigation jobs are out there? Anybody work in one? Even though my major was Anthro- it's not the "go and study a culture" thing most people think of- I studied physical anthropology as well as forensic science and criminal justice. I actually thought I wanted to be a coroner for a long time, hah. I can't even consider staying in my current job for much longer- it's very very brainless and I'm losing my mind... I do 3 times the work of everybody in my department, which means I'm out of work before noon because there's not anything else for me to do once I'm done with my own. BUT the company pays $5k a year for school, so staying in the company and finishing my criminal justice major isn't out of the question, I guess. That would be the smart thing to do...

Any input is greatly appreciated

 

[Michele]

You could always look under the OPM website to see what Federal Government Jobs are out there. I actually work for the Justice Department and they paid for alot of my Master classes.

 

[Darwin]

You could always look under the OPM website to see what Federal Government Jobs are out there. I actually work for the Justice Department and they paid for alot of my Master classes.

I've been checking out usajobs.com... I can't seem to find anything that doesn't want grade zzxxx previously or this or that. The qualifications for previous experience/education confuse me with the ranks/grades. Gah.

 

[Michele]

Sometimes Agencies will also offer Internships, so you don't have to worry about the GS grade qualification. They place you at a level depending on your GPA. Just keep looking, hopefully something will show up. If I see something on our internal website I will PM you. There are usually annoucements for employment with FBI, Bureau of Prisons, Civil Rights, etc. I will keep my eyes upon for anything relating to Fraud.

 

[Darwin]

Sometimes Agencies will also offer Internships, so you don't have to worry about the GS grade qualification. They place you at a level depending on your GPA. Just keep looking, hopefully something will show up. If I see something on our internal website I will PM you. There are usually annoucements for employment with FBI, Bureau of Prisons, Civil Rights, etc. I will keep my eyes upon for anything relating to Fraud.

Thanks so much for the insight/help. I have all the class hours necessary for a death investigation certificate, but I have no idea how to get the practical stuff done... it's not like I can walk into a ME's office and ask to play around. Maybe I should try and get that, who knows where I'll end up some day.

 

[ilzabet]

Thanks so much for the insight/help. I have all the class hours necessary for a death investigation certificate, but I have no idea how to get the practical stuff done... it's not like I can walk into a ME's office and ask to play around. Maybe I should try and get that, who knows where I'll end up some day.

actually, if the practical hours aren't included in the class, that's pretty much exactly what you have to do (albeit with more professional wording). at least they'll be able to point you in the right direction.

have you thought about scheduling an appointment with someone who works in fraud investigation or medical examining to talk to them about their job? not in the company you're applying for nessicarily, but talking to someone about what they do, what kind of certifications they have, how they got where they are, etc can be really really informative. most people love to talk about themselves, and you can gleen a lot of really great info and sometimes even some contacts or a mentor. when i did it for another field, i sent out letters then followed that up with a phone call a week later to make the appointment. most people were receptive.

good luck!