Career roadmap
How to become a Private Detectives and Investigators
What you would actually do
The tasks Private Detectives and Investigatorss spend real time on, weighted by how central each one is to the job.
- Prepare investigation or incident reports.
- Use databases to locate investigation details or other information.
- Examine records or other types of data to investigate criminal activities.
- Testify at legal or legislative proceedings.
- Interview people to obtain information about actions or status of individuals.
- Investigate personal characteristics or activities of individuals.
- Observe individuals' activities to gather information or compile evidence.
- Record crime or accident scene evidence with video or still cameras.
The skills that actually carry the job
Scored on how much the work depends on each one — not a wishlist, a measurement.
- Active Listening4.1/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Reading Comprehension3.9/5
- Critical Thinking3.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.8/5
- Writing3.6/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.5/5
- Active Learning3.4/5
- Monitoring3.4/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4/5
Would this suit you?
Every occupation leans on a particular mix of interests. Here is the mix Private Detectives and Investigatorss are measured on — and our free 2-minute Career Match scores you on the same six.
- Conventional5.4/7
Ordering, checking, following a precise procedure accurately
- Enterprising4.1/7
Persuading, leading, selling, taking commercial risk
- Investigative3.9/7
Investigating, diagnosing, reasoning through problems with evidence
- Social2.8/7
Helping, teaching, caring for and working directly with people
- Realistic2.4/7
Hands-on, practical, working with tools, machines or the body
- Artistic1.5/7
Creating, expressing, working without a fixed procedure
Interest profiles from the O*NET 29.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0.
