CORE
COMPETENCIES
The FBI is an equal opportunity employer.
Last revised November 2023.
FBI CORE COMPETENCIES
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FBI CORE COMPETENCIES
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identies the following Core Competencies as
true indicators of skills necessary to be successful not only as a special agent, but in all
roles at the FBI. These eight specialized traits represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities
that all of our employees are expected to cultivate and apply to their important work in
fullling our mission.
Collaboration
As an employee with the FBI, you are
expected to work with your team to develop
ideas, solve problems, and achieve a
common goal while leveraging each others’
expertise and various perspectives. You
should establish rapport with the community
and internal FBI partners; maintain
composure and display professionalism;
and share information with others you deem
appropriate when needed.
Liaise — Establish contacts and interact effectively
with federal, state, and local agencies; government
ocials; the community; internal FBI contacts; and
other organizations and agencies.
Demonstrate Political Savvy — Navigate effectively
within the organization’s social, political, and
technological systems.
Show Respect — Interact with others in a courteous
manner; display composure; rmly maintain position
without becoming defensive; and confront others
with tact.
Share Information — Express yourself concisely
and clearly; use appropriate tone in conversation;
present information in a well-organized manner;
provide sucient detail to ensure communication
is understood; write in a clear, concise manner
appropriate for the audience; and proactively identify
who needs information and share when appropriate.
Communication
Each day, and in any assignment or
meeting, you should express your oral
and written thoughts and ideas clearly,
concisely, persuasively, and effectively.
You should be able to interpret
and understand verbal or written
communications, tailor communications
to the recipient experience, exposure,
or expertise, and proactively share
information with others when appropriate.
Persuade — Inuence others to accept an idea or
point of view; provide compelling reasons to accept
a change or course of action.
Listen and Interpret — Understand and identify
key spoken information; be sensitive to verbal
and nonverbal cues from others; ask probing
questions to collect additional information or
clarify a message; respond appropriately to
questions; and paraphrase what has been said to
conrm understanding.
Speak Clearly — Express yourself concisely and
clearly; use appropriate tone in conversation; present
information in a well-organized manner; and provide
sucient detail to ensure communication
is understood.
Write Clearly — Write in a clear, concise manner
appropriate for the audience.
FBI CORE COMPETENCIES
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Flexibility and
Adaptability
As a part of the FBI, you are expected to
adapt rapidly to changing circumstances,
anticipate problems, and work proactively
to solve them. You should also accept new
direction eagerly and positively consider
varying perspectives when offered.
Adapt — Adapt to unanticipated problems or
conicts; respond positively and productively to
work challenges.
Manage Change — Respond positively to and
successfully manage change at work; support
organizational change in a positive and productive
manner; and willingly accept new priorities,
procedures, or goals.
Initiative
In all capacities, you are expected to
display a willingness to begin or participate
in new projects, anticipate and plan for
additional workloads, show interest
and positivity despite setbacks, and
eagerly accept or respond to problems or
subsequent tasks.
Be Proactive — Take action in anticipation of future
needs or opportunities; initiate activity to accomplish
a task or goal; pursue participation in activities; and
volunteer ideas, resources, or efforts.
Develop Self — Continually strive to develop skills and
abilities; learn from others.
Follow Through — Persist at a task despite setbacks;
plan for and accomplish follow-up activities
necessary to accomplish goals.
Interpersonal
Ability
As an FBI employee, you are expected
to maintain professionalism with
others, establish and maintain rapport
with management, colleagues, and
subordinates, and recognize the necessity
to show sensitivity to the differences in the
needs and concerns of others. You should
also have the ability to mediate concerns
between individuals and groups, as well as
settle disputes when needed.
Establish Rapport — Put others at ease; engage
others in conversation; and express empathy and
genuine interest.
Be Sensitive to Differences — Keep an open mind;
understand and appreciate the opinions of others;
see things from a different point of view.
Resolve and Manage Conict — Successfully
mediate concerns between individuals and groups
while considering organizational objectives; develop
agreements and settle disputes equitably; nd
common ground; and obtain cooperation with
minimum disruption.
Work with Others — Collaborate to identify and
achieve common goals.
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Leadership
Even if you are not in a leadership role,
you should be able to motivate and inspire
those around you, help to develop and
mentor other teammates, and gain the
respect, condence, and loyalty of others.
You must also be able to articulate a vision,
give guidance when needed, and provide
direction to accomplish goals.
Mentor — Recognize positive and negative
performance in others; provide objective, direct, and
timely feedback; and provide guidance to others on
how to develop skills and abilities.
Direct — Take a leadership role with others; provide
clear objectives and goals; demonstrate calm and
condence when dealing with others; and clearly
articulate responsibilities.
Inspire — Motivate others to work toward a
common goal or objective; inuence others by
articulating a vision.
Presence — Engender respect and loyalty from
others by demonstrating credibility, professionalism,
and integrity.
Set Strategic Direction — Conceptualize, develop
and articulate the vision, strategy, and goals to
set direction; integrate the vision into daily work
activities.
Organizing and Planning
In all of your responsibilities, you must be
able to establish priorities, timetables, and
goals; structure a plan of action for yourself
and others; and develop both strategic and
tactical plans.
Plan — Identify a goal and the resources necessary
to achieve it by attending to detail; identify potential
problems and ways to avoid or overcome them;
recognize consequences to actions; and establish
necessary follow-up steps.
Prioritize — Determine the relative importance of
tasks or goals; take time and effort in relation to task
importance; use time and resources eciently; and
avoid being distracted by irrelevant issues.
Problem Solving and
Judgment
As an FBI employee, you must be able to
critically evaluate conditions, events, and
alternatives; identify problems, causes,
and relationships; and base your decisions,
objective opinions, or recommendations on
data or sound reasoning.
Identify Problems and Opportunities — Recognize
when and where problems and opportunities exist;
determine the causes of problems; accurately
dene and understand the nature of a problem; and
capitalize on opportunities to solve them together
when possible.
Make Decisions — Solve problems effectively; use
appropriate information in determining solutions to
problems; and evaluate strengths and weaknesses
of potential solutions to problems.
Manage Risks — Identify and mitigate risk; take
calculated and innovative risks.
Accept Responsibility — Take ownership of
problems and the need to solve them; weigh risks
of potential solutions and determine if appropriate;
make decisions in a timely manner; and defend
decisions when challenged.
Evaluate and Analyze — Evaluate data, conditions,
and events to support conclusions.
