The Gen ‘C’ Candidate: Trends, Strengths, and Challenges in the Preemployment Psychological Evaluation of Post-COVID Candidates

Law enforcement agencies are struggling to find and recruit strong applicants. The typical applicants are now choosing different professions. Only 8% of police personnel reported in 2020 that they would recommend their job to others. So, what are the trends seen in the “Gen C” preemployment psychological evaluations? How are these candidates performing in their academies and probationary terms? Given these Gen C candidates, the agency needs, and the evolution of law enforcement, the preemployment psychological evaluation has increased significance in the hiring process. Current research on post-COVID era candidates, multicultural considerations of the psychological evaluation, and issues in recruitment and retention of these candidates will be presented.