20 Tips for Aspiring CSIs: The Complete 3-Part Series

20 Tips for Aspiring CSIs: The Complete 3-Part Series

60 practical tips for exploring the career, preparing to apply, and navigating your first year.

Interested in becoming a Crime Scene Investigator but unsure what to focus on next? Choosing classes, building experience, preparing for interviews, and learning the job each bring different questions.

This three-part collection from the Forensic Science Academy organizes those questions into three stages. Each illustrated guide offers concise, plain-language tips you can revisit as your career develops.

Your bundle includes all three guides:

Part 1: Getting Started

Explore the foundations of preparing for a CSI career. Learn why reviewing job postings matters before choosing coursework, how field and laboratory roles differ, and where internships or related positions may fit into your plans. Topics also include training, certificates versus certifications, practical skills, and preparing for your first weeks on the job.

Part 2: Landing the Job

Give your application preparation more direction. Review tips for presenting relevant experience on your resume, researching agencies, practicing interview answers, and preparing for possible practical assessments. You’ll also explore hiring timelines, background information, and the importance of accuracy and integrity throughout the process.

Part 3: Your First Year as a CSI

Explore professional habits to develop alongside your agency’s training. Topics include using approved forms, organizing scene notes, separating observations from assumptions, writing clear reports, preparing for testimony, recognizing your limits, and finding appropriate support when the work becomes difficult.

What you’ll receive:

• Three downloadable PDF guides.
• 20 numbered tips per guide, totaling 60 tips.
• Six pages per guide, totaling 18 illustrated pages.
• CSI-themed illustrations and clearly organized sections.
• Linked topic lists for easier navigation.
• US Letter layouts for digital reading or printing.

This collection is designed for forensic science and criminal justice students, career changers, entry-level CSI applicants, and investigators beginning their careers. Start with the guide that matches your current stage, then return to the others as your goals change.

Dr. Terri Armenta prepared this guide for the Forensic Science Academy.

Get the complete three-part series for $15 USD.

Download the collection and identify your next steps toward preparing for a CSI career.

Digital download: one ZIP file containing three PDF guides. No physical product is included.

These guides provide general educational and career information. Hiring requirements and procedures vary by agency. They do not replace agency training, provide professional certification, or guarantee employment.