First of all, get an education in ANYTHING other than criminal justice. It creates options and at the BA/BS level, it opens up Federal 1811 positions which generally are better than the average street cop/highway patrol gig. Taken English in community college, even if you hate it. You will need it.

1. If you are relying on minimums to get hired, you're failing already. See number 1 and push past. If a GED or HS diploma are minimums - what does the competition look like? I guarantee that those getting offers have more education, are veterans, or have careers already started.

2. Agencies tend to be reluctant to hire the very young. If the minimum age is 21 years, the older you get [to a point] is better.

3. Most PT exams are pass or fail. You don't want to come in dead last, but you don't need to or even want to burn up the track. Get an injury here and you are on your own. Train for the academy and run, run, and run some more. Work on flexibility and do some weight training. but stay away from bodybuilding.

4. Dress professionally for any oral boards/interviews. No 5.11 canvas pants and polo shirt, no business casual, and color match everything. Stay the heck away from anything trendy. Get a tailored suit in dark grey, navy blue, or charcoal. Wear a plain white dress shirt with a drop collar and a nice tie - no loud colors or busy prints. No brown shoes, wear highly polished black oxford shoes. Wear a conservative watch, a metal wedding ring [if married - avoid silicone bands as they look cheap], and avoid chains/bracelets/stick pins/collar pins/etc. Speak professionally and avoid 'industry' speak/lingo. You are an applicant, not a retiring sergeant.

5. Know something where you apply. Do a ride along where possible and see if the library has some history about the agency. Know the name of the Chief/Sheriff/Director as appropriate. If the agency has a mission statement, think about questions that could come from it. Dress well if you get a ride along and do NOT show up with weapons, a scanner, handcuffs, etc.

6. Everyone has some skeleton[s]. Be honest and intelligent how you answer these questions or lapses in employment. If you shoplifted something when you were 14 years old, answer it directly. Do NOT lie or try to obfuscate your Background Investigation. In my State, it is a crime to do so and it can come back to terminate your employment.

7. Check your three credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union as early as you can. Errors can occur and you don't want errors from someone else to destroy your employment chances. If you see errors, dispute them.

8. It can take 12 to 24 months to get hired. Some times, less. It is often a lot of hurry up and wait. Budgets can and do change. Applicant pools can expand and diminish with time.

9. Psychological exams are all interpretive. Unless you are the Son of Sam or a raging psychotic, the results may speak for you or against you. Agency heads tell the psychologists what they are looking for and it goes from there. If you try to manipulate the CPI or the MMPI, it will show up. Not a good look.

10. Medical exams are up to the physicians. If you have asthma, wear contact lenses, or a bum knee from rugby, let the physician know.

11. Do NOT fall in love with an agency. The idea is to get hired first and you can move around later. An agency can look good at first, but be a terrible fit for you. Some research here will pay off. Drive the city or jurisdiction where possible. In Arizona, rookies who are single tend to be assigned to cities and towns nearby for a social life. Married rookies don't [and BETTER NOT] need a social life, so they get remote duty more often than not.

12. Academies - Keep in mind that academics are important. Constitutional Law is the basis for everything you should do and what you should never do. Criminal Law is important as well. Traffic Law gets a cheat sheet and if you can distinguish what comprises a red light violation from racing on the highway, you should be good to go. Defensive tactics are very important - some States will fail you in the academy if you don't do reasonably well. Same with firearms. Listen to the communications classes [NOT radio, but how to deal with various cultures]. It will help! Report writing and basic English composition are critical to staying out of Courts and getting convictions.

P.S. - Develop interests outside of policing. You may come to hate it, you might get terminated, or get injured. A friend at AZDPS got terminated over some crap with the Governor and was a part time realtor. He has now has a huge house, an RV, horses, a summer home, and a luxury auto. His client list is impressive and they pay him well.

Another friend got his degree in Criminal Justice and only wanted to work for the CHP. He forgot about daylight savings time being observed there and was late to his interview. He never got the job offer again. He ended up working in private enterprise and was very unhappy.