What types of characteristics should a private investigator have?
A private investigator has to have a curiosity and an analytical mind. It's nothing like you see on TV or in movies. They have to look at a problem and a lot of times put themselves in the shoes of the person committing either the crime or the particular act that they are looking into and say, "if I was this guy, how would I do it?" Very rarely is information gathered through confrontation. You gather information through observation. You have to be very good at observation, you have to have a good memory, and you have to be ready to take notes on things that you have. You have to be credible, and you have to be willing to say when you screw up rather than trying to cover up a mistake that you make. This is because later on if you do not come off as being credible, because sometimes what you find out ends up in court, you will soon get a reputation as somebody who will make up the answer. You are never ever hired to defend a specific position. That's what the person tries to hire you for, but you are hired to find out the truth. You can't be a guy who's willing to take a buck to do anything to solve that person's problem.
