FireNuggets , Inc November 2017
department ,” then you better specifically have some good reasons as to why them , as opposed to any other fire department . However , when it comes to standard oral interview questions , especially hypothetical situations , be yourself and do what is right – ethically and legally .
• Remember not every oral board or department will like you or want you as much as you want them . A wise Fire Chief once told me there is a job out there for everyone – it may take you five tests to find that job , it may take you more than 100 tests to find that job . The key is how persistent and resilient you are in your pursuit of the badge . Most give up before even getting anywhere close to that 100 different tests , if not even 20 different tests as I ’ ve experienced . Yes , I ’ ve known some to have taken over 100 different tests before finally getting their first full-time career firefighter position . What ’ s the moral of that story ? They never gave up on their dream .
• While it is critical to listen to each question and answer each question with sufficient detail and depth , to get a high score , don ’ t think you have to be 100 % perfect with your answers . Nobody is ; and if you are , it may actually come across like you are too polished , or that you may have had access to the questions prior to walking in the room ( meaning your buddy who took the interview before you shared the questions so you could better prepare ). Oral board raters don ’ t look for , don ’ t expect and in many cases , don ’ t want you to be perfectly polished . They want human beings with heart , with feelings , with personality , and who will be a great person to work with for the next 25 to 35 or so years .
By Firefighters , For Firefighters
• You want the majority ( if not all ) of the raters to go to bat for you especially if there ever becomes a need to break a tie between two candidates . This means to not alienate anyone of the raters , for whatever reason . Some ways you can alienate raters include but are not limited to : not giving each of them eye contact ; saying inappropriate , insensitive , or offensive things ; or disrespecting somebody in some form or fashion . Yes , I ’ ve seen all of those things happen , and happen regularly .
• Be memorable , in a good way . One way to do this is by having unique answers to the oral board questions . It also helps to personalize your stories so that they remember you at the end of the day , and more importantly at the end of the interviews after they have seen over 100 candidates and at the time most of those candidates run together and are very forgettable because they were just average .
• Tell them you want to work and serve at their department . Amazingly many do not say this . Don ’ t beg or demonstrate you ’ re desperate , but have your passion and enthusiasm come across that they are the department of your dreams , not just a department to settle into early retirement for the next 30 years .
• Don ’ t be the one who walks into the room with a smile on their face , with passion and enthusiasm when introducing themselves to each oral board rater , and then as soon as you hit the chair to start answering questions , loses that smile , passion and enthusiasm and turns into a robot , or someone that is panicked and nervous as ever as many do . As soon as your butt hits the chair and you ’ re bracing for question # 1 , ensure that smile is on your face ( within
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