:: Interview Tips ::
:: Firefighter Interview ::
Secret "Nuggets"
By the time you finish reading this article, you will have a better understanding of the
oral board process. You will already have improved your interview score by getting
some of the secret "Nuggets".
What's a "Nugget?"
A "Nugget" is an answer to an oral board question that will get you your best score
(highest possible) on that question, satisfy the board, and cause them to go on to
the next question. You will get bonus points by personalizing your answer.
The "Nugget Principle" enables applicants to personalize their presentations to
separate them from the "clone" candidates. No one else can tell your story. Once
you start lacing answers with your personal life experiences, no matter if they aren't
fire department related, is where you start creating the magic.
The Oral Interview
According to retired Hayward, CA Battalion Chief Dennis O’Sullivan, "The oral
interview gets you the job! This is where you putt for dollars. Understand one very
important thing here. If I’m on you're interview panel and your my kind of guy or gal, I
will fill in some of the blanks to make up for your short comings. If you start off
without establishing this natural bridge and being a know it all a$$, I will never fill in
any of your short comings. This is human nature."
Don't be A Clone Candidate!
It’s not the interview questions that are the problem, it’s the answers! Unfortunately
many candidates become clones and give clone answers. And the bigger problem
is they don’t know it. I hate to say, but often they are cloned in fire colleges and
academies. Clone answers can doom your oral board.
A friend Donna stopped me at Starbucks. Two Sons of a family friend had
graduated from a fire academy last year. Both were having trouble getting hired.
She wanted my card to have them get in touch with me. While we were in line, one
of our candidates Nick walked in and yelled, "Captain Bob" I got hired two months
ago.
Donna had dinner with the family and gave them the card. Two weeks later Donna
was surprised they hadn't called. She said, "My gosh one son has had 10
interviews and he hasn't been hired. I told her that's not uncommon. Candidates
coming out of fire academies are pumped up like Marines with their bulletproof
academy T-shirts. They have been given mock orals, use 3X5 flash cards with oral
board questions and answers, run these by their friends and think all they have to
do is show up for the oral and the job is theirs. Even after not getting a job after
several attempts they have some how convinced themselves between the four
inches between their ears that just around the corner at the next interview they will
get the job.
One of our officers was on an oral board for a big city. Several boards interviewed
965 candidates. His board interviewed 135 candidates over a period of 10 days.
Imagine you were this officer and it is the fifth day of interviewing. You have just
come back from lunch where the city has wined and dined you. You’re tired and you
know you have another five days of interviews ahead of you.
The next candidate is called in. The first question you ask is, "What sparked your
interest and why do you want to be a firefighter?" He proceeds to give you the same
clone answers you have heard from almost every candidate for five days. Public
service, helping people, not the same thing every day, blah blah blah. The magic
that you needed to hook up with the oral board has passed and you didn’t hook
them into listening to your stuff. You have just scored yourself. Trust me. You can
see the glaze come over the raters’ eyes. It’s like a deer caught in the headlights.
They are gone and they won’t come back.
These tips are courtesy of eatstress.com
Why Do You Want to be a Firefighter?
This is one of the toughest questions to answer without sounding like a Clone.
Often it could be one of the first if not the first question.
I want to clear the air about using clone answers. It’s not that you can’t use clone
answers. You can. But first you need to deliver a personalized signature story about
you relating to the question. Not a clone answer of anyone else. I haven’t met a
candidate yet that couldn’t come up with signature stories. Signature stories
demonstrate experience. They also tell that you not only know the answer to a
question, you’ve already lived it.
How long do you think you have to present yourself to the oral board before you put
them to sleep? 32 seconds. That's right! If you open with a clone answer you will
see the glaze come over the boards eyes like a deer caught in the headlights or a
child in front of a TV. They will go away and not come back. You have just scored
yourself. Believe me. I've been on over 175 oral boards.
If you opened with a personalized story (your signature story) about you that the
board has never heard, you grab their attention in that first 32 seconds and it's
Show Time!
I was coaching a candidate one day and he was giving me those clone answers
why he wanted to be a firefighter. I stopped him and had him rewind the video tape
of his life to where he first got the spark to be a firefighter. He said, "Oh, I'm from
South America. When I was growing up, we lived with my Grand Father who was the
fire Chief of the city. I got to go with him and be exposed to the who department."
I asked if he had ever told that story in any of his oral board interviews? He said,
"No". Why not? I will bet you big money you are a clone candidate right now. But, I
bet you also have some personal signature stories that could instantly change
your interview scores.
Practice those stories, condense them down to a minute or less. Don't go on a
journey. The oral board is not packed for the trip. Once you answer an oral board
with a signature story, you can marry the rest of your answer with those clone
answers you have been using. Try it an see the amazing difference.
Firefighters love firefighter stories. If you open up with a signature story, you
instantly separate yourself from the other clone candidates. Stories show the oral
board who you really are. You capture the board and take them on a journey with a
story they have never heard. Is this making sense?
Case in point. I talked to a candidate who was dumping only clone answers on this
question. Then he realized he could begin his answer with a signature story. He
remembered a story he could use about a prank being played on him when he did
a ride along with his brother. He couldn't believe the difference. The story brought
smiles and laughter from the panel members. Along with the calls they went on by
the end of the day he knew this was the job that blended all his needs. He followed
this story with his standard landmark clone answers. This was the first question on
his oral. His answer made everyone more comfortable and the interview flowed a
lot smoother than before.
The toughest thing for candidates to do in an oral is to be themselves on purpose.
When you're yourself, you become conversational because you are on your own turf.
This alone can lower the stress and the butterflies. Every one has butterflies. The
trick is to get all the butterflies to all fly in the same formation.
Click here for more of these type of tips
By the time you finish reading this article, you will have a better understanding of the
oral board process. You will already have improved your interview score by getting
some of the secret "Nuggets".
What's a "Nugget?"
A "Nugget" is an answer to an oral board question that will get you your best score
(highest possible) on that question, satisfy the board, and cause them to go on to
the next question. You will get bonus points by personalizing your answer.
The "Nugget Principle" enables applicants to personalize their presentations to
separate them from the "clone" candidates. No one else can tell your story. Once
you start lacing answers with your personal life experiences, no matter if they aren't
fire department related, is where you start creating the magic.
The Oral Interview
According to retired Hayward, CA Battalion Chief Dennis O’Sullivan, "The oral
interview gets you the job! This is where you putt for dollars. Understand one very
important thing here. If I’m on you're interview panel and your my kind of guy or gal, I
will fill in some of the blanks to make up for your short comings. If you start off
without establishing this natural bridge and being a know it all a$$, I will never fill in
any of your short comings. This is human nature."
Don't be A Clone Candidate!
It’s not the interview questions that are the problem, it’s the answers! Unfortunately
many candidates become clones and give clone answers. And the bigger problem
is they don’t know it. I hate to say, but often they are cloned in fire colleges and
academies. Clone answers can doom your oral board.
A friend Donna stopped me at Starbucks. Two Sons of a family friend had
graduated from a fire academy last year. Both were having trouble getting hired.
She wanted my card to have them get in touch with me. While we were in line, one
of our candidates Nick walked in and yelled, "Captain Bob" I got hired two months
ago.
Donna had dinner with the family and gave them the card. Two weeks later Donna
was surprised they hadn't called. She said, "My gosh one son has had 10
interviews and he hasn't been hired. I told her that's not uncommon. Candidates
coming out of fire academies are pumped up like Marines with their bulletproof
academy T-shirts. They have been given mock orals, use 3X5 flash cards with oral
board questions and answers, run these by their friends and think all they have to
do is show up for the oral and the job is theirs. Even after not getting a job after
several attempts they have some how convinced themselves between the four
inches between their ears that just around the corner at the next interview they will
get the job.
One of our officers was on an oral board for a big city. Several boards interviewed
965 candidates. His board interviewed 135 candidates over a period of 10 days.
Imagine you were this officer and it is the fifth day of interviewing. You have just
come back from lunch where the city has wined and dined you. You’re tired and you
know you have another five days of interviews ahead of you.
The next candidate is called in. The first question you ask is, "What sparked your
interest and why do you want to be a firefighter?" He proceeds to give you the same
clone answers you have heard from almost every candidate for five days. Public
service, helping people, not the same thing every day, blah blah blah. The magic
that you needed to hook up with the oral board has passed and you didn’t hook
them into listening to your stuff. You have just scored yourself. Trust me. You can
see the glaze come over the raters’ eyes. It’s like a deer caught in the headlights.
They are gone and they won’t come back.
These tips are courtesy of eatstress.com
Why Do You Want to be a Firefighter?
This is one of the toughest questions to answer without sounding like a Clone.
Often it could be one of the first if not the first question.
I want to clear the air about using clone answers. It’s not that you can’t use clone
answers. You can. But first you need to deliver a personalized signature story about
you relating to the question. Not a clone answer of anyone else. I haven’t met a
candidate yet that couldn’t come up with signature stories. Signature stories
demonstrate experience. They also tell that you not only know the answer to a
question, you’ve already lived it.
How long do you think you have to present yourself to the oral board before you put
them to sleep? 32 seconds. That's right! If you open with a clone answer you will
see the glaze come over the boards eyes like a deer caught in the headlights or a
child in front of a TV. They will go away and not come back. You have just scored
yourself. Believe me. I've been on over 175 oral boards.
If you opened with a personalized story (your signature story) about you that the
board has never heard, you grab their attention in that first 32 seconds and it's
Show Time!
I was coaching a candidate one day and he was giving me those clone answers
why he wanted to be a firefighter. I stopped him and had him rewind the video tape
of his life to where he first got the spark to be a firefighter. He said, "Oh, I'm from
South America. When I was growing up, we lived with my Grand Father who was the
fire Chief of the city. I got to go with him and be exposed to the who department."
I asked if he had ever told that story in any of his oral board interviews? He said,
"No". Why not? I will bet you big money you are a clone candidate right now. But, I
bet you also have some personal signature stories that could instantly change
your interview scores.
Practice those stories, condense them down to a minute or less. Don't go on a
journey. The oral board is not packed for the trip. Once you answer an oral board
with a signature story, you can marry the rest of your answer with those clone
answers you have been using. Try it an see the amazing difference.
Firefighters love firefighter stories. If you open up with a signature story, you
instantly separate yourself from the other clone candidates. Stories show the oral
board who you really are. You capture the board and take them on a journey with a
story they have never heard. Is this making sense?
Case in point. I talked to a candidate who was dumping only clone answers on this
question. Then he realized he could begin his answer with a signature story. He
remembered a story he could use about a prank being played on him when he did
a ride along with his brother. He couldn't believe the difference. The story brought
smiles and laughter from the panel members. Along with the calls they went on by
the end of the day he knew this was the job that blended all his needs. He followed
this story with his standard landmark clone answers. This was the first question on
his oral. His answer made everyone more comfortable and the interview flowed a
lot smoother than before.
The toughest thing for candidates to do in an oral is to be themselves on purpose.
When you're yourself, you become conversational because you are on your own turf.
This alone can lower the stress and the butterflies. Every one has butterflies. The
trick is to get all the butterflies to all fly in the same formation.
Click here for more of these type of tips
1. Tell us about yourself.
2. Why do you want to be a
firefighter? When did you decide on
this career?
3. What is the job of a firefighter?
Are you qualified?
4. What have you done to prepare
for this position?
5. Why do you want to work for this
city or agency?
6. What do you know about this city
or agency?
7. What are your strengths?
Weaknesses?
8. What would your employer say
about you?
9. What are the attributes of a
firefighter? What is the most
important one to you?
How Would You Handle the
Following Scenarios?
10. Drinking or drugs on the job?
11. Stealing on the job?
12. Conflict with another employee?
13. What are the quality traits of a
firefighter? Which one is the most
important to you?
14. Have you ever been in an
emergency situation? Tell us what
you did?
15. Do you have anything to add?
2. Why do you want to be a
firefighter? When did you decide on
this career?
3. What is the job of a firefighter?
Are you qualified?
4. What have you done to prepare
for this position?
5. Why do you want to work for this
city or agency?
6. What do you know about this city
or agency?
7. What are your strengths?
Weaknesses?
8. What would your employer say
about you?
9. What are the attributes of a
firefighter? What is the most
important one to you?
How Would You Handle the
Following Scenarios?
10. Drinking or drugs on the job?
11. Stealing on the job?
12. Conflict with another employee?
13. What are the quality traits of a
firefighter? Which one is the most
important to you?
14. Have you ever been in an
emergency situation? Tell us what
you did?
15. Do you have anything to add?
| Basic Oral Board Questions courtesy eatstress.com |
If you are having trouble passing
the oral interview, eatstress.com
is a must visit website!!!
the oral interview, eatstress.com
is a must visit website!!!
Below is a small portion of tips from eatstress.com:
I am completely convinced that anyone who purchases the
Conquering the Interview CD/DVD set from eatstress.com and
applies the tips given by Captain Bob will pass the interview!
After going through Conquering the Interview, I received 100% on
my next interview which landed me a job as a firefighter. This
was a great investment!!!
Conquering the Interview CD/DVD set from eatstress.com and
applies the tips given by Captain Bob will pass the interview!
After going through Conquering the Interview, I received 100% on
my next interview which landed me a job as a firefighter. This
was a great investment!!!
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