Note card for interveiw?

[sgtcvfd]

I am prepairing for my oral interview and would like some input on having a note card or two for some questions that may need additional detail. Good or bad is okay. Thanks :confused:

[Golzy12]

What exactly do you mean, do you want to use the notecards during the interview to read off of, or do you want to use the note cards to hand out to the panel. If your thinking about reading off of the card, I would check with the department first. I definetly wouldn't just bring in note cards to read off of. It might make the panel mad, and if you have your awnsers written on the cards they would probably wonder how you knew which questions were going to be asked.

[Matty8378]

I think that reading off of cards during an interview would NOT be a good idea. You will look extremely unprepaired.

[sgtcvfd]

Thanks, point taken. I sometimes can get lost in my thoughts.

[BCLepore]

No, it would be silly to read your answer from a notecard. On the other hand, I am sure it would leave an impression on the oral board!

You're making this harder than it needs to be. The answers should come from your heart, not from your memory. You are wise trying to pepare but trying to MEMORIZE answers is a HUGE mistake.

[CaptBob]

Notes and Resumes

A firefighter suggested:

I think you should include a resume with your application AND be
prepared to hand a copy to each potential interviewer. When I
interviewed, it was in front of a panel of seven people. I made sure to
greet and shake hands with each person and when the time was
appropriate, had each one a resume. I also kept a copy in front of
myself incase I lost my thought, or forgot to mention something
(interview nerves). You can get a neat looking folder/binder to bring
your materials with you (resumes, pen).

This extra effort on your part will show that you came prepared for the
interview and may be the little thing that could help you when it comes to decision time. Good Luck!

CB Reply: It's your choice. But believe it or not, the candidate is not
running the interview. You don't want any surprises in your interview.
All you have to do is piss off one rater and your score could drop you
out of the running.

I can tell you taking in notes or reading off your resume just
doesn't play as good as it sounds. If you try this caper of trying to read notes or your resume it can upset the normal flow of the interview.

And, glancing down reading your own resume could be taken as insulting
to the panel and smells of not really being prepared.

>From the candidate:

I'd have to disagree. Having your resume out in front of you as an
EMERGENCY REFERENCE incase you stumble will look better than sitting
there with a case of the babbles. Not any one person has all the
answers. Look neat, be prepared, practice answering questions BEFORE the
interview and stick with it. its the best job out there!!

CB Reply: Timing?????? You can do this anyway you want.

Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't part of the interview process trying to
determine if a candidate can prepare to work in a stressful situation,
make it through the academy and being placed on the floor to be able to
respond to anything they might throw at them?

If you have to take in notes to review to make it through the oral, will
you need the same to function in the position?

After witnessing several candidates attempt to read from a script I
don't believe it's putting their best foot forward. It interferes with
their timing, inflection, causes them to add in lots of pause fillers
like an's, ums, you knows and become monotone.

No doubt many can have butterflies. The trick is to get them all to fly
in the same formation that counts. There are better ways to prepare.

We report. You decide.

>From CALFFBOU Ok, my turn...

Ok, I admit, I have failed. Failed probably at least 20 times at
Firefighter oral boards. Why? Because I didn’t have my lines down. I
wasn’t prepared in my head. (Now I am)

YOU NEED TO BE READY WITHOUT YOUR RESUME BEFORE YOU WALK IN THE DOOR.

"Why do you want to be a Firefighter?" Ummm...One moment while I look at
my notes. Ummm...Do you see the actors look at the scrip during the
final shot? No, of course not.

Are you going to have the IFSTA manual inside the burning building with
you during fire attack? No. Get a clue, my friend. Have your lines
down. Know your work history and where you’ve been. No need to look down
at a script/resume during the interview process.

I am speaking from experience. Know your lines, know your past and know yourself. Be ready ahead of time. Stopping to look down at a resume only looks unprepared and slows down the interview process. The guy after you might be more ready and get the
job. -Bou

[CaptBob]

Some will say, “Well, if I practice it too much it will sound canned.” NO it won’t! It sure will be planned though. Practice makes permanent. “Luck is preparation meeting opportunity.”

You need to get married to your hand-held tape recorder. You need to hear what the oral board is going to hear out of your mouth. It’s narrows the distance between you and the badge you’re looking for!

Using a tape recorder will help you get your timing, inflection, volume, where to cut out material, get rid of the uh’s and other pause fillers, or to find out if you really sound like Donald Duck.
What is the first thing a candidate says when he hears his voice on a tape recorder? Yep. That’s not me. Yes, it is McFly. You need to get married to a hand held tape recorder and practice everywhere you go.

This is usually a guy thing. Guys think about their answers in their head and write them down. Then they think their answers are going to come out of their mouths like magic in the oral. Trust me, they don’t! The brain and mouth don’t work that way.

Try this. Take 3X5 cards and write down your oral board questions. Practice your answers with the tape recorder. If you hear something you do not like when you play it back, turn over the 3X5 card and write it down. The next time you go after that question, turn over the card first and see what you don’t want to say.

Let me tell you how critical this really is. If you’re not using a tape recorder to practice, practice, practice, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse and over learn your material until it becomes second nature to you, you might as well not show up for the interview. You are wasting the oral boards time and your time! Seek out another career. Understand you still have to interview there too.

One practice session with a tape recorder is worth 10 speaking out louds. After practicing, you will get to a point where your answers will get into your subconscious. That’s where the magic begins. You can’t be fooled.

One candidate said they he was not good at taking oral boards. But once he practiced his answers he had a way to have them in a file in his head. When a question was asked he look up scrolled down in his mind to where that question was and clicked on the answer. He has since been hired.

Just received the following:

Hey Captain,
I don't know if this is Bob or Rob but I wanted to let both of you know that I went to private coaching with Rob last week at your home. I was really excited about testing for a local city, but I also had an interview in LA City first. Well, I studied all my material like you said, went to the oral board in LA, and did exactly what I had prepared for. I waited in the waiting room after my interview with the rest of the candidates for about five minutes and then one of the interviewers came out and asked to talk to me in the hall. She gave me a card that had directions for furthering in the process. Then she smiled and told me that I got a perfect score. A PERFECT SCORE!! I was smiling and laughing the whole way out. I know I don't have my badge yet but this is such a great step for me and I can't wait to test in my area. Oh yeah, I don't know if you remembered, but this was my very first oral board. Thank you so much for your help, I know I couldn't have done as well without it. Sincerely, Nick

CB: When you prepare this is how things can happen.