chiefs interview?

[FFaranda072]

hey guys i am at the last phase of testing with a department for a transitional acaemy , i have made it through the test, practicals and the oral but i am new to the chiefs oral interview i am new to this part of testing . . any advice???

[DFurtman]

hey guys i am at the last phase of testing with a department for a transitional acaemy , i have made it through the test, practicals and the oral but i am new to the chiefs oral interview i am new to this part of testing . . any advice???


I'm sorry.. i don't have anything to add other than congratulations, getting to that step is pretty good. Are you related to an Arnulfo Aranda that did some time in the Navy?

-Damien

[CaptBob]

Even though this is for all of the marbles, don't panic now!

Many candidates start to panic when they are notified that they are going to a chief's. They think they have to reinvent themselves. Reinvent the wheel. WHOOAA! Understand what got you there. You are only going to the chiefs oral because of the great stuff you already used in the first oral. You're riding the winning pony. Don't switch ponies. You're coming around the club house turn, you shoot out from the back of the pack, go to the whip, you're on the winning pony, you're friends and family are on their feet in the stands cheering you on and you ride her home for the badge.

Too many candidates switch ponies because "they said". I've never been able to find out who "they" are. If you do not continue to use the good stuff that got you this far, you could drop out of the race. This is a new arena.

Candidates who are going to the chiefs interview, start talking to their friends. They convince that they need to do something more. By the time of the interview, they're a wreck. It's not them going into the interview. A clone of someone else. The badges are often given to other candidates.

The chiefs interview is open to any types of questioning. They are really trying to find out more about you. How you're going to be as a firefighter for the next 25+ years. Do you fit their culture? We like to hire candidates that are them selves on purpose in the interview. Someone who has a personality and conversational. Are you that person in an interview?

Stan was going to our departments chiefs oral. He made an appointment to come by our station. While there, he asked what more he could do to make it over the top. I told him he was riding the winning pony and not to switch during the home stretch. Three months later I was down at the training center where they were training new recruits. I saw a familiar face. I said, "Stan is that you?" He said, "Yes, I rode that winning pony all the way in!"

Saddle up and ride to glory.

[FFaranda072]

No, no relation that i know of . I did the Chiefs interview and all seemed to go well it was more relaxed than my original oral... thats for sure. I think i made it in, but i wont find out till monday thats what HR said but they also said that about my first oral and they ended up calling the next morning even though they were still supposedly doing orals. So who knows...

[BCLepore]

The Chief’s Interview

Alan Patalano is a Deputy Chief for the Long Beach Fire Department in Southern California. He has agreed to share his thoughts and ideas on what he is looking for from a candidate during a chief’s interview.

There are dozens of people around who will be glad to offer advice on how a candidate should perform during a Chief’s interview. They will tell you about the theory of interview questions, body language, dress and presentation. I don’t have expertise in any of those areas; instead, what I have is the experience of conducting Chief’s interviews from the perspective of a Chief Officer and from the perspective of sitting in the room after the interviews are completed and actually deciding which candidate gets a job offer.

The Chief’s interview is far different from the structured oral interview that you may take during the initial testing phase. The initial interview usually asks every candidate the exact same questions, in the exact same order. This is done so that the exam is consistent for everyone. The Chief’s interview does not operate in this fashion. In the Chief’s interview I am free to ask questions of each candidate based on his or her resume, experience, education, background and responses to previous questions. I do not need to ask each candidate the same questions. This is an important point. My questions are based, in a large part, on your responses to prior questions.

I evaluate your responses in several ways, including:

1. How well do you communicate?
2. Are your answers thought out?
3. Are you confident?
4. Are you truthful?

Let’s look at each aspect:

How well you communicate has a huge impact on your overall score. Your ability to utilize the spoken word to convey a message or make a point is the foundation of a great score. The first portion of good communication is listening. What do I mean? Simply stated, to develop a great answer you must know what question I am asking. It is not uncommon to stop a candidate a couple of minutes into a great answer because he or she is answering the wrong question! There are several reasons why this happens:

• The candidate anticipates particular questions before arriving at the interview, classifies the question as one of his or her preconceived questions and provides the answer.
• The candidate has a list of predetermined answers and utilizes the canned answer that is closest to the question I ask.
• The candidate formulates a reply without listening to the complete question.
• The candidate is nervous and gets off-track while answering.

So before you can develop a great answer you should listen carefully to the question in its entirety. If you are unsure of what is being asked, then ask for the question to be repeated and/or clarified. This not only allows you to provide the best possible answer, but also shows that you are not afraid to speak up when needed to avoid mistakes (a good quality to have on the fire ground). But do not make it a habit to ask for every question to be repeated. This might only show that you are not attentive.

Once you determine what the question is, make sure you take the time to formulate a great reply. Many times I no sooner finish the question before the candidate starts talking. I always think to myself, “I wonder if the candidate was listening when I was talking.”

Tone of voice, volume and grammar all impact how I perceive your answer. An angry or aggressive tone makes me question how you may respond to the public during emergencies, especially when you are under stress. Low volume indicates a candidate may be timid or lack confidence. Poor grammar or slang makes me question your maturity. Remember that good communication is predicated on providing information in a format so that the listener (i.e. the interview panel) can understand it, and not on the way you like to say it.

Next I like to see that your answers are thought out, logical and realistic. Once I ask the question, you should be able to walk me through the sequence of events or the steps you would take. As an example, if the question asks about your education, your response shouldn’t start with high school, then discuss grade school, then a course you are currently taking, and then your college experience. It should be presented in a logical sequence: grade school, high school, college, and the current course. It is confusing to the interviewer when the answer is presented in a disorganized fashion, and makes me wonder if everything you do is disorganized.

Answers also have to be realistic. If asked a situational question about which task you would perform: 1) pull a hose line to a door, 2) hook to a hydrant, or 3) raise a ground ladder, the worst answer would be, “I would do them all because I am young and strong.” It’s not practical and shows a lack of understanding of the real world. On the fire ground we are faced with choices, and every firefighter must be able to analyze facts and make decisions. I expect to see this same quality during the interview.

Another big quality I look for during the interview is how you represent yourself. Do you appear confident? Are you sure of yourself? Your answers should reflect your confidence in your skills and abilities. An answer that is vague or noncommittal demonstrates a lack of confidence. The nature of our business makes confidence during emergencies a vital personal quality. Can you make a decision and then act on it? Needless to say, there is no crying during the interview!

Finally, do not let me catch you telling a lie, stretching the truth or telling only half the story. I am willing to overlook past behavior (up to a point) if you have shown that you have changed that behavior. I won’t consider it past behavior if I find you to be dishonest or unwilling to share all of the facts during the interview. That is your current behavior and is unacceptable. It will not matter to me if you can offer a good excuse for why you weren’t honest initially because I will already be looking for a better candidate. I cannot stress this enough. If I catch you in a lie you will not get a job offer today or for the life of the list, period.

It is very important to understand that during the interview I am looking for candidates who will be able to work with my firefighters for 30 years. We can train you to pull hose, take a blood pressure and operate a hydraulic rescue tool. What we can’t train you to do is act in an honest, ethical manner or be professional or compassionate. You must have those traits “built-in” before you arrive for the first day of drill school, so I look for those qualities during the interview.

Education shows that you can commit to a course of action and follow through until completion. Work history shows loyalty and commitment. Community activities show that you believe yourself to be part of something greater than just yourself, your family and friends. How you dress shows that you consider yourself important and respect the job and those who perform it. All of these things serve to assist me in “seeing” the real you. No single fact, statement, or resume line assures you a job offer. Instead it is a compilation of all of your various education, background, experiences and presentation that helps you to rise above the other candidates and secure a position.

I have offered positions to candidates with years of firefighter experience and to those without any experience at all, to those with extensive education and to those with only a GED, to candidates with a list of certificates and to those who didn’t have a single piece of paper except what was required to apply. What they all had in common was desire, commitment, honesty, loyalty, compassion, and a dedication to serving a greater good. If you possess these qualities and can demonstrate them to me during an interview, then there is a very good chance that within a year I will be shaking your hand and welcoming you as the newest member of my department.
Paul Lepore
Battalion Chief
www.aspiringfirefighters.com

[FFaranda072]

Another little qurestion to go with this is, I am currently taking hydraulics and fire suppression also apparatus/equipment at my local college. When this was brought up during the chifs oral i was told that i would possibly have to drop those classes beacuse the dept wants me to solely focus on their academy... is that a normal thing to do??

[rpferry]

hey guys i am at the last phase of testing with a department for a transitional acaemy , i have made it through the test, practicals and the oral but i am new to the chiefs oral interview i am new to this part of testing . . any advice???

Congrats man. Where a suit and do some research on the department. Find out where they are now and where they plan to be in the future. See how you fit into that plan and go from there. Best advice I can give though would be to take a nice deep breath before walking into the room and let most of your fears go. They want you just as much as you want them and it's your job to show them that. Best of luck!
-Other Rob