Questions at an Interview

[firefighter2]

I am New at the hiring process and such. My question is what kind of question are frequently asked at an interview?

Thanks

[FireRebel]

Check out Eatstress.com, this site has tons of questions about the oral boards and the process of getting hired as a firefighter. Good Luck!

[N2DFire]

I second the motion - See the Eatstress.com website,

BUT . . . Look here first.
http://www.firehouse.com/interactive...ML/000134.html

Cpt. Bob Smith (Who's web site happens to be eatstress.com) posted a list of basic interview / oral review board questions here (and they are GREAT !). He has also posted some other great tips on interview skills.

Good Luck with the Job Search.

Take Care - Stay Safe
Stephen

*Shameless website plug* Also if your looking for jobs - check out my search links page at http://www.geocities.com/n2dfire72/jobsearch.html

[Captain Bob Smith]

Thirty-Plus Basic Oral

Board Questions

I believe there are only about 30 oral board questions. Plus or minus a
couple. But these 30 can be disguised into hundreds of different
questions.

Here is a simple way to break a disguised question down. Dissect the
question down to its simplest term, one word, of what the question is
really about. Once you have removed the disguise, you can place it in one
of the 30 plus oral board questions you already have answers for. This is
one of the simple tools we have
to uncomplicate the oral board process.

Here is the list of the "Thirty Plus Oral Board Questions":

Thirty-Plus Basic Oral

Board Questions

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. What are you bringing to the job?

6. Why do you want to work for this city or agency?

7. What do you know about his city or agency?

8. What do you like to do? What are your hobbies?

9. What are your strengths? Weaknesses?

10. What would your employer say about you?

11. What are the attributes of a firefighter? What is the most important
one to you?

How Would You Handle the Following Scenarios?

12. Drinking or drugs on the job? 13. Stealing on the job? 14. Conflict with
another employee?

15. Irate citizen? 16. An employee crisis at an emergency? 17. Sexual
harassment?

18. Racial situation? 19. Conflicting orders at an emergency? 20. An order
that could place you in great danger or be morally wrong?

21. What do you say when you don't know an answer to a question?

22. Are you on any other hiring lists? What would you do if another city
called you?

23. When can you start if we offered you the job?

24. How far do you want to go in the fire service? Where do you see
yourself in 5 years?

25. What are the quality traits of a firefighter? Which one is the most
important to you?

26. Have you ever been in an emergency situation? Tell us what you did?

27. What word would best describes you in a positive way? A negative
way?

28. How do you handle conflict?

29. Why would we select you over the other candidates?

30. Do you have anything to add?

In reference to the above, several candidates have called me about the
following question: You're a firefighter and the guys in the station want to
you to participate with them to play a joke on the female firefighter. What
do you do?

Many candidates have said, "Well these kinds of jokes are part of being a
firefighter, or we are a family; it's expected, or depending how bad the
joke is, or I've played jokes on others before, etc."

Let's go back to the original formula on this page. Dissect the question
down to its simplest form to one or two words. What is the core purpose of
this question? Take off the disguise and you will have one of the questions
from the 30 plus oral board list above.

Have you got it?

It's . . . . SEXUAL HARASSMENT!

Many of the candidates screamed out loud when they finally figured out
the real purpose of the question. Too many gave a poor answer.

Now what's your answer?

This is a simple tool to uncomplicate the process. There are only about 30
oral board questions. They can be disguised in hundreds of different ways.
It's your job to take off the disguise and find the real question and have a
"Nugget" answer to satisfy the oral board, get your best score on the
answer and cause the
board to go onto the next question.

This "Nugget" tool is one of several that can separate you from number 40
and below on a list to between 1 and 10 where you get a shot at the
badge. You'll know the difference when the call comes in to go to the
Chief's oral. It can happen quicker than you can imagine. Click here and
see how this magic happened for Phil.

One of my candidates, Ed, called that he is in the academy at Seattle. The
day he thought would never come did! Overnight he doubled his income,
moved into a new house and is loving every minute of the job he had
dreamed about for years.

There are only 30 questions. What are your answers? Take the question
apart, know the real purpose of the question and deliver your "Nugget"
answer. Next question please.

Nothing counts ''til you have the badge. Nothing!


In reference to the above I received this question:

I'm not trying to be cheeky, this is a serious reply. Would the Board ever
ask the question in reverse? Meaning would they ask a female candidate if
they would participate in a joke on a male candidate? If yes, would they be
looking for the candidate to reply no, that it would be sexual harassment?
Would it be appropriate for either gender to say they would participate,
distinguishing that only if the joke would not be of a nature that may be
sexual harassment? This issue is very important in my city, because they
are on the verge of hiring the first female firefighter. Not only do male
candidates want to make it understood that they are able to work with
females in this environment, likewise I would not want to appear as if I
was concerned about this type of scenario or uncomfortable and
oversensitive about the cajoling that goes on.

"Captain Bob's" reply:
Subject: Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment questions are the most dangerous of oral board areas.
It's a can of worms you don't want to open. If you do, you will never be
able to close the can. You need to keep your answers short and simple
here. Otherwise, you will tank yourself big time. It has nothing to do with
which gender, it's how it's interpreted by the person that is offended.

Fantasy land:

The oral interview is like fantasy land. It is not like the real world. Your
answers in the oral board might not be what you would do in real life.
Don't fall into the trap. The board understands the rules, you can't fool
them. If you try, the
board will crank up the music and let you dance your fool head off. Don't
try to intellectualize and bring heavy logic to this process. If you do,
someone, who understands the rules in fantasy land better will get the
badge. So, please follow
the yellow brick road rules in fantasy land and don't look behind the
curtain.

You don't think so? Well, my Son's captain was on an oral board for five
days. One candidate got top scores. When they were finished and
completing their comments and scores this candidate said, "I'm sure glad
that's over. They said yea, O.K.. He said because their coming. They look
up and said who's coming. He said the Martian's are coming. They
chuckled. He got mad. Turns out this guy was a genuine kook. But he did
so well in the oral because he lived in fantasy land and new the rules.
Don't ever forget this! It's a true story!

So in this fantasy land environment, sexual harassment is not tolerated. If
you try to draw a line at cajoling, where does it stop? At sarcastic
comments, physical contact? You will open a can of worms trying to make
everyone happy. You could express how an easy going person you are, but
sexual harassment is not tolerated. Again that is determined by the person
who is offended. Male or female. It's the LAW! There are personnel rules to
protect you.

Understand that if the oral board fires up a question that sounds like
drinking on the job, it's going to be about drinking on the job. If it's a
question that sounds like taking drugs on the job, it's going to be about
taking drugs on the job; It's not going to be aspirin. If the question sounds
like it's about stealing on the job, it's going to be about stealing on the job.
If they fire up a question that sounds like sexual harassment, that's what
it's going to be about, or they wouldn't bring it up.

If they fire up these questions, take off the disguise ask questions to verify
what you suspect and then take action in fantasy land. Don't be like so
many candidates by starting a soap opera.

Example:

You go in the locker room and see a fellow firefighter drinking something
that looks like alcohol. What do you do? The clone, soap opera answer
would be: I would try to get him into the day room, play cards and try to
smell his breath; or I would have him go home sick, or have another
firefighter come into relieve him. These are all soap opera answers. Don't
go on this journey. They are insulting to the oral board. You will loose
valuable points here. We are intelligent beings on the other side of the
table. Give us credit for that. Don't start a soap opera.

Ask a question that would verify your suspicions and give a direct answer;
not a soap opera.

"Absolutely nothing counts 'til you have the badge . . . Nothing!"

Absolutely nothing counts 'til you have the badge. Nothing!

"Captain Bob"

[Fire29_1999]

Thank you Capt. Bob, I too am in the process of trying to get hired and I have been looking for this type of info. Again thank you.
stay safe

[This message has been edited by Fire29_1999 (edited October 29, 2000).]