help oral board

[rescuerick82]

i recently scored #1 on a list by 5 full points. After my 3rd party oral board i was dropped down to 5! I thought i did pretty good throughout the interview and i receive a letter telling me i am no longer in top 3 which are considered for the position. NO score was listed just total combined score. This was my first oral board and thought it went well. Guess not. Even worse i will continue to do the same thing cause i dont know what I did to do so bad in the first place. Also is there any way to argue this?

[jtucker1384]

there are alot of web sites out there that can help you with that just check around and you should find some good sites if you need any help just let me know

[tactics]

Instead of arguing it, which is probably the worst thing you could do in this situation, you should bring yourself up to par on the oral board game. This is where a lot of people struggle through out the process. Good news is there is a ton of information available to improve your oral board skills. And a lot of techniques you can do yourself (like video tape yourself, record yourself, mock orals, etc.) that will help as well. Start there, but again......personally I think trying to argue against your results is the worst thing you could do here.

[ant195]

Rescuerick82 as said you need to take a look at the vast amount of information here on this site. Do a search about oral boards and you will find helpful information. Also I found that by posting/searching about the specific questions that were asked I got different opinions on how to answer them. Take all these opinions and use it to formulate a good answer. Make sure you have a plan when you go into the interview, try and answer as many interview questions before you go into the interview so you know what you are going to say and it is clear and concise.

[JayDudley]

Each of the answers of the privious threads are correct. There was a reason you were moved to #5....they liked four better. There are many places where you can go to practice for your Oral's. If I were to pick one it would be to contact Chief Lapore.....I've worked with him and I would trust him if I was studying to take MY oral.

I know there will be some who will jump on this...Like I said"I would use Paul if it were ME".

[CaptBob]

This was my first oral board and thought it went well. Guess not. Even worse i will continue to do the same thing cause i dont know what I did to do so bad in the first place. Also is there any way to argue this?

You don’t want to waste another opportunity with those great odds. Like many before, you have discovered that the firefighter interview is like no other. Candidates who get this far in the process usually get discouraged and tell me they feel like they have hit a wall. They don’t know what to do next. Some of their friends (with fewer credentials) have been hired. They’re frustrated and embarrassed.

The Problem is Poor Oral Board Skills!

Since 100% of your score in obtaining a firefighter job is in the oral board, what are you missing that's keeping you from gaining a badge? How are you going to stun the oral board panel to convince them to give you the badge over the other candidates?

Too many candidates do poorly on their oral boards. Like you the problem is most of them don’t know how poorly they are doing. I've seen candidates with great credentials, but can't present the package at the interview. And, if you can't present the package, you don't get the job . . . Period! Never! Ever!

A big key learning tool is practicing with a hand held recorder that goes everywhere your car keys go to hear what the panel is going to hear out of your mouth. But ninety-nine percent of the candidates I talk to aren’t practicing with a recorder. I asked a college program recently how many had been practicing with a tape recorder daily? No hands. How about weekly then? Nope. None. O.K. how about monthly? Finally three hands went up out of a total of 40. Then, don’t be confused by why you’re not getting high enough on the list to get a call back to play the part of a firefighter. The mystery has been solved.

Try this. Take 3X5 cards and write down your oral board questions. You can find our 30 Sample Oral Board Questions here http://eatstress.com/thirty22.htm 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.


This is an e-mail received from a candidate. This is how fast things can change:

I have many certifications including Paramedic. The only hindrance that I found myself with was not passing the oral.

To make a long story short, nothing counts until you have the badge, nothing. Once I learned how to prepare for the interview everything changed. For all of the candidates out there that don’t believe this, try passing and ranking #1 on orals with a stuttering problem . . . I did.
Thanks Captain Bob — Dave

Steve Prziborowski, BC, Santa Clara County Fire Department wrote:

“Do what you have to do be more marketable so you can take more tests and have something more to offer a department, but remember that it all comes down to that 15 to 30 minute oral interview. I’ve seen some awesome candidates with resumes packed full of accomplishments that couldn’t sell them self in an interview to even make the top 50%.”

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

[GFD1FF]

I can only speak from my own experience about this. The first fire department that I interviewed with was Montogomery County, MD. I had received a 93 on the written and was in the one of the first few groups to get scheduled for an interview so I was excited about it. I went and thought I did well. When I received my score, I learned that I had received a 55, which was considered average according to them, but anyone who scored below a 70 was cut from the process. I was devastated and disappointed in myself. Long story short, I did some research and found a book written by BC Lepore called Smoke Your Firefighter Interview. I was skeptical but figured I had nothing to lose. I read the book through multiple times and really focused on understanding the reasoning behind the answers to the questions rather than trying to memorize the answers themselves. My next interview was for Anne Arundel County, MD and I scored an 85. Still wasn't good enough to get me hired but definitely a big improvement. I've read a ton of different books and study guides and talked to more career firefighters than I can remember about how to improve myself as a candidate but I honestly believe that book was the single biggest tool that has helped me do better at interviews. Hope this helps and good luck.

[scribecreek]

I RECOMMEND ONE ON MY BLOG http://www.firefighterjobs4you.blogsp ot.com/

A SMALL INVESTMENT IN YOUR FUTURE. CHECK IT OUT.

[JayDudley]

I rest my case. Chief Lepore has a few books that will help in every situation.
I'll say it again....IF I WAS TRYING TO GEY HIRED.....I'd use Paul's Lepores' Books.

[rhbieber]

A lot of good advice on this thread. One thing I'll add to this discussion is:

Be confident. Be calm. Be yourself!

There are many characteristics that make up a strong firefighter, but these three may be the most important.

Confidence and honesty. I believe an oral board will look for these. In between your words and phrases, through your actions and inactions, they will see your true character. Don't try to be someone you're not. With all the credentials and fancy words you can throw at them, they'll see through an act. They want to know exactly the kind of person they're hiring. So first and foremost be yourself. And have confidence that you are worthy for the job.

Be calm. When you're entering a burning building, or performing CPR on a lifeless child while the parents breakdown around you, you must be calm. It is the first priority of the firefighter. Show the oral board that you can handle the stress. It should make a difference.

Good Luck,
Rob Bieber
www.firewerxfilms.com