SFD oral exam coming up... new here

[Shiloh]

Hi! My name's Shiloh and I have my first oral board interview for the SFD on Sunday, February 6th. This will be the first oral interview I've been through as this is also the first time I've ever tested (written test score was 97.56 w/ 88 as the passing score and video test was 82.87 w/78 as the passing score... That video test was a killer!). I've made a list of 40 questions plus scenarios that might come up during the interview and have been practicing, but I'm still nervous. I know I probably won't be hired my first time, but I can't help hoping and trying my best! This might sound strange, but I'm worried about the handshake. I have kind of poor circulation and my hands are usually cold- if I'm even the tiniest bit nervous they're like ice cubes! Not sweaty, just really cold and I'm afraid of what effect a freezing handshake could have on the interview panel! I know this sounds really dumb, but do you think it would be reasonable for me to wear a pair of warm mittens until I'm called in for the interview (and ditch the mittens) so my hands won't be so cold? Thank you!

*EDIT* It was also recommended to me that I come up with a really good, thoughtful question to ask the interviewer about the Seattle Fire Department if they ask if I have any questions. Does anyone have any suggestions? All I've come up with is, "How do you decide whether a probationary firefighter will join an engine company or a ladder company?" Kind of pathetic, I know...

[Shiloh]

Uhhh... after I posted that, I realized that the Seattle Fire Department isn't the only SFD out there!! Whoops!

[CaptBob]

Master the First Impression

I spoke to a group of volunteers who were mostly aspiring firefighters recently. As I was greeting several members before I started, I shook hands with a big strapping lad who had firefighter written all over him. He had that kind of firm handshake, smile and focused eye contact that can cause an oral board panel to want to hand him a badge.

A few moments later I turned to shake hands with another big guy. His
handshake didn’t carry the same message. The big problem was he didn’tknow. No one had told him. I had him go over and shake hands with the first guy. They worked on it for a few minutes and he returned with a more confident handshake.

The following is from Work Your Network, by Joe “Mr. Network” Pelayo
jpelayo@josephmichaels.com : A UCLA study found that when 2 people meet for the first time they make 20 distinctions about each other in the first 20 seconds, then spend the next 20 minutes finding out whether or not they were right! The same study found that a handshake is worth an hour’s conversation between two people, because handshakes are thought to be a judge of your character.

Use that handshake to make the right first impression.

First, it’s expected you could be a little nervous. One of the raters will usually come out, escort you into the room. As you stand up wipe any clammy sweat off your hands on the back of your pants.

As you’re introduced for an interview, look each rater in the eye and give a firm handshake. Practice handshakes. Too many times candidates give dead fish handshakes. Come on folks.

When shaking hands with a female rater don’t wait for the high beams to come on in her eyes because of too much pressure. Just match the
pressure in her handshake. At the end of the interview they will
usually stand and shake hands again. Same eye contact while thanking
(by rank if you know) them for the opportunity.

More Oral Board tools here: http://eatstress.com/newpage6.htm

Asking the Panel Questions?

Candidates have been told that you always have to ask a question if you’re given the opportunity at the end of an interview or you will lose points. In a regular or corporate interview that might be true. Not true in a fire oral! You never, ever, ever, have a question. We don’t expect you to have any questions. I had a guy one day ask, “Since I live so far away, can I start at second step pay to help pay for my gas?” If that question is asked (here’s the “Nugget”) you can pause as if your gathering your thoughts and then say, “No, I think we covered everything.”

We had another candidate say, “You have probably heard about the charges against me for stealing over at the college?” No, we haven’t, why don’t you tell us about it. Here was another candidate who have done an outstanding job in his oral and he had to bring this up. His score dropped like a wounded seagull. This is not the time to bring up anything like this. You never bring up a negative item unless the panel does. They probably won’t. If they do, have a simple, short (I said simple and short) answer to the situation.

I served 5 days in Santa Rita Prison for drag racing in my youth. Yes, I put it on my application, because if you don’t and they find out, you’re gone. In my oral board, I was asked about this. I told the panel, “Since that incident, I had been in the army, married, have children, had been on my job for 9 years and the situation hasn’t occurred again. I was a stupid kid then. It’s hard to believe this really had happened.” One of the captains asked, “Mr. Smith are you trying to get go around this problem and ignore it?” Here’s the “Nugget” answer; I said, “No. If I was trying to do that I would have never put it done on the application.” He was done with that question.

When I got my results for that test, the number placement wasn’t on the notice. When I called, personnel told me, “Well, Mr. Smith, you’re number one. Not only are you number one, you’re five full points ahead of number two!” It was having a reasonable explanation prepared in advance that becomes your “Nugget” answers that makes the difference.

That question and the “Nugget” answer probably helped, not hurt me. It catapulted me past the other candidates at light speed, and did indeed get me my badge!

You can find more on testing secrets in the Career Article section from the Jobs drop down menu just above this posting.

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

Fire "Captain Bob" Author, Becoming A Firefighter and
Conquer Fire Department Oral Boards

www.eatstress.com

888-238-3959

[Shiloh]

Hi! Thanks for your response. I checked out your web site a while back and copied down your 30 sample oral board questions- I'm really glad you put that on your site! I came up with a lot of questions on my own and by asking firefighters and looking in books, but the majority of my questions came from your list. This isn't going to be a typical interview- instead of having the normal interview panel in the room, it's just going to be one proctor and a tape recorder. All the questions are from a recording and then the tape recorder records your answer so the interview panel can listen to it and judge it later. Kind of weird, huh?

[mittlesmertz]

From my experience with Seattle, the initial interviews are more or less to see if you have a pulse. I believe they are still doing the physical after the orals, which is backwards from most cities. Some people say this was a sly attempt to circumvent the I-200 laws.

Irregardless, they try to bring the largest group of candidates they can to the physical, so the oral is not an attempt to "wash" people out. They use a taped session to try to avoid any accusations of "negatively impacting" any groups.
There will be a "Captain's interview" further down the line, that is more like a traditional interview- one on one, just talking about yourself and your experience.
Don't worry about where you place on the list, SFD is very "liberal" in their procedures for hiring from that list. Many people in the top 100 will be passed up in favour of candidates waaay down the list.
If they offer to put you through EMT, it means nothing, they will still pass over you. Even if you pass the psyche, you still have no garauntees.
I have a few friends that I work with now that finished in the top 30 2 years in a row, both excellent firefighters, but were passed over by SFD both times.
I have no idea what they were looking for, but some people think that gender/race might be an issue.
Hmmm...
Good Luck, but dont be discouraged if you dont make it; test elsewhere, there are many excellent departments in Washington, and some might even say that SFD isn't one of them.

[elswappo]

Good job on the written exam! To bad it doesn't mean a thing. I had my interview on saturday. It was a big shock that it was a one on one interview and your answers are tape recorded for a panel to grade later. I thought it was a panel interview as well. Then they take the score from that and add it to the score for the next interview(march) and thats how they establish the list.

[Shiloh]

Hey, elswappo! What's your name? How do you think you did? I think I totally bombed it. I'm so disappointed. I'd probably fall over dead from shock if I get that letter in the mail at the beginning of March and it says I'm invited to the next interview. At least it was a learning experience and now I know what to do different next time... But it's still really, really disappointing. Seattle is my #1 choice when it comes to which fire department I want to work for, for one thing I love the city, and also I'm a cadet lieutenant in their cadet program. In any case, I hope you did better than I did and are going onto that next interview! Good luck!

[elswappo]

I don't how I did. I guess it's up to the scorers now. You shouldn't worry, you scored really high on the written so your not dumb. Good Luck, maybe we'll see each other at the next interview:p

[Shiloh]

Wow, that would be nice if I got to go to the next interview. I really think I'd do better and as bizarre as it sounds, I think I'd also do better with actual fire department members interviewing me than with one very cheerful civil service testing person smiling and nodding her head at me the whole time. I'd say if 100 were the absolute BEST I could have done, practically guaranteeing me a spot in drill school, and 0 were the worst (like froze up and didn't say a single thing), I probably did about a 35. Not so good.

[jksimon]

Hey Shiloh- You probably already know this- but Everett is taking applications now for a March test. I did the Seattle oral on Saturday- and I'm afraid a case of nerves may have done me in. I answered all the questions OK- but I was done in about 10 minutes- maybe didn't go into enough depth. I'm just hoping for a pleasant surprise at this point. Anyway- good luck!
Simon

[Shiloh]

Hey Simon! I'm guilty of the same thing as you... My interview lasted 11 minutes. At the end when she checked to see if the tapes had recorded, my heart leaped hoping that maybe the recorders hadn't worked and I'd get to do it again (no such luck). You probably did better than you think, at least you know you didn't bore them by rambling! Do you (or does anyone else?) know how many candidates will be coming back for the second interview?