Employment Procedures

[balmtnclanl]

I have recently completed my written, cpat, and interview for a fire department. I was contacted and informed that the next step is a polygraph test. I have heard nothing but negative things about these and was told that even if you tell the truth, 50% of the time you fail. Is this true? Why do some deparments do this and some not? I would appreciate any information.

Thanks.

[chrnea]

OK I am by no means an expert and i make no claim to know everything about hiring processes. There are going to be alot of people that are going to come on here and tell horror stories of the poly test and how you need to go to this website or that to find out how to beat the polygraph. Also if you tell the truth know where have i ever heard of a failure rate of 50% if you answer truthfully.
Listen if you truly can answer the questions without guilt then you are not going to have a problem. Its as simple as that. I just took my poly for a dept and i had zero problems. What they are looking for is not whether or not you tell the truth its whether or not you feel guilty about it. In my interview, we spent the first 2 hours just talking and letting the interviewer get to know me. We talked about the questions and how it worked. Basically he wanted to make me comfortable.
I can tell you what the big concerns are. ILLEGAL DRUGS, Pedophilia, Theft, Felonies.
Dont be scared of it. It is no big deal. If you have nothing to feel guilty about then you have no worries.
Please PM me and I'll help you out.

[CaptBob]

chrnea wrote:

Its as simple as that . . . Dont be scared of it. It is no big deal.

Hmmmmmmmm

The first time I ever had contact and talked to Scottt was 45 minutes after he got the call that he had failed his poly. Needless to say he was devastated. When I asked him what he had done to prepare for his polygraph he said he used the free information from some of the “experts” on this forum. Using those guidelines he said he went in and spilled his guts, just like going to confession.

Just a few minutes into our conversation he realized that he had become too familiar with the evaluator, got chatty, volunteered too much beyond what was requested, was really nervous but thought everything was going just great.

Scottt wrote:
The next test I take, I assure you, I will be better prepared.

I believe Scott is only referring to understanding the process better. I’m a firm believer in preparing for every step in the hiring process before you get there.

According to Doug Williamson a 35-year veteran polygraph evaluator from www.polygraph.com “It is a very serious mistake to believe that you will pass your polygraph or CVSA tests just because you are telling the truth - they are not "lie detectors". Scientific research proves that simple nervousness will cause a truthful person to fail!”

I talked to Scott after he checked out polygraph.com. He realized he had not been as prepared as he could have been before his polygraph. If he had it to do over again he would have been better prepare in understanding the process before his evaluation and could have had a better opportunity of passing without compromising his truthfulness as others are referring to here.

Being prepared for every step of the hiring process before you show up will place you in a better position to end up wearing a badge than being caught flat footed wondering what happened when the career you have been intensely pursuing evaporates before you eyes.

I talked to a candidate the other night who just took a polygraph and failed. The evaluator kept hammering him about reactions he was receiving. The questions surrounded him of not only being a drug dealer but a pimp. He said nothing could be farther from the truth.

I asked him if he had checked out www.polygraph.com before his interview. He said he had been to the site but thought it was too much of a sales pitch trying to sell something. I asked him what he thought now. He said it would have been more than worth it to know how to prepare.

Exploder805 wrote:

One of the questions on many (if not most/all) polygraph tests is "have you read or sought out information on 'how to beat a polygraph'?"....

Well, not always.

FF/PM1 Wrote:

Yes, I was asked if I had researched polygraphs in my pre-interview, but not in the actual polygraph exam. The examiner asked me why I researched polygraphs? Was I going to manipulate it? I said of course not, but I always study before going into a test, I knew nothing about polygraphs prior to my hiring process and wanted to know what they are about.


While I am a big advocate of honesty in the hiring process, I am also an advocate on RESEARCH prior to entering into a new portion of the hiring process.

This does not make you a "cheater" or "dishonest" for wanting to know what you are getting yourself into, just thorough.

I researched every step of my hiring process. I learned everything I could about interviews, medicals, psych exams, polygraphs, backgrounds...not because I was trying to manipulate the system with deception or dishonesty, but I wanted to know what is next.

Honesty was the foundation of everything during my hiring process. I used this formula.....


If asked, a truthful answer was always given.

If asked a question, I would answer the question honestly then be quiet.

All other times I sat there with my mouth shut.

I have had friends fail polygraphs, not because they were dishonest, but they were not educated for what they were getting into. They sat down and were honest, but when answering one of the polygrpaher's questions, they would answer the question and then ADD additional info not even asked for. This ultimately led to their demise.

Learning about a polygraph does not mean I am trying to cheat it. Were you trying to cheat by going to fire stations and finding out what types of questions may be asked on the oral interview? No, you just wanted to be prepared.

Be honest, be prepared and be consistent.

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!"

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Becoming A Firefighter,
Conquer Fire Department Oral Boards, and
It’s Your Turn in the Hot Seat!

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