Oral Board Interview Tips

[mobrien316]

If interviewee doesn't know the name of the chief but knows other people within the organization how is that perceived? Is it strike against you if you don't know the chief?

With the amount of time and effort you took to post this message you could have memorized the name of the chief by now.

If you have the time and energy to worry about how you will be perceived if you don't learn the chief's name, why not spend that time and energy to just learn the name?

[pjb6282]

well I had an interview in september and didn't know the chief's name. That's why I was wondering. I know his name now.

[danninator]

Or you could be like me when asked to tell a joke after responding that one of your better qualities was your humor and tell a very raunchy joke laiden with "f*ck"

I was given a conditional on the spot and my captain still repeats the damn thing everytime he has a few minutes to b.s.

[imalazypup]

Bump for my own selfishness!

[MisterK]

Bump for an excellent post

[madsnax]

"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me... you can't get fooled again." -President George W. Bush

I don't mean to threadjack.. but.. HAH! :D

[gringoscott]

Bump.

Sticky?

[JakeLock]

Sticky?

After Mike bringing this post up to me in yet another of my, "Hi, I don't know what the ---- I'm doing." threads, I must also vote for a STICKY. Mods, make it so.

[Wolfman]

Some other questions they might/do ask:

-How are you at handling stress? How do you rid yourself of stress?
-Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
-What are your goals if you are hired with this agency?
-What do you think a policeman's (LEO's) job is?
-How do you feel about using deadly force?
-Are you able to work _____? (where ____ is the rotation you will be expected to maintain when on patrol, i.e. 3 on 2 off, 9 hours a day, etc.)
-How does your family (wife/husband/parents/significant other) feel about you being a LEO?

NOTE1: When answering questions, act like your mother and pastor are there, i.e. NO cursing. Don't have a great interview and lose it because they determine you can't control the expletives coming out of your mouth.

NOTE2: Don't make the mistake of being under dressed. I would say at a MINIMUM you should wear:

- khakis (a good set - i.e. not one with cargo pockets etc).
-Button-down shirt (long sleeve for interviews looks more professional imo)
-Tie (conservative - not one with handcuffs, patrol cars, mickey mouse, etc)
-shined shoes and a belt that matches.
-A haircut/shave that conforms to the agency's regulations (if you can't find out what they are - look how other officers are in that agency and mimic that - that way there are no preconceived notions that you are "a trouble maker" or will "give us problems with not shaving" etc etc).

Some people make the mistake of wearing only a collared shirt or baggy pants/blues jeans, tennis shoes etc. and they give off the wrong first impression. I would honestly recommend a suit, but if you don't own one/can't afford one, then I would definitely recommend the above as a minimum.

[ftpd]

Other things to consider is,

The history of the township, how many trustees, how the twp was started etc.
Know the ranks within the Pd.
Recall some type of good gesture you did.

[swaw72]

This is a great post and as a newby still waiting to take my written test, this eases my mind.

[lawduck]

I wish I would have read this before my oral board.:D:D

[sirlancelot]

What types of "situational" questions can anybody suggest?

From my experience:

1) "You and a fellow officer are responding to a domestic incident and when preparing to leave the scene, you notice your partner taking a small item of value from the home and put it in his pocket. What do you do?"

2) "You respond to a call to assist another officer and arrive as the officer is placing the cuffed suspect into his patrol car. After placing the suspect in the car, you witness the officer punch the suspect. What do you do?"

3) "You are called to the scene of a loud party at a private residence and after arriving, notice the underage son of your best friend in the corner of the room holding an alchoholic beverage. What do you do?"

Any other likely scenarios?

[mcsap]

What types of "situational" questions can anybody suggest?

From my experience:

1) "You and a fellow officer are responding to a domestic incident and when preparing to leave the scene, you notice your partner taking a small item of value from the home and put it in his pocket. What do you do?"

2) "You respond to a call to assist another officer and arrive as the officer is placing the cuffed suspect into his patrol car. After placing the suspect in the car, you witness the officer punch the suspect. What do you do?"

3) "You are called to the scene of a loud party at a private residence and after arriving, notice the underage son of your best friend in the corner of the room holding an alchoholic beverage. What do you do?"

Any other likely scenarios?

These are the type of question that YOU need to be able to answer WITHOUT any help. The measure of your future worth is based upon your ability to do well in current tests. You are not expected to have the knowledge of a veteran officer so don't think you have to be or act like one to get hired.

[batmanrobin]

I've seen many threads created over the last couple of years asking about Oral Board and Chief Interviews and thought this might be helpful. A neighborhing jurisdiction has the following posted on their web site and I found it useful in preparing for the Oral Board and my interview with the Chief (just to give me an idea what questioins might get tossed at me). Some or most of these questions were asked verbatum. Some asked in different context. All I did was look at each question and think of how I would answer each one with the intent of selling myself to the Chief. In addition to these questions, you may be asked ethics based questions, too. I'd be able to tell the board or Chief what "integrity" means to you.

Types of Questions Encountered in an Oral Board Interview:

Why do you want to become a Police Recruit with the City of __________ ?
How have you prepared for this position?
Tell us about your experience and training as it relates to the position of Police Recruit?
Why are you considering a career in law enforcement?
What are your qualifications?
What do you consider to be your greatest strength?
What do you consider to be your greatest weakness?
How would you rate your ability to get along with others? What is the basis for this rating?
How effective are you in working in a team environment and why?
What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?
How would you describe your work ethic?
How has your education and training prepared you for a career in law enforcement?
What accomplishment has given you the most satisfaction and why?
In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable.
How would you rate your ability to work under pressure? What is the basis for this rating?
You can also expect several scenario type questions that are designed to measure your reactions to certain situations. Generally, these questions have no clear cut right or wrong answers. Instead, the raters will be looking at your decision-making ability and justifications for your actions.

The key to being successful in these questions is to be yourself. Answer the questions the way you would actually handle the situations. The raters DO NOT expect you to have any prior law enforcement experience to answer these questions. They DO expect you to approach them logically by applying common sense and interpersonal skills.

Typically the final question of an Oral Board will be something like this:
"Is there anything you would like to add that will help us in making our ranking?"

You should prepare a well thought out answer. This is your last opportunity to sell yourself.

These were really good questions mike posted. I've also looked at other sites and they sometimes asked you questions like.

1. If you pulled your mother over who was speeding, would you give her a ticket or let her go?

2. If a fellow officer did something that was illegal would you report him or her?

3. lastly if a family member broke the law would you arrest them?