Just bombed the Interview....

[Notalent]

Geez...I think I just blew it. I was not ready for the scenario questions they gave me and just winged it. They didnt look to happy. I was ready for the strengths, weakness type questions, or to talk about myself...but none of them questions came up...They say you need a 70% or higher to pass...how do they grade these???

This was my first time around, so at least I know what to expect.

[drewsy64]

Not necessarily. I know I've heard many people say that they thought they bombed the Interview, and came out with a conditional offer afterwards. My Oral Board didn't have any scenario questions, but it was still a trying experience. It makes you feel stressed out and question whether or not you passed.

Don't jump to any conclusions. Just wait until you get the results. If you didn't pass, you at least have the experience and know what to expect and how to prepare for the next one.

Good luck.

[jvale00]

Scenarios suck. Sometimes there is no right answer to, and I have heard some ridiculous, scenarios given in an oral board. Do this, jot the scenarios down so that you'll remember them. Talk to some officers on your next ride along and see what they say about what they feel either the board is looking for or what they themselves would do in that particular situation. Next, I would contact someone in the recruiting staff and ask them how you can better prepare to answer these types of questions. They wont tell you the answers per say, but many departments invest in applicants early in the hiring process by helping them prepare by giving voluntary "mock" oral boards or some type of study/ tutorial session to prepare you. Some recruiters will give you different scenarios over the phone then tell you different ways you could handle it.

I would imagine LBC is a department that is committed in helping applicants prepare and be successful in the process. Always remember the preservation of life is of the utmost importance, (de)escalate whenever the opportunity arrises, and that they never give you all the variables of the equation when they tell the scenario in the first place.

Also, the oral boards are often static, meaning they are very one sided and you receive no input or feedback from them. Personally, I think it's silly. One 30 minute interview in a static environment is not an accurate portait of anyone. But they are the way they are so just pre prepare and then prepare some more and you'll be fine!

[Group9]

I wouldn't put too much faith in your perception of how you did. Not many of the questions we ask on our panels really have one right answer. It's more to see how you think on your feet and to read you a little better.

[Notalent]

I answered them how I would respond to the situations. Do they expect that or do they expect you to responded by the book.....???

Im going to have to call my recruiter and see if they can help me better myself for this. Im also going to go buy a book on something like this tonight. I dont want to be caught off guard again. Any book suggestions???

They asked me what I knew about the city ( I knew this would come up) but Signal Hill is kinda a city within Long Beach. I coulndt find much information at all about them. One site I did find was outdated by 5+ years. The rest of the sites didnt recognize it as a city.....

Thanks for the advice and input

Brandon

[jvale00]

I had a buddy who used to work for signal hill. I think I remember him talking about the city flower, its history, demographics, median income etc. Best thing you can do is get with a recruiter and ask a ton of questions. I dont know of any books to get in particular. For the city questions, the internet will be a big help. Know its guv't process and its services.

Every interview is practice for the next interview!

[sirfjm]

I had a wonderful interview which I passed. Everything went better than I expected. I could see myself passing the interview even before I had it. Good luck to you and be cool, calm and collective.:cool:

[tenfour]

I had an interview with an agency, thought I did ok...didn't move on. Had an interview with a different agency and thought I completely blew it, ended up getting the job. It's weird how things happen...

[Group9]

I had an interview with an agency, thought I did ok...didn't move on. Had an interview with a different agency and thought I completely blew it, ended up getting the job. It's weird how things happen...

My wife interviewed with the FBI several years ago, and she thought she had blown the interview so bad that when she was asked at the end, "Can you think of anything else that you think this board should know about you?" she answered, "Small children and animals seem to like me a lot."

She passed the interview. :D

I have another friend who interviewed for a very specialized military unit, and almost broke down in the interview because he thought he had done such a bad job that he had blown his chance. He passed, too.

[Notalent]

Lol...Well Im suppost to hear sometime this week....im just keeping my fingers crossed. I cant seem to get myself thinking postively about this one....normally I interview extremly well, but I guess I was just way to nervous because its something I wanted so badly and didnt know what to expect.....practice makes perfect....:rolleyes:

[cntryboy0531]

If you fail, just take it as a learning exeriance. I failed my first interview horribly.