oral board questions.

[J-RODD]

i have the oral board interview coming up in a couple of weeks, can anyone give me some tips? what will they ask? do i wear a suit? how do you suggest i answer the questions? anything.

[Jcrazy]

Be able to tell a little about yourself, articulate why you want to be a cop, and why you think you are a good pick. Those are usually asked. Dress professionally. Most of all though, just relax and be honest.

[Lucky1]

I just had an Oral last week. and this is how it went. They asked me about 12 questions. Some of which were why do I wan to be a police officer, what do I know about the city and police department, three senario questions, a question involving race, gender, and sexual orientation, and a few questions regarding my experinces of being a police officer.

Yes, wear a suit. Look confident, keep eye contact and smile. They will ask you if you have any questions for them, and make sure you do. This is a question that I asked them:
I asked the board members, considering that they hired a good amount of the officers that currently work for the department, if I were to speak with those officers and asked them why would I want to come to this PD and what they thought about it, what would they tell me?

They loved that question! i got great feedback from them and they told me I did an excellent job. So, good luck to you! Let us know how things go.

[Darin]

That's a good idea Lucky. But I would wonder if all agencies would appreciate that question.

I'd take all the advice given here and add = Keep your feet flat on the floor at all times. Keep your hands down by your side but don't look rigid. Make eye contact with ALL the board panel. Don't make excuses for past mistakes. And relax and be your self, it's much easier said than done ;) but you can do it.

Good luck !

[Lucky1]

Good point Darin, I agree.

[K9 Police]

In addition, find out as much as you can about the department, the government, the community, the jurisdiction, etc. You should know the cheifs name and what the general type of policing community the department has. The more you know about the department, the better you can be at the oral board. Just by going onto departments websites, you can tell what type of department they are. I have seen departments that are key on diversity, and you should emphasize experience in diversity. Other departments are keen on education, and maybe you should emphasize education. Maybe they look for something specific in applicants, try to empasize that.

Currently, I am looking at transferring to a different department(s). From my law enforcement experience, I can tell differences between departments pretty easily. I know what they are looking for by doing my research, and I know what to emphasize if and when I go through their process. One department is very big on diversity and I have been recently working on that in preparation for possibly applying to that department. Every department is different, just like every department has a different name.

Good luck.

K9

[HamptonTravels5]

I must say, Lucky, that was a pretty bold question there. I too would wonder if other departments would appreciate that question I would think that a department would ask ME why should THEY want ME to work for THEM instead of the opposite.

The oral board I went to in Florida consisted of a number of questions. But along with the questions, you have to give your reasons for choosing the answers you did. If that is the case everywhere, then one needs to make sure that he or she is NOT concise with his or her answer. Make sure you talk, talk, talk. Be as detailed as possible.

For example, one of my questions concerned a possible bribery. All the questions were multiple choice, so I had about three or four options. I had to pick one and tell the board (which consisted of three people) why I picked it. Just remember, do not be short in your answers. Give as much info as you can...but of course, don't ramble ridiculously, but too much info is better than not enough. One girl down there failed the oral board because she wasn't detailed enough in her answers.

Dress professionally...of course. Suit and tie is always the ideal way to dress...I don't like it personally, because I'm a turtleneck kind of guy. But what could you do? It is an interview, so you know what to do. Look at the interviewers right in their dialated pupils, talk clearly, and cut your cell phone off Keep your fingers out of your nose and ears, and don't make any cracks about the police cars. The cars in Hampton, VA., are too cute for me...all sky blue and white. You could add some pink in it and the cars would be perfect!

Also, cowboy hats and boots may look cool, but they're not for interviews...really.