What to expect on an Oral interview?

[mtnbkrpnk]

I will soon be an oral interviewee, and am wondering what kind of questions to expect and some advice/tips on scoring well. Thanks!

[VSP_Troop]

There is a lot of info you need to know... You should maybe get a book on oral interviews and read up on it. They vary from each dept, but you can expect to have at least 3 members on the panel. Make sure you know a lot about the department and general area and why you want to work there. Be prepared to talk about yourself, don't give one word answeres. Be prepared to answer situational questions, which are usually the most difficult part of the interview.

[stevedoyon2002]

Local book stores have those 101 questions asked during an interview, those are good as well for oral boards. They get the wheels spinning. Questions like; what interests you most about this job, what are your strengths, what are your weaknesses, what makes you mad or frustrated? For situational questions, just be rational, try not to be off the wall. Most agencies don't expect you to know proceedures and policies, they just want to see if you can think quickly and make sound decisions.

[stan264]

From the book, remember 1st impressions, appearance and how you ready yourself for this meeting, haircut,shave,no beards,wear neatly pressed pants along with a blazer or sport jacket,a suit would be more impressive. Polished shoes and consider carrying a briefcase or an attache case, Arrive early, and remember, it actually starts when you step into the room. Think about how you are going to handle yourself, like simply waving to each member on the board or go down the line and shake hands with each of them. when asked to tell something about yourself,distribute a fresh copy of your resume to each member of the board, Try to guess what questions they will ask,make a list of what you think they will, then practice, practice, practice, Be ready to explain why they should choose you over others, not a simple yes or no will do. you may be prepared to ask a question,if asked. One may be how long it will take the agency to notify you of the results or if the board has any suggestions for how to improve your application. This isn't everything, but, hope it helps! The above is for male applicants for attire,Females:Plain colored skirt or pants and a jacket, hair in a business like fashion,no high heels, subdued nail polish and lipstick.

[audi0xpl0de]

Are there books specifically for passing the oral boards? I have one coming up as well. I know that 911jobs.com has some advertised on their site, I was wondering if anyone knows or have used of any other ones.

[VSP_Troop]

The only material I have used is the small section in Barrons police exam book. Reading too much into oral boards may not be a great idea because anyone can memorize what they read. My first oral went well, but i read too much into it and said all the right things. They told me that I sounded like someone who spent the entire night before reading an oral board book! I still passed but they want you to be yourself.

[irishlad2nv]

Not every Oral board will be the same...some will ask the commone questions, but others will ask about your past and what is on your background, etc...which obviously no book can help you there. I just don't agree with people wanting to get into LE by reading a book...i mean unless there is a "LE for dummies" book I don't know about? And at the same time, its what you can make of it and no book can actaully prepare you 100% to pass an interview. If you go in there with the advice you read from a book and your mind is set on that, and then all of a sudden they throw a question out there which was not in the book...u going to choke?