I just got brutally sodomized in my oral board interview

[Kansan]

I'm 22 and today I had my first oral board interview with the first PD that I have applied and taken tests with. Let me tell you, it did not go good. They were reading things into my answers that were not there and somehow heard things I was not saying or even meaning.

At the end the rating system is 1 to 5 and you have to get a 5 to move on. They gave me a 3 and said thanks for nothing and sent me on my merry way.

Many of the questions were difficult to answer because of my little job experience. The jobs I have experienced are college and high school guy jobs, well because I'm in college!

So when I get questions like "Tell us a time you really took initiative on the job?"

"Tell us a creative solution you came up with to deal with a problem in the work place"

"Tell us about the most difficult thing you have encountered in the work place?"

The one that was the worst was the last one. I couldn't think of anything. None of my jobs have had anything "difficult" or something that I could not handle. So I tried to think of the most annoying situations or the most complicated ones where I really had to try hard to resolve situations. So in attempt to answer this question I answered that It was probably hardest when dealing with to people in a dispute or problem and being a fair mediator - making sure all parties were treated fairly and respected and that I did not show favor to one over the other. This isn't a great answer, but I couldn't think of anything that hard to do and the hardest thing I did was have to calm a parent down over her son quitting a basketball team. Like I said, it wasn't hard at all - but probably the hardest if I had to rank things.

What they heard was something totally different "Well you know that in this field you will have to cuff people, throw them on the ground, be mean to people, yell at them - and you can't think about it or 2nd guess your self"

Well that was not what I was saying and I explained that to them, but no matter how many times I explained that to them - they didn't want to hear it and thought I was dancing or trying to tell them what they wanted hear. He even at one point said "Well so I'm confused...Is nothing difficult for you, is something difficult, or are you just lying?"

I actually took offense at that.

But anyway, just venting a bit. It was my first interview of this nature and first with a PD so I guess it is just a learning experience. It was quite the interrogation though.

[dla4079]

I am a Captain with Dept. of Corrections. I wanted to switch careers, so I applied at the S.O. Well I was called in for an interview, I was interviewed by a Lt. She was going over my creds and certs. I am a Certified Fire Arms Instructor mind you, I teach cadets to use weapons as well as a Close Quarters Combat instructor. She looked them over and looked me in the eye and told me my creds and certs don't mean a thing to her. It just got worse from there, I finally explained I am a Captain and no LT was going to talk to me like that. I left, and still in Corrections. I feel its in my best interest to stay where I am at.
You will find the right one, keep trying. Never give up. If it is what you want, then you will find the right dept that will give you a chance. Trust me. :D

[Squader01]

You ever step back at any time, and say "They are trying to get into my head a bit". I mean they are cops, and they want to see how thick your skin is.

Everything you said is pretty consistant with what everybody goes through. They want to see you, cool and composed.

[Kansan]

No I never stepped back and said that. I thought of it more as a job interview for a career and a job, not an interrogation. I expected it to be kind of professional. I know what to expect next time though.

[Washingtonian]

No I never stepped back and said that. I thought of it more as a job interview for a career and a job, not an interrogation. I expected it to be kind of professional. I know what to expect next time though.

Don't worry, it's not like that everywhere.
The confrontational type interviews do have benefits though. I've had interviews that I thought went great because the interviewers seemed so pleased & didn't ask any follow-up questions or anything, only to find out that I completely tanked it. If they were a little confrontational, I may have been able to get a better feel of what they wanted, and elaborated on some things a little better. Oral boards really suck in general, though.

[L-1]

In police work (and in oral boards) there will always come a time when you find yourself caught by surprise and totally unprepared for whatever faces you. This is when a good police officer learns to become a silver tongued devil who knows how to tap dance.

In situations like this, you should simply be as brief as possible and emphasize the positive. For example:

Taking initiative - "I try to monitor customers who spend an unusual amount of time looking at specific products, Usually this indicates they don't know what they need, so I take the initiative to talk to them, find out what they are trying to accomplish and match them up with those products that best meet their requirements. Personal attention like this keeps the customers happy, makes them repeat clients and increases store sales."

Creative solutions - If you haven't come up with any, find a positive way of saying so. For example, "We pride ourselves on having a pretty smooth running operation at work and I haven't seen any significant problems in the time I've been there."

If they jump on you because you find something challenging, turn it around with, "Just because I find something challenging doesn't mean I am incapable of doing it satisfactorily. To the contrary, I find challenges refreshing because they allow me to learn new things, to be flexible, and to grow as an employee. No doubt it is the challenges that keep your jobs interesting as well."

If they toss you situational police questions you can't answer, a good response is, "Not having previously worked as a police officer I am not familiar with your policies and procedures, so all I can tell you is that I would conduct myself according to the policies and training you provide me with."

I hate to call orals a game, but that's kind of what they are. While they test your knowledge, they also provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate that you have the confidence and ability to skate across thin ice when necessary.

If you can, spend some time watching the press as they interview police spokespersons on TV about controversial events. For example, when the police wind up having to kill a suspect, a common press question is, "What do you have to say to the children of the man your officer killed?" Naturally, any discussions you may, or may not have with the family are going to be private and you don't broadcast them ahead of time to the press. So instead, the PAO will say something sympathetic but non-committal such as, "Well naturally, our hearts go out to the family."

The key here is simply learning the gift of gab. If your community college has a course on public speaking or debate, sign up for it. It will help a lot in the long run.

[0351]

I'm 22 and today I had my first oral board interview with the first PD that I have applied and taken tests with.
It's possible they prejudged you as being too young and inexperienced and you conformed to and reinforced their beliefs. Squader may also be right about why things went as they did. Oral boards are not the best experience in the world, and are designed to be that way so you have to react under stress and demonstrate confidence.
If you're worried about building a resume or gaining experience you may want to consider the military reserves. I wouldn't be where I am now without it.

[Sabre]

I've heard of, but never experienced, the type of oral board where the interviewers intentionally try to get you all flustered. My understanding is that they want to see if you can "handle" them, see if you stick to your guns, and give solid answers. If you start with "Oh, no no! That's not what I meant! You see..." then you lose.

I remember one question in an interview I had that was somewhat like this type of interview, although not as intense:

They gave me a situation in which I observe two vehicles comitting the same infraction at the same time. One is driven by an old gray-haired grannie, and the other has four kids in it. Which one would you stop?
I said I would stop the kids, because the higher vehicle occupancy would allow me to make four public contacts versus just the one, statistical analysis consistently indicates that young drivers are more likely to cause a crash than mature ones, and teenagers are more likely to be involved in serious criminal activity than elderly folks.

The interviewer gave a puzzled face, shook her head, and asked "isn't that profiling???" I'm convinced that it didn't matter what the answer was, as long as it was immediate, confident, and articulate.

[Group 29]

Some agencies do like to do confrontational interviews. I walked out of the interview in my first agency, convinced I had failed. Everything I said was wrong, and they challenged whether I was even the least bit qualified for the job. I tried as hard as I could but I felt like I was blowing it. The interview lasted about two hours, and toward the end, I was so sure I had failed, that I was like screw it, whatever, man.

I was shocked to get a letter saying I had passed it.

That is just the way some places do it. I have a friend, who tried out for a well known specialized military unit, and he said the same thing. He went in to an interview with the founder of the unit and two others, and they almost had him in tears by the end of the interview. He walked out wondering why he had even bothered to try out. And, then found out he had passed.

I think the moral is, never give up in one of these interviews, not matter how badly you think it is going.

[GoldBadge]

"Brutally sodomized?" Then you probably passed. I was traumatized after my first P.O. interview and I got the job.

[challedog]

If you think that's bad, wait until you have to do an initial psyc eval.
A lot of quacks will question your personality and background to try and **** you off. If you get ****ed, you fail...

[Kansan]

No I didn't pass. I found out 5 mins after the interview - thats how they do it there. I got 3 out of 5.

[GoldBadge]

No I didn't pass. I found out 5 mins after the interview - thats how they do it there. I got 3 out of 5.

Sorry to hear that. Hang there dude, there are lots of police jobs out there.

[kirch]

Let me ask you this: How well-prepared were you for the oral? Had you made inquiries to the department about what the topics of the interview would be? Did you talk to current or former members of the department to get some tips on the process? Did you visit the department's web site or request a copy of it's policies and procedures to learn more about their organizational attitudes?

If not, then it's not the department's fault for having a confrontational interview -- it's your fault for not being as prepared as you could have been.

Not trying to bash you, I just want to point out that you can alleviate a lot of stress and do much better on these interviews by doing some groundwork in advance.

In preparation for my oral, I talked with several officers of the department as well as the LT in charge of the academy to get a feel for what kind of questions they were going to ask. I went to the departmental website and printed off their mission statement. I made sure everything I was going to say fell in line with that statement. I went in very confident of what to expect and things went pretty much as planned. Not overly confrontational, but they tried to put me on the hot seat a couple of times, but I had no problem with that. I knew what they were looking for.

Good luck on the next one.

[Kansan]

Let me ask you this: How well-prepared were you for the oral?

It was my first one ever, but I felt I was decently prepared. I suppose if I wasn't prepared at all I would have gotten a 1 out of 5 and not a 3, but who knows.

Had you made inquiries to the department about what the topics of the interview would be? Did you talk to current or former members of the department to get some tips on the process?
Yes and yes

Did you visit the department's web site or request a copy of it's policies and procedures to learn more about their organizational attitudes?
Yes, I got an informational packet, their brocures, and I memorized several different things about the dept, their values, their mission statements, their different divisions, the community and its values, anything I thought could help me show that I had done my homework.

If not, then it's not the department's fault for having a confrontational interview -- it's your fault for not being as prepared as you could have been.

I studied more for this than some tests I had last semester in school - that may not be saying much :D

Not trying to bash you, I just want to point out that you can alleviate a lot of stress and do much better on these interviews by doing some groundwork in advance.

Not only did I do what I said, I took information from those on this site and spoke with officers and candidates who have been through processes in other departments.

Good luck on the next one.

I appreciate the advice and the encouragement. I have a feeling my 2nd one will go better also. I will atleast feel a little more comfortable. Had some butterflies in this one.

Apparently when I was thinking about what I was about to say I didnt look them straight in the eye the whole time either - something they didn't like. I'll fix that easily, just nerves and thinking. Mainly habit.

Also they didn't like my age, 22.

[OUsoonersFan]

Take it as a learning experience and you will improve next time.

I bombed an interview board a year or so ago. I passed the first interview with the chief and assistant chief. The second interview I had consisted of a dispatcher, patrol officer, LT, 2 detectives, assistant chief and chief firing questions left and right. Let's just say that wasn't my day and I had a very good shot at the job.

Keep your chin up and keep going for your goals

[Bigugly]

Sounds like they had their mind (one mind between all members of the board) made up before you walked in. Apply for a different agency. I would not work for a department that gets off on anally raping a candidate with a sand paper condom just for the hell of it.

Good luck, you will find a job with a good department. (I have been through the same hell myself.)

[10-31Mike]

"I just got brutally sodomized in my oral board interview "

Did you get pictures?


Just kidding. If it was that bad, you don't want to work there. Keep at it untill you find somewhere that wants to hire you as much as you want to work for them.

[ghent]

The brutal attitude you got aside, I think the lack of good answers to those questions could be a problem anywhere. I think most places will look at a lack of work expierience as a lack of life expierience (current LEO's feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), which is vital to any officer. I'm 22 as well, and hopefully will be starting the interview process this fall. I'm pretty worried about my relative youth being a problem to begin with, but I'm hoping the fact that I've survived 3 years of marriage and been responsible for multi-million dollar contracts in my current IT job will give me enough expierience to draw on to answer questions like that. Not trying to knock you, I just think I'd definately try and figure out a way to atleast attempt a good answer to questions like that drawing on your life's expieriences.

[Kansan]

The brutal attitude you got aside, I think the lack of good answers to those questions could be a problem anywhere. I think most places will look at a lack of work expierience as a lack of life expierience (current LEO's feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), which is vital to any officer. I'm 22 as well, and hopefully will be starting the interview process this fall. I'm pretty worried about my relative youth being a problem to begin with, but I'm hoping the fact that I've survived 3 years of marriage and been responsible for multi-million dollar contracts in my current IT job will give me enough expierience to draw on to answer questions like that. Not trying to knock you, I just think I'd definately try and figure out a way to atleast attempt a good answer to questions like that drawing on your life's expieriences.

I understand what you are saying. Of course I gave answers to all the questions. I have been through 4 years of college, worked for the Kansas Army National Guard in their energy department, been a basketball coach in the communities I've lived in, and have done numerous charity/volunteer activities. I'm just gonna keep plugging along. Sooner or later something will happen.

[kirch]

That's the right attitude. If you prepare for all your interviews like you say you did for that one, you'll find future orals easier to navigate.