Becoming A Firefighter or Officer-----The Complete Guide to Your Badge!

Fire "Captain Bob"

"Getting the

job of your

dreams is

like winning

the lottery!"

"Nothing

counts 'til

you have

the badge. 

Nothing!"

Anything

less and

you're

still the

bridesmaid.

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Here are some of Captain Bob's top oral board Interview Strategies:

Secret Miracle Oral Board Tool

I can’t believe how many candidates I talk to on the phone that don’t know how they sound to others.  They’re soft spoken, monotone like they’re giving a patient assessment, with no enthusiasm, inflection with a lot of pause fillers.  Many are not using a simple tool that could tilt things in their favor.

A recent candidate had such a monotone voice I asked if he knew. He said yea, but that's just my voice. I told him I didn't believe that for a second. What can I do about it? I've been testing where I can for four years, going to school and work as a federal firefighter.

Trying to get on his turf, I asked him during his coaching session what do you do with your time off? What is your interest, hobbies? What really rings your bell? Nothing seemed to work to break his monotone voice. That was until a few days later I get a call from an energized candidate. I didn't recognize the voice. Yes, it was Mr. Monotone. He told me he didn't realize how bad it was until he listened to the recording of his coaching session. He said, "Man I sounded retarded. I can't believe how much stuff I left out. How many times I said "What Ever" and other stupid pause fillers I didn't know I was using."

The mystery of why this super qualified candidate could not get hired was solved by listening to a tape of what the panel had been hearing for four years. So, what tools can you use to practice and rehearse your oral board answers? A video camera? Sure. You need to see how you look in action. But you are trapped with a video camera. A Mirror? Sure standing in front of a mirror is good. But you are missing the most valuable tool of all. A hand-held recorder that goes everywhere your car keys go.  The closest distance between you and the badge is picking up a recorder and hearing what's coming out of your mouth like Mr. Monotone!

Even though he had our Gold Package Program that hammers and hammers the point home that you have to use a recorder and hear how you sound, he still didn't get the message. His answers were garbage. It doesn't surprise me. Ninety-nine percent of the candidates I talk to aren't using a tape recorder either. Be advised that your competition knows the value of using a tape recorder. They are catapulting past you if you're not using one too.

Many applicants want this job so bad they will do almost anything ethically and morally to get it. I guess that doesn't include using a recorder to get your timing, inflection, volume, where to cut out material, get rid of the uh's and other pause fillers, or to find out if you really sound like Donald Duck. You need to get married to your hand-held recorder. You need to hear what the oral board is going to hear out of your mouth. It's narrows the distance between you and the badge you're looking for!

What is the first thing a candidate says when he hears his voice on a tape recorder? Yep. That's not me. Yes, it is McFly. You need to get married to a hand held recorder and practice everywhere you go.

This is usually a guy thing. Guys think about their answers in their head and write them down. Then they think their answers are going to come out of their mouths like magic in the oral. Trust me, they don't! The brain and mouth don't work that way.

Try this. Take 3X5 cards and write down your oral board questions. Practice your answers with the tape recorder. If you hear something you do not like when you play it back, turn over the 3X5 card and write it down. The next time you go after that question, turn over the card first and see what you don't want to say.

Some will say, "Well, if I practice it too much it will sound canned." NO it won't! It sure will be planned though. Practice makes permanent. "Luck is preparation meeting opportunity." One practice session with a tape recorder is worth 10 speaking out louds. After practicing, you will get to a point where your answers will get into your subconscious. That's where the magic begins. You can't be fooled.

Here’s a candidate who learned the value of using a tape recorder:

You have helped me change my family's life forever.

After getting your program and doing a coaching session I went home and practiced for the remaining week I had until my oral interview. Every day I watched the video over and over and came up a format for the interview questions using your suggestions, then practiced them with a tape recorder and in front of a mirror. I went into that interview with CONFIDENCE that I didn't know I ever had. I walked out of the interview and I was doing cartwheels in the parking lot. I knew in my heart that I smoked that interview, a feeling I have never had before. I received a letter a few weeks later stating that I was in the top 12. I went on to the background; psych tests, and medical exams. Yesterday I got a call from Human Resources saying I was offered a position and the academy starts in two weeks. I HIT THE LOTTO! Thank you so much for your help. You have helped me change my family's life forever. Shawn Jordan and family

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Remember, absolutely nothing counts 'til you have the badge. Nothing!

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