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“Nugget” Blast
Fire Captain Bob
Over 2,216 badges and counting have received their badges from this
program!
Leave FireZine easily here:
http://www.eatstress.com/firezine_signup.htm
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The proof is in the badge!
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Check out http://www.eatstress.com/newpage2.htm and learn how entry
level and promotional candidates are improving their interview scores up
to 15 points and nailing that badge!
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Quick Tip
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Miracle Tool?
I received a call from one of our candidates. He has made it to a few
oral boards and one Chief’s Oral without success. He has been invited to
the San Diego oral board and wanted to set up a private coaching
session. In just a few moments I was aware of something critical. Then I
asked him if he was using a tape recorder to practice? Like most people
(99.7%), he hemmed and hawed and finally said, “Well, no. But, I’m
thinking about it.”
Continually I hear from candidates like the above and the following that
they are not doing well in their interviews:
I received my results today....but I didn't do so well.
Reply: Were you practicing with a tape recorder before your interview?
I have to admit that I have not used a tape recorder prior to that (or
any other interview). I knew the practice was key, but I never got
around to doing it. Yesterday, I finally broke down and used the tape
recorder method in order to study for my interview today. I must say
that there were some things that I found very helpful. I will continue
to use the tape recorder method in order to endlessly improve my
interview skills. Bottom line...I feel that I did better on my
interview today than I have ever done in the past. Thanks for inquiring.
Help!! I have my oral interview and background check with Montgomery
County, MD on Monday. Any advise and/or suggestions needed.
This from a loved one (yes, your love ones call me because you’re
driving them crazy and they don’t think you’re doing everything possible
to be in a position to get that badge):
He says most of the time he "freezes" up. We do have a tape recorder and
he did practice once with it for the Long Beach interview.....I think it
is a "guy thing" and he is embarrassed to admit he is bad at something.
Reply: As I suspected, this is one of the big problems. They're
interconnected. If he doesn't hear what's coming out of his mouth with
a tape recorder, nothing will change.
You said he drives 120 miles round trip to work 4-5 days and week,
drives all over hell and gone to tests, interviews, and station visits.
This is a perfect time to use the tape recorder.
Another:
. . . thought that I answered them well, but later the chiefs tell me I
needed to give more information.
Reply: The big problem I see in your answers is their just too short.
Where are the stories you can use in these answers that can personalize
them? Are you practicing with a tape recorder?
Well.... in a word, no. I have been using my wife as my sounding board,
but I now have a micro cassette recorder right in front of me and will
be using it before the end of the night. Thanks for all of your help.
Still more:
I get a call from a candidate who has our program but has a few
questions. Shoot. As he started asking me his looong list of
questions, I asked him a question. Have you started practicing with a
tape recorder? He said, I haven’t bought a tape recorder yet. As it
turns out he hasn’t finished going through the complete program, filled
out the script (you can download a copy of the free script here:
http://eatstress.com/workboolette.htm ) and doesn’t have a tape
recorder to start practicing. Had he done all those things, he would
have already answered his questions.
What totally amazes me is how many candidates refuse, yea flat out
refuse, to pick up a tape recorder and hear what the oral board panel is
going to hear out of their mouths. Nothing is going to change in your
oral board scores until you learn how to take an interview! Nothing! A
big huge part of that learning curve is to hear what’s coming out of
your mouth. Too many candidates answers are garbage. And,
the big problem is they don’t know it because they have never hear their
answers from a tape recorder. I know this can't be you?
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.
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.
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
tape 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 tape 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!
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.
Let me tell you how critical this really is. If you’re not using a tape
recorder to practice, practice, practice, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse
and over learn your material until it becomes second nature to you, you
might as well not show up for the interview. You are wasting the oral
boards time and your time! Seek out another career. Understand you still
have to interview there too. The above candidates have already lost some
great opportunities. Had they been faithfully using a tape recorder to
prepare for their oral boards, he probably could have had a badge
already.
We think practicing with a tape recorder is so important; we will not do
private coaching with a candidate if they aren’t using one. It is a
waste of our time and their money and like pulling teeth for us. 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.
Here’s what we know after 30-years of experience. Those candidates who
get our Gold Package Program http://eatstress.com/goldpackage.htm use
the work booklet that will become their script to audition for the job
of a firefighter, use a tape recorder to practice and come back and do
private coaching end up catapulting themselves into the Olympic Camp to
get a shot at the badge. A proven inexpensive way to gain a 25+-year
career. To be one of the last of America’s heroes.
Instead of posting messages on bulletin boards asking others where
they’re at in the testing process for this city and I’m in the top 40 on
this list or whatever, start asking your self this question: What am I
doing that can best prepare me for the most important part of the hiring
process? . . . The oral board. Because if you can’t pass the oral board,
or score high enough on the list, you don’t get the job. Never! Ever!
Ever! Now, where’s your tape recorder?
More Oral Board tools here: http://eatstress.com/newpage6.htm
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If someone asks you what you need to help you get a firefighter badge,
send them to the ultimate source for your holiday shopping here!:
http://www.eatstress.com/goldpackage.htm
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Whether you're taking the LA City or County tests the Don McNea Fire
School seminar is something you will want to get to if you're testing.
Many agencies are raising the bar (score) to pass the written. If you
don't make the cut, you won't go forward in the hiring process.
So many have signed up they had to add an extra seminar day for Monday
December 20th. Here’s more from Don McNea:
Over 20,000 applicants applied for the LA County fire exam and at least
that many are expected to take the LA City exam. With hundreds of
Firefighters expected to hired by these two departments and over 40,000
applicants expected, you will need every edge over your competition.
The question you have to ask yourself is how bad you want this job. Are
you willing to put in the time preparing to excel on these exams? Our
class will give you that edge over your competition!!!
Currently our Saturday Dec. 18th and Sunday Dec. 19th prep classes for
the LA County and LA City fire exams have sold out. (new class for the
20th has been added below)
You can call our office at 1-800-989-FIRE to find the most up to date
info for class openings that occur for these two dates because of
cancellations. You can also call our 1-800 number to leave your name
and phone number to be put on our waiting list for these two dates.
Monday Dec.20th.
We have added a final class that will be held on Monday Dec. 20th, at
the LA Convention Center from 6:30 P.M till 11:30 P.M. Go to the link
below to register for Monday Dec. 20th class. The last day to register
for our classes is Wednesday Dec. 15th.
http://www.fireprep.com/los_angeles_county_city_firefi.html
For those of you that can not attend the seminars and are preparing for
the LA City exam go to the link below to review our at home prep
package.
http://www.fireprep.com/los_angeles_firefighter_examin.html
You can still sign-up for the LA City exam by going to the link below
http://www.lafd.org/recruit.htm
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Fire Captain Bob Smith, Over 300 pages of helpful
information on How to Get a Badge.
Web site: http://www.eatstress.com Code 3 Publishing.
5565 Black Ave. Pleasanton, CA 94566 (near San Francisco)
Phone: 888-238-3959 local 925-846-3959 Fax: 925-846-9650
E-mail Mailto:captbob@eatstress.com
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