Who Are you Sending to the Oral Board?
Picture this. You are sitting on the Firefighter’s Oral Board and candidate after candidate comes in, sits down, and sounds just like the person before. I am not kidding. Each candidate repeats the same things as if they memorized each other’s responses to our questions. As a participant in the Oral Board, there is no greater is disappointment.
Here is what I mean…
Imagine spending lots of time, money, and effort. You have gone to the same academy as some of your fellow applicants. You have even volunteered in the same department and prepared together. You have your firefighter’s Oral Board presentation memorized. This is your big moment.
All of the sudden, you are stopped dead in your tracks. You realize that you sound exactly like the firefighter candidate that went before you. There is nothing in your answers that captures your true personality, tells your story, and shows the Oral Board your unique qualities.
Here is why you need to fix this.
There is only one you. Your experiences are unique. No one else has had your life. Now is the time to show off in a way that explains to the Oral Board that you would be a great fit in their house. Do not be that candidate that tells the Oral Board what you think they want to hear. (Yes, I am shaking my head at this because it happens.)
Let’s compare this to American Idol. Often, the person who gets most publicity isn’t the best singer. Often, what grabs attention is that this person on stage is truly himself. There is no fake pretense or façade. In all honesty, this person could have tried to sound like someone else, provide canned answers, and no one would have cared. It was his ability to be himself that made him stand out.
The Oral Board interviewers have check off boxes on our ratings sheet. There are some questions that have only one correct answer. Two plus two is always four. Asking about the number of stations can only be answered one way. You get the point. Questions like: “Why do you want to be a firefighter?”, “What is customer service?”, What is ethnic diversity?”, “What is a weakness for you?” have a many different answers that would get you maximum points.
Showing your unique self is where you separate yourself from the others – be your own man, so to speak. Be cautious of someone who says he has all the right answers, and he’ll give them to you. The truth is that the only right answers are your unique answers and no one else’s.
Bring yourself to your next interview. You will be glad you did
FIRE CAPTAIN ROB
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