Common Police Oral Board Interview Questions And Answers

Friday, June 11, 2010

Police Oral Board Interview - What You Should and Shouldn't Wear

The single most important thing that you can do for yourself before your police oral board interview is to invest in a professional looking outfit. I know that sound pretty elementary for some people, but trust me I've seen people screw this up big time. I'm going to be straight forward in this article as there should not be any excuse to why you shouldn't look your best during the interview.

For men, I suggest a solid dark color business suit in either navy blue or black. Black shoes will work for each of these suits. You cannot go wrong with a white shirt and a solid red tie. Forget about showing up wearing a flashy suit. Polo shirts and slacks just won't cut it...and you can forget about gym shoes and jeans. Wearing any of these to a police oral board interview will make you stand out without a doubt...but trust me not in a good way!

Also, remember to shave and get a conservative hair cut like a military type crew cut. You're going to want to look the part but safe as well.

For women, the police oral board expects you to be professional as well. Forget about flowery dresses. You will be expected to wear a professional business suit with either pants or a skirt. Nylons are a must and be sure to not to go overboard on the perfume and makeup. Forget about wearing a super tight mini-skirt, that's just inappropriate. If its way above the knees, don't wear it.

Guys if you cannot afford a suit, I suggest that you borrow one from a friend or even rent one. Whatever you do, don't show up without wearing a suit.

Whether you're preparing for your first Police Oral Interview or retaking it after you've bombed the first one, you must get prepared. You can do this by getting a comprehensive list of the most commonly asked police interview questions and answers here:http://www.PoliceOralBoardInterviewSecrets.com

How to Prepare For the Police Oral Board Interview - Things You Must Know

This article is to give you some tips on how to prepare for the police oral board interview. If you follow these simple, but yet very effective techniques you are sure to impress the interview panel. I've seen it time and time again; great applicants who would have made excellent cops arrive for their police oral board interview, completely unprepared. Don't let that be you as I'm going to share with you some really good tips in this article.

First thing first, before you ever apply to the police department you're interested in, you must know about what it takes to be a police officer, and the challenges that you'll face. Law enforcement is completely different from any other job that you have held in the past. With that being said, it is of extreme importance that you are able to let the police oral board members know that you are well aware of the challenges a career in law enforcement will bring professionally and personally.

So, how and where do you learn this? It's simple. One of the best ways to learn about a career in law enforcement is to do civilian ride-alongs with the local agency that you're interested in. Most local agencies welcome civilians to ride-along with fellow officers to learn the job duties of a police officer. The public sometimes believe that police work is all about writing tickets or visiting the local doughnut shop. Riding with a cop is the only way to burry this myth once and for all.

Another great way to learn about police work is to join the local law enforcement volunteer team. This type of program is strictly volunteering your time, you won't get paid for it. It's a great way to learn more about police work as you will be working side by side with a real cop. You'll go through basic training just like a real police officer, except you won't get paid for it. To get involved simply contact your local agency to find out how you can enroll.

When you're asked by the interview panel, what have you done to prepare yourself for a career in law enforcement? You can tell them, "I did citizen ride-alongs, I'm a member of the law enforcement volunteer team, and held lengthy conversations with veteran police officers. If you answer the question just like that, you'll have just aced that question without a doubt!

Whether you're preparing for your first Police Oral Interview or you're retaking it after you were eliminated the first time around, you need to get ready. And the best way to do this is to get a comprehensive list of the most commonly asked police interview questions and answers here: http://www.PoliceOralBoardInterviewSecrets.com

Police Oral Board Interview Panel - 2 Tips That Will Give You an Edge

The police oral board interview is one of the single most important phase of the hiring process. Why? Simple, the oral review board are the key to getting you hired. You won't get hired as a police officer unless the board members give you a high score, PERIOD. As an active police officer who has experience with the stress of facing the oral board panel, I can tell you it's not easy. I've seen way too many good recruits that would have made excellent cops, bomb their oral board interview. You see, like any other thing in life, proper preparation can lead to success. That's why in this article, I'm going to share two tips that will help you ace the police oral board interview.

1) Research the agency you're interested in. Study the local agency that you are applying to. With all the avenues that is available to get instant information on just about anything now days, there's no excuse for you not to know the name of the chief of police, assistance chief, crime statistics, square mileage of the jurisdiction, policing philosophy, and mission statement. Those are important information that you will be expected to know by the oral board members. So, go online and start studying these things.

2) Don't be late. There's really no excuse for this as you should never be tardy to any job interview. I know it might sound elementary, but trust me I've seen applicants show up late for their board interview, and the end result was they got eliminated. Here's what happened when you show up late: The board panel is thinking this candidate cannot even make it on time to their scheduled interview, they certainly won't have good time management skills down the road when they are hired and needed for an emergency situation. The bottom-line is don't be late, I suggest arriving at the interview site 10-15 minutes early.

It's important to know that whether you're preparing for your first Police Oral Interviewor you're retaking it after you've bombed the first one, you need to be ready. And the best way to do this is to get a comprehensive list of the top 50 most commonly asked police interview questions and answers here:http://www.PoliceOralBoardInterviewSecrets.com

Police Oral Board Interview Questions - 2 Important Questions That You Must Answer Correctly

It's only natural to have serious nervousness when facing the oral board panel. After all, they'll determine if you should move on to the next phase of the hiring process. If you are nervous, don't worry about it too much as the panel understands that majority of applicants with show some sign of nervousness. But at the same time the oral board panel expects you to be able to communicate in a manner that shows that you have knowledge and ability to become a successful police officer.

You can reduce your anxiety by preparing yourself for the oral interview. To do this, you'll want to make a list of the most commonly asked questions during an oral board interview (don't worry I'll share two very important ones below). Once you have a list of these questions, then you can practice over and over again until you're fully confident that you can do it without hesitation in front of people.

Here's two commonly asked questions that you must answer correctly to set yourself apart:

1)What have you done to prepare for a career in law enforcement?

The best answer to this question is to think of what you've ever done that might be helpful in law enforcement. For example, if you workout 3 times a week. Let the panel know that you train a couple times a week, which will give you an edge if you ever have to control an aggressive suspect. The more you are able to tell the board what you've done to prepare yourself for the job the better it looks for you. They would love to hear that you attended a police academy preparatory courses, but if you haven't tell them about all the sports you've played in high school. And how well it prepared you to work in the infrastructure of a team.

2) Why do you want to be a police officer?

If you answer this question correctly and not give the cliche answers of "I want to serve and protect" or "I want to give back to the community," you'll set a good mood for the entire interview. Why? because most candidates will give the same rehearsed answers I mentioned above. The board members will be on the lookout for people who will tell them what they think they want to hear. So, you definitely want to avoid those typical answers.

Here's a great tip on how to properly answer this question. When you picture yourself as a police officer, what is it that you want to do? For example, if you enjoy helping kids and being a role model because you were inspired by an officer who spoke at your school when you were in grade school, then say so. If you've tried the indoor, cubicle type of career path, but found out that you didn't like it, then say so. If it's because you want to help take down local drug dealers because you've seen how drug abuse have affected your family, then say so.

The bottom-line is you have to help the board members understand where your desire to become a cop stems from, and by telling them a real story does just that. Try to avoid focusing on why the police department is good for you, instead show the synergy between what you'll bring to the department.

In conclusion

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Police Officer Oral Board Interview Secrets - What You Need to Know to Get the Job

In the past it was extremely difficult attracting qualified police applicants, however with the recent drop in the economy more and more people are realizing that the private sector is not as stable as they thought. And as a result, many people are now focusing on the security of government jobs. Because of this there has been an increase of people applying to become a police officer. It's not uncommon to see as much as a thousand applicants for a few openings. It's become extremely competitive here lately, and you must be prepared.

For the many people who hadn't considered a career in law enforcement up until the economy tanked, they have been finding themselves behind the curve ball, unfamiliar with the hiring process. Many of these police applicants are intelligent folks that can pass the police civil service exam and they're in decent enough shape to pass the agility test.

But the roadblock for a lot of these people seems to be the police oral board interview. This section of the hiring process seeks to assess the reasoning and judgment capabilities of the applicant through a series of tough, and straight forward scenario questions. The truth is, these police oral board interviews are responsible for eliminating more police officer applicants than all other portions of the hiring process combined!

Many applicants are well rounded people, but because of the differences between their past employment experience and that of police work, they had a tough time with the judgment, and decision making scenarios during the interview.

Here's how to prepare yourself:

Basically, get familiar with the types of questions that are going to be asked during the interview, and then practice answering them over and over again. There are common questions that all departments no matter where you live will ask you. They might be worded differently but they are all the same questions. You can find out some of the questions by simply asking your local recruiter or visiting police officer forums. Simply Google police forums, and you'll find plenty of active police officers willing to help you.

How to Become a Cop With Just a GED

Whenever I'm on duty, I am always approached by varies people about becoming a police officer. People are intrigued about the possibility of becoming a cop, but they have no clue on how to go about it. One of the questions that I am always getting asked by mainly young adults is.. "Can I become a police officer with just a GED"

Before I answer the question, I ask a few things to gather a little background on the person. Once I am done with my questions, I informed them that depending on the department that they apply to, they'll have to explain why they went the GED route instead of staying in school and getting their diploma. But ultimately having a GED does not disqualify you from becoming a cop.

In fact, depending on the agency you're interested in all you need to become a police officer is a squeaky clean record, good driving record, no felonies, high character, and be at least 21. As I mentioned before having a GED will not necessary eliminate you, but there will be some major challenges ahead.

Remember you are going up against people applying for the same position that you are interested in. Many of these people have a high school diploma and some may have a college degree or served time in the military. So, the best way to leap frog these people is to score high on the police oral board interview. If you score high on this, you'll crush the competition.

You see, police departments put more emphasis on the oral board interview than any accolades you might have collected prior to applying. Departments are looking for people who can make precise, split second decisions without hesitating. That is why during the interview the panel will put you in several "what if" scenarios. If you answer correctly it doesn't matter if you only have a GED.

So, whether you're preparing for your first Police Oral Interview or retaking it after you've bombed the first one, you must get prepared. You can do this by getting a comprehensive list of the top 50 most commonly asked police interview questions and answers here: http://www.PoliceOralBoardInterviewSecrets.com

How to Become a Police Officer After an Arrest - Do This to Leap Frog the Competition

If you've ever been arrested and don't know if you can ever reach your lifelong dream of becoming a cop, then read this article very carefully. Whenever I get asked the question, can I become a cop if I've been arrested before? Will I get eliminated because of it? Well the answer is yes and no. Yes you will be eliminated if you are a convicted felon and no if you were arrested for a lesser offense. Simply getting arrested will not necessarily eliminate you, but it will require a lot more work, and a lot of explanation on your part to get the job.

If you got arrested when you were a teenager for shoplifting than that offense will not disqualify you, just be upfront about it. Police departments put more emphasis on your life choices after you turned eighteen and less on your adolescent years.

With that said, you must understand that you're going into the hiring process with the deck stacked against you if you have a minor blemish on your record. Remember you are competing with people who have squeaky clean records, college degrees, and some may have served time in the military. So, you'll have to out shine them.

Here's how to leap frog the competition even with a minor infraction on your record:

The best way to stand out is too impress the police oral board panel. If you score high on the oral board exam, you will crush the competition. You see police departments put more emphasis on the oral board interview than any other stage of the hiring process. That's why the panel will ask a lot of "what if" questions. If you come up with the correct answers, the hiring board won't give a care if you spent the night in juvenile detention.

So, the bottom-line is if you want to stand out and jump ahead of the competition even with an arrest, you must prepare yourself for the Police Oral Interview. That is the single most important component of the hiring process fro you. The best and most effective way to prepare for the oral exam is to get a comprehensive list of the top 50 most commonly asked police interview questions and answers found here:http://www.PoliceOralBoardInterviewSecrets.com