The Interview to Become a Firefighter

The third step in your road to becoming a firefight er will be an oral interview.  Every one of these interviews has three basic parts.  Each part is important.

Your interview will be conducted by an interview board that will include a fire captain, a personnel department staff member, and men and women from business, the government, or community organizations who are familiar with the fire fighter program and are experienced in interviewing employees themselves.

Applicants for firefighter jobs will often spend hours studying for the written examination, but spend only a few minutes preparing for the interview. This is a mistake as the short amount of time you spend in front of the interview board could very well determine whether or not you get the job.  Given this, it is amazing that many applicants do not spend any time preparing for the interview at all.

How to get ready for the interview

First, be sure you know the date, time and place of your interview.  This may seem too basic, but it would be very unfortunate if you were to assume that the interview is to be held in a certain room and then discover at the last minute that the appointment is somewhere else.  Or, even worse, to show up for the interview and find that it's being held at a different time and date.

Be sure to arrive for your interview at least 15 minutes early.  This will make sure you are covered in case of an emergency.  For example, you may find it hard to find a parking space quickly.  Arriving late for an interview is usually not excusable.

The interview itself

How you conduct yourself in the interview is the biggest part of the impression you will make on the interview board.

You should be courteous, alert and self-confident.  Try to sound self assured and, smile occasionally. Look the interviewers in the eye as you listen to their questions and as you respond.  Be sure to sit straight up, but look relaxed, and, most of all, be prepared to answer the questions that you will likely be asked.

Keep in mind that the interview board will be trying to assess your qualifications based on the job requirements information given to them by the departmental briefer and the personnel department briefer.

In addition, the board will be trying to evaluate those qualifications that were not measured in the written examination.  These qualifications will include such things as personal qualities, your ability to communicate orally, your attitudes, goals and interests.  However, this does not mean that the subjects covered in your written examination will not be questioned further.