When the Wheels Come Off the Wagon!
The firefighter hiring process includes a Psych Test with an evaluation by a psychologist. When the evaluation goes wrong, the firefighter candidate is eliminated from the hiring process. As you can imagine, the wheels start coming off the wagon.
Here is how it goes down. Before the interview, the psychologist will often have you take a separate personality test, fill out a personal family history, a biography, and additional information forms. The biggest mistake firefighter candidates make during the psychological evaluation is thinking there is patient/doctor confidentiality. There isn’t. The Psych Evaluator is not your family doctor. Guess who is paying the bill?
It is right there that firefighter candidates get into trouble. They want the job so badly they will say and do anything to get it. Hear me loud and clear – I do not encourage candidates to be less than truthful, but those who are honest to a fault diminish their chances of passing the psychological interview. Once you start down that road, the floodgates open, and you start offering too much information. What makes this difficult to navigate is when the Psych Evaluator makes you feel comfortable by saying, “Everyone has skeletons in their closet, or this interview is not designed to eliminate you from the process…”, or “you don’t want to be too squeaky clean….”
Thinking the Psych Evaluator is your friend is a big mistake. After you open up, the phone stops ringing, and no one will talk to you. You are out of the process, Mcfly. And, you don’t know why.
So, how can you avoid this happening? Here are some quick tips. Do not appear to be closed off but try to be warm and cordial. Always think before you speak. Be articulate. Present your ideas clearly and concisely. Only answer the question you are being asked. If they want to know more, they will ask. Make sure you dress up and do not slouch. Be prepared to audition for the part of being a firefighter. Know your strong points. Be ready to demonstrate you are a team player.
A large city fire department called in twelve candidates for the psychological interview. Only three passed. They sent in six more, only two passed. They tested another six. Again, only two passed.
All those who passed were our eatstress.com candidates. They prepared in advance with the special report that took us over a year to compile to let them know where the land mines were before they went in. Ask them if it was worth knowing what was coming? The answer will be yes.
Fire “Captain Bob” Author, Becoming A Firefighter
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