Your Goal is the Badge. What’s Your Plan?
Having helped many over the years earn the badge, we have seen a thing or two. Yup. We have witnessed all types of candidates. Why is this important? Because we are passing our experience and lessons learned onto you. Here is the bottom line – you need to score high enough on your Oral Board to get a call-back. If you are not able to do that, you will experience a HARD STOP!
The cornerstone of what we do is to teach candidates how to ace their Oral Board. How do we do this? Well, the truth is that we use many tactics. Using a tape recorder to hear yourself talk is great tool. Getting private coaching is an excellent way to prepare for the unexpected – and you will get the unexpected curve ball question in your Oral Board. But the one tactic that comes to mind first is to make certain your answers are yours and yours alone. Tie your answers to your own personal life experiences. Doing this will separate you from the other candidates. Afterall, no one can tell your story the way you do. And we mean no one!
I coached this candidate who was stuck in the process. He had hit a wall and could not get past it. This is not uncommon. After working with him, I realized he was not allowing himself to stand out in a crowd. His Oral Board answers were not his. They were everyone else’s.
How dis this happen? Well, it is quite common. Folks are uncertain and want to say the right thing. His answers were coming from one of those books with all the oral board answers. This was a big mistake!
Using these kinds of answers was not going to get him hired. He had to rethink his process and dig deep for the personalized story that would make him stand out. You know the story that I am talking about – it’s the one that makes you unique. It’s the one that belongs to you and describes who you are as a person. It let’s the Oral Board understand what makes you tick. These kinds of answers are winners.
At the end of private coaching, with unique answers in tow, this candidate was ready. He was armed with his own tools and the confidence to get it done. Do you want to know what happened at his next Oral Board? He got the call he had always wanted.
Folks, I want to be perfectly clear. The Oral Board interview is a make it or break it situation. If you are not prepared, you will not do well. It really is that simple. Our advice is to not mess around. Preparation is key. If you want the badge, then do the work required.
Remember – “Nothing counts ’til you have the badge . . . Nothing!”
Fire Captain Rob
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