3 Questions To Ask In Your Interview & How To End It Properly

[@rhoonah5849]

Good information but I had a point. I would be weary of any department, company, etc. that does not give you an opportunity to ask questions of the interviewers. People tend to forget that an interview goes both ways. They are interviewing you to see if you are a good for them AND you are interviewing them to see if they area good fit for you. This transcends the fire service and is true for any career. Interviewers that have the opinion that they are holding all of the cards can be tough to work for because they may feel that they are doing YOU a favor by letting you work there and don't seeing the value in them being lucky as well to have you on board.

[@loganlaubach6955]

A word of caution using question #2. I recently used a similar question in my interview and the department I was testing for didn't have much beyond what was found in my prep research. (School Visits, etc.) The question flopped for me and was answered with a single word. "No". My thoughts would be to keep it fairly open-ended to maybe extract some information instead of pigeon-holing yourself with a specific question about a specific type of community outreach. Example: Instead of "Does X Department have any additional community outreach opportunities such as a Citizen's Academy?" Maybe use something like "Does X department have other types of community outreach members can become involved with in addition to: School Visits, Fire Safety Talks, Etc., Etc." I think it shows that you are interested in doing more than your fair share and that you've done your research on what they currently do. Learn from my mistake! Hope this helps

[@mike_pertz]

Good point, open ended questions are always good especially to keep things more conversational!

[@ReckOne559]

Change "does" to "what kind of" essentially makes it an open ended question as well. I love the community outreach programs too. They're very important for building a strong relationship with those you serve

[@mixing3698]

For that first question, we had a similar program I'm the Navy called mentorship. Where you could be familiar with someone on a personal, but more importantly professional level, they chose their mentor so it gave them a sense of control, however their was also a larger pool to pick from.

[@MattyBoy]

Hey brother really enjoying your content! Thank you for helping us out!

[@dustincarpenter1605]

I was watching this video in my truck at work and me and my coworker got to talking and he brought up an interesting question to ask and I want your opinion on it. Say your part of the panel and y’all ask me if I have any questions, I respond with “ Yessir, I was interested to know if anyone on this panel have any reservations about advancing me forward with the interview process?” It’s an interesting question and could show that I am open to criticism of myself, it could give me a chance to clear up any thoughts that any panel member have, BUT, it could also end an interview with negative questions and leave that negative memory of me. It could allow me to leave the interview with a feel for how the panel thinks about me knowing they try to keep their opinions cut and dry during the interview. What are your thoughts on that as a final question for the panel? My apologies for the long question. Thank you.

[@DapperSapper515]

That's a phenomenal question! I showed this to my father-in-law. He's on the panel for hiring for law enforcement. His best friend is also on the panel for his towns fire department so he showed him this as well. Both of them said that they've never received that question. However, if they did, they'd instantly love that candidate. As you said, it shows you're up for constructive criticism. And that can look great for you. They also firmly believe that it shows that you're not afraid to work on yourself as a person nor give up - an amazing quality they both look for within candidates. They went on to praise the question more. However, one con they see in the question for other departments is other departments might tell you that based off of the initial interview, they might not have any potential reservations on your end as of yet. One last con. They both mentioned is the fact that they might tell you they have other candidates to interview before they make any conclusions. Regardless, sorry for the late response. I hope this helps!

[@daviddouillard7477]

Can you explain that question a bit deeper I don’t understand your use of the word reservations

[@everlongtrey]

@@daviddouillard7477 It essentially means if they have any concerns or worries

[@salvador3828]

I have my interview on wednesday and I was wondering what you think about this question. “What is some advice that you as now experienced officers would give to a young candidate such as myself, that you would have appreciated hearing when you were a candidate?” Does that show interest in the job and being open to learning or does it come off as cliche?

[@nova00971]

did this question work for your interview? seems like a good one to ask, if I get to the interview part.

[@ang2895]

another alternative question you can ask is "what ideal candidate is the department looking for?"

[@Borough1736]

Amazing question!

[@garrettbroumley569]

Hey man. I know you might not see this comment, but I watched your videos on Interview tips and applied them to my interview prep. I got hired at a really good department in part to you man.. Thank you. I appreciate the help.

[@mike_pertz]

Congratulations Garrett! Good luck and Keep me posted on how things are going!

[@barbellsandgames3721]

I was just thinking about this the other day. Thank you

[@mike_pertz]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@themiked303]

Great information. I think having both a prepared finishing statement AND questions to ask is important to have in your back pocket. I was just in an interview recently and the final question went like this.. "ok final question of the interview... Question Number 6, Do you have any questions for us?" I am so glad that I had 2 ready to go. I actually had them written down on a 3x5 card and it was already sitting on the table in front of me.

[@cadenchase3112]

did you get the job?

[@themiked303]

@@cadenchase3112 I ended up making it to the round of chiefs interview but didnt make it past that. thats the furthest i have made it so far

[@cadenchase3112]

@@themiked303 I signed up to become a junior firefighter but my paperwork has been taking over a month to go through the town. I’ve already asked them on where it’s at, they said they’d check and have now not texted me back in over a week. More of a struggle than i thought it’d be.

[@hankgs]

I used to close on interviews with Depts I REALLY wanted bad by saying that "...like most candidates. I have been actively testing throughout the State, that being said, I would really like to be a part of this community, not just as someone fortunate to have the opportunity to work at such a great department, but to live here, build the foundation for raising a family here. I've looked into housing / cost of living here in ________ and would really look forward to being a part of the community." I only said it if I really meant it, and was sincere- otherwise you will come off phoney or cheesy and trust me, the Oral Board will see right through B.S. or insincerity...

[@johnsattler3414]

I really appreciate your content! Has helped out tremendously

[@ewankramer4644]

One I always ask is why would I want to work for company/department. Usually they love that one. But all good answer and a good video my friend

[@peterhan377]

Mentor or preceptor could be the word you could use for your question #1

[@taylorfarish554]

Awesome info. Your page is super informative. Extremely useful

[@davidstrittmatter9943]

Thanks for the tip and love the videos.

[@mike_pertz]

Glad you find it helpful!

[@ewankramer4644]

Very helpful vid

[@Yal-abeSKIPPER]

Hey man great contents. I Have an interview coming up... Your tips are very helpful 🙂

[@augustojm1860]

is it appropriate to ask them how many people they are hiring? I ask because some departments mention how many candidates they are looking to hire or put on a list but others dont really mention it.

[@timpitts112]

So at my most recent interview I asked the question “why would you (the 3 captains interviewing me) choose this department over other departments near by” was that a good question or was that off putting?

[@wesrhodes2994]

Can you bring a list of notes or just go in with out and have it memorized.

[@zachgillis7355]

Ive read a couple books on fire interview prep and talked to friends who have been on panels. A lot of them say NOT to ask any questions and just thank them for their time. I need all the advice I can get, why do you think it IS a good idea?

[@dillion241]

What kind of questions should I ask in an interview from getting hired on a department

[@jmp9023]

Have you seen or heard many stories of applicants who redo the hiring process after winning a civil service bypass appeal against the department and the department is ordered to hire them?

[@iGxByG]

This is golden! Thank you! Are you interested or doing any mentoring? I know your videos are very informative but I mean 1 on 1 mentoring.

[@mike_pertz]

I am actually working on a coaching program right now. I should have all the details and be setup in the next couple weeks!

[@iGxByG]

@@mike_pertz I’ll keep an eye out!

[@METHATONEGUY1]

What do you think of the question 'In what ways does X Department invest in their firefighters and families?'

[@NicholasCam22]

I have an interview today and I was wondering how long will it be and how many questions will they ask because im in highschool and im truing to volunteer.

[@tylerharnum8425]

job interview next month via Webex instead of offering handshakes at the end whats the best way to end it as a

[@rb_gets_buckets7061]

I had a thought a few days ago about asking a question about the history about the first fire chief of the department. The date of birth is not listed anywhere. I feel like it would be very memorable to ask how old he was when he first became the chief. Would that be a good question? Showing that I care about the history.

[@trevorsingley4682]

Your videos help me immensely thanks for what you do on here and off of here. Relating to the interview portion of them asking if I have any questions, would it be unprofessional to bring in little note cards that have questions on them? Also I am in a Reserve (volunteer) program with Sacramento Fire Department and we refer to two or more officers of higher rank as Cadre, would that be acceptable as opposed to Sir or Ma’am?

[@ztriplex]

I will say all three of these questions I learned the answer to already during my first Ride along/Station visit so I feel like these are questions that'd id be expected to know the answer too already. Any Suggestions?

[@trannghia5013]

inpaindaily

[@Ducksduckduck]

On hockey teams we call it a rookie getting a Vet