I’ve always categorized my answer to this question with the acronym FORD, the same dynamic of questions I use when getting to know someone new myself. This stands for : Family Occupation Recreation Dreams
I've been given different advice for this question. Usually they want to know more of your personal stuff/values/hobbies in this question instead of the job/experience. They usually have a separate question for the professional stuff "how has your education, job, and experience prepared you for this position".
You're literally the ONLY CZcamsr that I don't mind talking about things other than what the video is supposed to be. "How to answer XYZ on an interview." Then you talk about things completely unrelated. For whatever reason, it doesn't bother me - you have been helping me so much and I cannot thank you enough for it! Thank you!
Your content is awesome! Thank you for your commitment to help young upcoming firefighters to better prepare for the fire service. I am pushing to become a B.C. and I actually will admit when it comes to being interviewed, I do not have a lot of experience in this. So I am actually nervous for my interview coming up soon. Thank you for the info
@TheTopNotchOne been on the department for near 3 months now! There was 2 spots and I scored highest from every candidate. Definitely have some tips if you need em.
@TheTopNotchOne no problem, it's definitely exciting. Best I can say is watch your body language, shake hands, and don't cross your arms. Hold your hands together in your lap, sit straight and look them in the eyes. Don't brag, don't say dumb shit,just present the truth and facts. Learn about that department through the internet and the town they serve. It's also cool seeing it from the inside out, I've already been a apart of another process. If you come into a room and there's 4 or 5 firefighters there....that's your pre interveiw trust me, the guys have say just as much as a hiring board.
@@colto8284i have mine tommorow any other tips on what i should say if i can't find out much about the department it's a small rural one and only know so much
Yes I definitely messed mines up with the bright lights I was sweating and so nervous my brain couldn't even think of a simple word to follow up on an easy question.
How many questions do they ask you? I applied and had to fill out a pre packet polygraph packet and man I’m kind of kicking myself on some bad decisions I did in my early years😢
I have had about 5 different interviews in my life.. I've never been asked this question. I have always been asked the "where do you see yourself in 5 years" though.
Oh boy! 33 almost 34 yrs ago, I started with 3 jokes! Then they said they were gonna be extra hard on me for 3 reasons. Well 💩! I began to sweat! Reason1: Grandfather was the chief. 2. Father was Captain 3. I am a girl. A girl F/F in 1980’s??? They wanted to know how I did on the PRACTICAL testing (I guess to see if I could pull my weight and a brother). Otherwise it went well and was hired. Later became an EMT-P. One question that stays with me to this day…”What would you do if you lost a teammate in a fire?”
I have an interview in two weeks. One of my strengths is my mechanical aptitude and it’s showcased on my CZcams channel. Is it a good idea to mention the channel during the interview?
Hey Mike I had a question. I have been a paramedic for 13 years now. Prior to ems I did my pre service fire training. I had a call in ems that made me value the skills and teamwork of fire. Therefore I decided to pursue a fire career. I graduated the pre service program in 2008 and only graduated with FF1 so I had to go back to school and re do pre service in order to apply. My question is I have an interview and wondering if I should bring this up or does it look like I chose ems over a fire career. My thoughts were I could explain my thought process ( when I initially graduated pre service very young and inexperienced didn't think I would get onto career dept). Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for the videos really have helped. Cheers from Canada.
Ya I would definitely bring this up! You have a ton of experience and want to bring that experience to the fire service. That's valuable and you should use it to sell your knowledge, skills, and experience to the department.
i have a interview with Selma fire department in Texas on Friday at 10, i am number 3 on list and they are hiring 5 firefighters and i have no experience. How do i separate out the stuff they want to hear from the stuff they dont want to hear? such as they ask me about myself, most of my life has been in san antonio and i have only worked for a firefighter based moving company, i was a ex gymnast and gymnastics coach. i just dont know what the right thing to say is lol, this is my second interview.
When they ask you that question, try to focus on things you have done that have helped you prepare for the job. If you have any EMS experience talk about that, and my guess is if you were a former gymnast you’re probably pretty fit as well.
FirefighterNOW yes sir on all of my previous firefighter cpats and physical test I have been first place overall. I know I am very hands on and I fell in love with firefighting during my fire academy due to how much hands on stuff I get to do.
Keep preparing, I've been interested in the fire service for years but only just started practicing for my interview days before. I didn't set myself up for success very well. Get a good early start and get comfortable in an interview setting.
@@rene3399 congrats! That’s awesome! My interview is tomorrow. I already landed a volunteer spot so worst case scenario I just keep working at my current job and then volunteer there and get fire/ems experience.
Great video but I have to disagree slightly on the handshaking part, I'm a firm believer in a handshake says all but with covid I simply say politely "Please excuse me (sir, madam, name) for not shaking your hand at this moment in time as I'm taking precautions for covid"
I suspect you have to match the room, if that is something you are concerned about, I'd bet its more than fine to say; however keep in mind the culture. If the culture at the fire department isn't worried about it this now puts you at a disadvantage (in my opinion). Rather as he said, if you're not sure (like with COVID) its probably safest just to ask "Is it alright to shake your hand" and let them tell you no. With COVID though this is a really good consideration, it also makes station tours and ride alongs allot harder!
I’ve always categorized my answer to this question with the acronym FORD, the same dynamic of questions I use when getting to know someone new myself. This stands for :
Family
Occupation
Recreation
Dreams
When they ask this question I always start with family then move towards profession.
I've been given different advice for this question. Usually they want to know more of your personal stuff/values/hobbies in this question instead of the job/experience. They usually have a separate question for the professional stuff "how has your education, job, and experience prepared you for this position".
These videos are gold man really
You're literally the ONLY CZcamsr that I don't mind talking about things other than what the video is supposed to be. "How to answer XYZ on an interview." Then you talk about things completely unrelated. For whatever reason, it doesn't bother me - you have been helping me so much and I cannot thank you enough for it! Thank you!
All the extra info you give helps and is extraordinarily useful! Thank you!
Thanks Christopher! Glad you find it helpful!
Thank you so much for this. This really helps. I have an interview coming up. A little nervous. I haven’t done an interview for a long time. Thanks.
Thank you for this advice. It is very helpful
I have my interview in just days. I’ve been tuned in on your channel for the past year and really appreciate your content.
Any word on your progress?
Got a interview Thursday very excited only 21
“ I am passionate about making money and the benefits this job provides. Everyone knows a fire job is money. I’m here because I want that. Thanks”
Your content is awesome! Thank you for your commitment to help young upcoming firefighters to better prepare for the fire service. I am pushing to become a B.C. and I actually will admit when it comes to being interviewed, I do not have a lot of experience in this. So I am actually nervous for my interview coming up soon.
Thank you for the info
Good luck Scott! Keep me posted on how it goes man!
@@mike_pertz How BA crew entry work in America. I know here the fire brigades use an entry control board and officer
My interveiw is in 10.5 hours....it's unreal how I was calm yesterday and at the start of today I've got the Dagon shakes
How did it go?
@TheTopNotchOne been on the department for near 3 months now! There was 2 spots and I scored highest from every candidate. Definitely have some tips if you need em.
@@colto8284 alright thanks for responding :)
@TheTopNotchOne no problem, it's definitely exciting. Best I can say is watch your body language, shake hands, and don't cross your arms. Hold your hands together in your lap, sit straight and look them in the eyes. Don't brag, don't say dumb shit,just present the truth and facts. Learn about that department through the internet and the town they serve. It's also cool seeing it from the inside out, I've already been a apart of another process. If you come into a room and there's 4 or 5 firefighters there....that's your pre interveiw trust me, the guys have say just as much as a hiring board.
@@colto8284i have mine tommorow any other tips on what i should say if i can't find out much about the department it's a small rural one and only know so much
Yes I definitely messed mines up with the bright lights I was sweating and so nervous my brain couldn't even think of a simple word to follow up on an easy question.
How many questions do they ask you? I applied and had to fill out a pre packet polygraph packet and man I’m kind of kicking myself on some bad decisions I did in my early years😢
So, an elevator speech! Thank you for this video, I will keep this in mind!
I have had about 5 different interviews in my life.. I've never been asked this question. I have always been asked the "where do you see yourself in 5 years" though.
How many questions did they usually ask in total?
How did you answer? Was it the next promotion? Different job in the same rank?
Oh boy! 33 almost 34 yrs ago, I started with 3 jokes! Then they said they were gonna be extra hard on me for 3 reasons. Well 💩! I began to sweat! Reason1: Grandfather was the chief. 2. Father was Captain 3. I am a girl. A girl F/F in 1980’s??? They wanted to know how I did on the PRACTICAL testing (I guess to see if I could pull my weight and a brother). Otherwise it went well and was hired. Later became an EMT-P. One question that stays with me to this day…”What would you do if you lost a teammate in a fire?”
What was your response lol
Yeah that's crazy lol
I have an interview in two weeks. One of my strengths is my mechanical aptitude and it’s showcased on my CZcams channel. Is it a good idea to mention the channel during the interview?
Did you get the job?
This makes me glad to live in Brazil where it's only a written and physical test, no interviews
Hey Mike I had a question. I have been a paramedic for 13 years now. Prior to ems I did my pre service fire training. I had a call in ems that made me value the skills and teamwork of fire. Therefore I decided to pursue a fire career. I graduated the pre service program in 2008 and only graduated with FF1 so I had to go back to school and re do pre service in order to apply. My question is I have an interview and wondering if I should bring this up or does it look like I chose ems over a fire career. My thoughts were I could explain my thought process ( when I initially graduated pre service very young and inexperienced didn't think I would get onto career dept). Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for the videos really have helped. Cheers from Canada.
Ya I would definitely bring this up! You have a ton of experience and want to bring that experience to the fire service. That's valuable and you should use it to sell your knowledge, skills, and experience to the department.
@@mike_pertz thanks so much for getting back to me. All these videos have been a huge help. Can't thank you enough.
i have a interview with Selma fire department in Texas on Friday at 10, i am number 3 on list and they are hiring 5 firefighters and i have no experience. How do i separate out the stuff they want to hear from the stuff they dont want to hear? such as they ask me about myself, most of my life has been in san antonio and i have only worked for a firefighter based moving company, i was a ex gymnast and gymnastics coach. i just dont know what the right thing to say is lol, this is my second interview.
When they ask you that question, try to focus on things you have done that have helped you prepare for the job. If you have any EMS experience talk about that, and my guess is if you were a former gymnast you’re probably pretty fit as well.
FirefighterNOW yes sir on all of my previous firefighter cpats and physical test I have been first place overall.
I know I am very hands on and I fell in love with firefighting during my fire academy due to how much hands on stuff I get to do.
FirefighterNOW I appreciate you answering me back
FirefighterNOW I am 20 and just nervous as hell lol
How’d it go?
16 years old , trying to prepare for internship
Keep preparing, I've been interested in the fire service for years but only just started practicing for my interview days before. I didn't set myself up for success very well. Get a good early start and get comfortable in an interview setting.
@@gamersguide5484 I actually just had my interview for the internship last week. went very well, most likely starting the program in the fal
@@rene3399 congrats! That’s awesome! My interview is tomorrow. I already landed a volunteer spot so worst case scenario I just keep working at my current job and then volunteer there and get fire/ems experience.
@@rene3399 I’m 16 years old too. What is the internship? Still learning btw
@@andyriveratbe I will be going on calls with my city’s dept, during my first half of the school day
Great video but I have to disagree slightly on the handshaking part, I'm a firm believer in a handshake says all but with covid I simply say politely "Please excuse me (sir, madam, name) for not shaking your hand at this moment in time as I'm taking precautions for covid"
I suspect you have to match the room, if that is something you are concerned about, I'd bet its more than fine to say; however keep in mind the culture. If the culture at the fire department isn't worried about it this now puts you at a disadvantage (in my opinion). Rather as he said, if you're not sure (like with COVID) its probably safest just to ask "Is it alright to shake your hand" and let them tell you no. With COVID though this is a really good consideration, it also makes station tours and ride alongs allot harder!
That's a bit of a gamble nowadays. Just be you, King