Hello Everyone,

Next week I have the final step in the hiring process for my local Sheriff department.

It is a panel interview with all the high ranking deputies, and even possibly the sheriff.

I have had a panel interview before, but it was not the last step in the hiring process and went very well.

They asked mw Officer safety questions, along with racially profiling, ethics and my credentials, They also threw in a few zinger questions

To try and get me flustered and what not, Ex: giving CPR to a person with AIDS ect..

I am lucky to have a panel interview under my belt already, I guess the purpose of this post is to become as comfortable and

prepared as I can be for this one.

Any suggestions, tips, or whatnot would be greatly appreciated,  

Thank you

-Dan

Sounds like you already know the basics... make eye contact, speak with confidence, if you don't know the answer then don't try to BS them... etc.  Just try to relax and look at this as an opportunity to shine and let them get to know you are THE ONE FOR THE JOB.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Don't be afraid to politely refer back to earlier questions if you think you have a better answer to them after the fact.

You are selling yourself––-your strengths and your faults.

Don't use the old tried and true my greatest fault is..."insert loving too much" or "trying too hard." You should know your faults. I know mine and they like to hear that.

For example: My weakness is I am usually very soft spoken and sometimes hang back in situations I am not familiar with––––I am working on being more outgoing and stepping up and taking control of situations even if I don't have all of the answers.

What is the correct answer to that question? My uncle was the Sheriff of my county when I was a young boy. He knew a deputy that he worked with as a rook in the 80's that went to a call of a girl that couldn't breath. EMS was tens of minutes out as they were vollies and the cop found the girl had ms or something else that required her to be on breathing equipment. He found the hole in her throat was covered, he ended up removing the substance and she came back to life. Later on he was diagnosed with hep c and died. I think about this every time that I go out. I generally wear an agency pullover and if this should occur, BBP exposure is on my list of concerns as I am not a medic and I don't carry gloves, cpr shield etc.

Wow, I am sorry, Thank you for sharing this.

As far as an answer Idk, I know for my last panel interview when I was asked this, I responded No, and Explained how if I received HIV due to giving mouth to mouth

I would be no use to my Family or the Department, (I forgot to add that in the scenario they had open cuts his lips.)

After I was done answering, One of the Officers called me out, in a "bad cop" voice and said "So you are saying you want us to hire you and you will not save this mans life?"

Talking about turning on the heat. I went on to talk about CPR not requiring Mouth to Mouth, and that I had already mentioned I radioed in the paramedics, and asked if I had a mask in the Squad car.

This was the only question they asked me that really gave me a ride.

Please if anyone has any other Questions that you feel might be thrown at me to let me know.

I have been dreaming of this opportunity.

-Dan

Tag.

I'm in the app process now so this could be a very useful thread.

I am pretty sure I bought my RRA ar off you. lol

Haha that's right, you did! It's serving you well I hope?

To add what others have said, make eye contact with the members of the board, and make eye contact with each member when thay ask you a question.  

Familiarize yourself with the legal roles and obligations of the sheriff (they asked this on my board and you would be suprised how many people didnt know the statutory obligation of the sheriff).

Realize some scenerio questions are meant to frustrate you, so be aware that what ever answer you give in this situation will come with some result to frustrate your logical decision or action.  Stick to whats legal, ethical and morally correct and you wont lose alot of ground.

Wear appropriate attaire, I wore a suit to my interview. Fresh hair cut and good shave, clean hands and nails.

Maintain a good posture, not rigid, but definitely not relaxed.  

At the end of the board, consider saying thank you to the board members for opportunity to appear before the board.  

best of luck.

Oh yes, about 5k through it.

I'm going to follow this thread as well. I'm out of the military in 9 months, so I will start gathering applications very soon. Do you have any other advice on what to study up on, or any other things to get ready for in the interviews? I am fairly decent at public speaking, but I know every advantage helps- especially in this economy.

Also OP, how long have you been in the job hunt up to this point?

If your active duty stay on top of your fitness.  Look at what typical agencies test you on (mine uses Cooper fitness standards so you will run 1.5 miles, sprint 200 yds, leg press and bench press % of body weight and situps based on age groupings)

If you have any college credits, make sure you get your transcripts information in order.  Degrees same thing.  

Pull your credit report and drivers history, if there are any mistakes now is the time to fix them.

If you have the opportunity, consider taking a spanish class.  Use to be spanish was a plus in the mexico border states and Florida, but this has moved further north.  You may not be a translator, but the ability to communicate simple sentences is a plus.  

When I was in the military, I didn't own a suit.  I bought one before I got out and it came in handy.  Get a good conservative suit, shirt, tie and shoes now as its better to buy one now than when your pinching pennies after you separate from the military.    When I went to my oral board, there were 33 of us that made the cut for the board that was the last step in the hiring sequence.  33people competing for 1 opening.   2/3 of us were in suits, the rest in professional casual attire and some in street clothes.  Most agencies place value on appearance and image, show the board that you take it serious.

Try to familiarize yourself with the applicable laws if you can find a reasonable resource to do so, but it can seem like mumbo jumbo outside of a college class or academy setting where instruction, structured learning and discussion tie it together.

Lastly, and this is a long shot for most, but I completed my standards (through a local basic recruit course at a college) while I was still on active duty, so when I got out I was already state certified since I had passed the state exam.  I got hired on with an agency and had to complete FTO and probaton.  Some agencies may send you to an academy, but having your certification takes alot off the agency and the new hire.

I have been in the process for three years, The Civil Service test they are pooling from was from November 19th 2009.

This is not the only agency that I have been applying for. I have been in the Uniformed Secret Service hiring process for over a year now, and about halfway through the process.

Definitely buy a suit, and I recommend also a black umbrella, They make fun of the hot pink one you walk in with....

-Dan

Tomorrows the big day!



-Dan

I'm pretty sure you are going for my agency. Relax, be honest and direct in your answers. Usually there are some ethics questions thrown in along with some basic ones like "why do you want to be a cop, why our agency", etc. Dress up, shake hands, meet everyone's eye when you speak, you will do fine. Good luck. I have 24 years in and I have never regretted my decision to enter law enforcement.

Thank you, and tell your "other" thank you as well, for all the help and guidance!

Interview went well.

-Dan

What county?

I would rather not say.