Anyone Used These And Want To Share Review
Anyone Used These And Want To Share Review
I have Smoke Your Firefighter Interview by Paul Lepore and am looking into other interview prep books. I came across these two, one which has a hefty price tag, and wondered if anyone who's used them could offer an opinion.
Study Guide for the Firefighter Interview http://www.amazon.com/Study-Guide-Firef ... 816&sr=8-5
Ace Your Firefighter Oral Boards: The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Oral Board Interview http://www.amazon.com/Ace-Your-Firefigh ... 800&sr=8-4
Study Guide for the Firefighter Interview http://www.amazon.com/Study-Guide-Firef ... 816&sr=8-5
Ace Your Firefighter Oral Boards: The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Oral Board Interview http://www.amazon.com/Ace-Your-Firefigh ... 800&sr=8-4
I found I got the best practice from a firefighter interview coach and having my wife fire questions at me. But eh, I'm not on yet! I think it's important to not sound like a robot and being able to answer questions like you are casually conversing. I did read Leopore's and found it enlightening. I will probably save my money to pay another coach at my next go around!
[quote=""JayG""]Study Guide for the Firefighter Interview http://www.amazon.com/Study-Guide-Firef ... 816&sr=8-5[/quote]
I just picked up a used copy of this one for 40 bucks off of Amazon. I wasn't totally convinced at $100 new but I figured since the used copy was relatively cheap I'd go for it.
I'm not hired so take this however you want...
Cons:
I read through it and found a lot of obvious stuff in there...the standard "firefighting is a rewarding career..." and, "it's tough to get in..." "dress appropriately to make the right impression" stuff.
This seems to be a recurring theme in most of these training manuals whether regarding interviews, testing, etc. It's starting to get a little tired.
Pros:
It really explains the nature of the different types of questions you can expect to be asked and the right way to go about answering them.
It really got me thinking about some questions that I previously thought had fairly obvious answers.
There are worksheets in the back including 100 sample questions, character traits, fire department info forms, etc. Filling them out requires you to really think about your personal experience and how it applies to the questions being asked.
All in all I'd say, like most things, if I put the time into the work the book asks, it has the potential to be quite useful. I'm pretty picky about how I've been investing my time and resources as far as fire service training goes. At $100 for 167 pages it seemed a little pricey, but I'm happy with the deal I got.
I was told that I should be spending as much time on my interview skills as I am on my fitness. That really stuck with me since I work out everyday. Now I spend a lot more time thinking through scenarios and how my personality and past experiences makes me a good candidate, and recording myself answering practice questions. I use the guide to help me organize these thoughts.
I just picked up a used copy of this one for 40 bucks off of Amazon. I wasn't totally convinced at $100 new but I figured since the used copy was relatively cheap I'd go for it.
I'm not hired so take this however you want...
Cons:
I read through it and found a lot of obvious stuff in there...the standard "firefighting is a rewarding career..." and, "it's tough to get in..." "dress appropriately to make the right impression" stuff.
This seems to be a recurring theme in most of these training manuals whether regarding interviews, testing, etc. It's starting to get a little tired.
Pros:
It really explains the nature of the different types of questions you can expect to be asked and the right way to go about answering them.
It really got me thinking about some questions that I previously thought had fairly obvious answers.
There are worksheets in the back including 100 sample questions, character traits, fire department info forms, etc. Filling them out requires you to really think about your personal experience and how it applies to the questions being asked.
All in all I'd say, like most things, if I put the time into the work the book asks, it has the potential to be quite useful. I'm pretty picky about how I've been investing my time and resources as far as fire service training goes. At $100 for 167 pages it seemed a little pricey, but I'm happy with the deal I got.
I was told that I should be spending as much time on my interview skills as I am on my fitness. That really stuck with me since I work out everyday. Now I spend a lot more time thinking through scenarios and how my personality and past experiences makes me a good candidate, and recording myself answering practice questions. I use the guide to help me organize these thoughts.
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