Is it true?

[saredin]

This astounds me-
More people fail the Oral Board interview than all other parts of the process put together. Is that true?

I have my Oral Board in about 2 weeks. Interviews are my strong point..but man, what am I in for?

[CurlyQ]

Dunno if it's true, but I suppose there has to be one part of the process that more people fail. Why dwell on it? If interviews are your strong point, don't sweat it.

Just be yourself and give your answers with confidence.

[SgtCHP]

I think more people fail the written test, before they ever get to the orals, than anything else. Out of 100 candidates, it is not uncommon to have only 15% +/- pass.

[crass cop]

Do NOT tell the board what you THINK they want to hear....its not always the case

[nonickname69]

Yes, it's true. The reason behind it is because the oral board is a common place where an agency makes a decision to extend a conditional offer of employment.

You may not necessarily "fail" but you don't do as well compared to another person you won't be selected to move on in the hiring process.

[goodfella]

This astounds me-
More people fail the Oral Board interview than all other parts of the process put together. Is that true?

I have my Oral Board in about 2 weeks. Interviews are my strong point..but man, what am I in for?

I've not heard to many people who actually fail the oral interview. You might get buried at the bottom of the list if you can't interview well. But I've rarely heard of people passing the written test and then get knocked out of the list because of the oral interview.

[DAL]

I think that more people fail the background than the oral interview, for the reason explained by goodfella. But things probably vary from agency to agency.

[phillyrube]

Learn about the department: community policing philosophy, geographic info, take a ridealong. Dress for success, shine your shoes, turn off your cellphone, if you don't have the answer, ask where you could go to find it. If you have letters of recommendation, commendations, etc, make copies ahead of time for everyone on the board. Make eye contact around the table as you answer the questions. Thank everyone for their time, and that you look forward to working with them.
Be careful how you talk to the office staff, receptionist, guy waxing the floors, etc. Some may be "plants."

Good luck!!

[Nessmuk]

In our case, it is true only as a matter of percentages.

We seem loose about a third of the pool at the written, and about another third at the PT test. However, if we have, say, twenty candidates that we want to interview out of the 70 or so that apply for only one position, that means that 95% will 'fail' the oral.

I remember a few who have failed the written with incredibly poor scores(good lord, some folks is dumb) and a few outstanding souls who were stupid enough to go to a PT test waaay out of shape (get a star for enthusiasm, though), but over time I seem to remember a lot more of the morons who screw up the oral/assessment center as that is when we can really get to know the person.

Written & PT are run kind of like a factory assembly line, but the interview/assessment is much more personal. Therefore, when one messes up, it is consequently much more memorable.

[Smurfette_76]

Learn about the department: community policing philosophy, geographic info, take a ridealong. Dress for success, shine your shoes, turn off your cellphone, if you don't have the answer, ask where you could go to find it. If you have letters of recommendation, commendations, etc, make copies ahead of time for everyone on the board. Make eye contact around the table as you answer the questions. Thank everyone for their time, and that you look forward to working with them.
Be careful how you talk to the office staff, receptionist, guy waxing the floors, etc. Some may be "plants."

Good luck!!

Excellent advice.

Saredin,

I was blessed with the gift of gab and interviews are a breeze for me. Even given that, the oral was "interesting" because they pretty much grilled me the entire time and tried to trip me up. I think if I hadn't already been an Officer with prior experience they would have unnerved me...thankfully, that wasn't the case. My first oral board (with my first agency) was a breeze...I was 21 and skated that like no body's business. LOL Differences in agencies undoubtedly.

Take a deep breath. Answer with how you TRULY feel, don't try to tell them a PC answer or what you think they want to hear. STICK TO YOUR ANSWERS.

[Blizzination]

I never had issues with interviews...except for one....

The problem people have with interviews is that you have people who have limited ability to socialize and talk as they think. Some are also borderline retarded, and in no way thought about studying for their interview.

Interviewer: "Ok...can you tell me who the current chief of police is?
Applicant: "Umm....I don't know."

Interviewer: "Why do you think you would make a good police officer?"
Applicant: "Well, most of my family has been in trouble with the law for my whole life, so I think I'm good at knowing what to look for."

Interviewer: "You walk into a convenience store with your FTO, he takes a candy bar that he doesn't pay for and walks out of the store. What do you do?"
Applicant: "What's an FTO?"
Interviewer: "A field training officer"
Applicant: "And what does he do?"
Interviewer: "He's a veteran officer who train's new officers."
Applicant: "Oh...he probably knows better than I do."
Interviewer: "So you'd do nothing?"
Applicant: "Well yeah, he's my boss."

Interviewer: "Would you ever write a traffic citation to a member of your family?"
Applicant: "Well hell yeah I would, my Uncle Ted is a dick, he needs a ticket!"

Don't be honest....tell them what they want to hear. For the record...the answers here are NOT the correct answers.

[StudChris]

For us the written test knocks 75-80% of people out.

[L-1]

This is a long manual to read, but it will give you an idea as to what you are in for on the oral.

http://www.post.ca.gov/selection/S&E/interviewguide-web.pdf

[oneoldcop]

when I last did interviews 2 guys really stand out; opposite ends of the spectrum...

one came in obviously had been coached in what to say and how to say it-found out later a Capt. in another dept. had in fact coached him...

the other guy comes in, doesn't shake hands with the female on the board, flops down on a loveseat and slings his arm across the back-first question was why do you want to be an officer here-his answer was so "I can get my 25 in an retire"...

that's 2 extremes, you've gotten some good advice, use it.

[Nessmuk]

-his answer was so "I can get my 25 in an retire"...
.

OMG! I think we must have interviewed the same guy! We had an applicant who had worked for another agency who indeed did tell us that, among "you'll probably pick this up in the BI..." about his leaving the other agency, that "well, I've got 'x' years in Group 2 (LE retirement) and only need 'y' years to get my 20, and this seemed like the best alternative" Alternative? To what? "Would you like fries with that?"

Unbelievable.

Oh, yeah, for the OP, leave out the stuff about your recent divorce, health issues, family problems, etc. if you have any of that. Don't go off on tangents that have nothing to do with the interview. The board will remember you if you do, just not in a way that will be to your benefit.

Finally, don't wear Crocs or tell the board that having met all the other applicants at the written & PT that you are clearly the best and that the board surely doesn't have any other choice. Not good. We had a Fed do that once, and it was apparently his way of illustrating why that Fed agency didn't retain him.

By the way, good luck!