Reasons why firefighter applicants get beaten-up through the application process

1. This information is intended as a resource and guide for
those who may not have competed as well as they would
have liked with the interview phase of the CFA
recruitment process.

2. We encourage you to continue with your own
individual preparation which should not just
centralise on the interview component of the
recruitment process. Remember final decisions are
made on whole of application performance - not just
the interview alone.

3. Interview Tips

4. It’s difficult to prepare for a behaviour-based
interview because of the large number and variety
of possible behavioral questions you might asked
The theme of the questioning is around the
applicant’s motivation, understanding of the
organisation and the role and how well you can
respond to behavioral based questions.

5. It is recommended that after every interview you self-
evaluate your performance as soon as possible. This for
most of us usually occurs once we get in the car after the
interview has concluded. If you feel you did not provide
the best responses to some questions it is most likely a
good indicator that you can do better.
The detail you provided for your example may not have
reflected enough depth or the example/s you gave may
have only partially answered the questions.

6. Preparation

7. 1. Understanding the role and the organisation
It is important to utilise your station visits to find out as much as
you can about these two topics. The information you obtain via
the internet will only give you a base level view. Some
candidates make the mistake of using the visits to discuss the
recruitment process and likely interview questions; although
this is a natural subject to cover it will not cover the above topic
enough to make you competitive amongst other candidates.

8. 2. Understand your motivation and why you want this job
This response will vary from individual to individual
and it is not one that we will be able to help you
with.

9. 3. Know your work skills and attributes
You need to be comfortable and capable of talking fluently about your skills and
experiences and have detailed specific examples based on your work
experience to back up your responses.
In the first instance have good understanding of the differences between a
“skill”and an “attribute or trait” .
Have a thought understanding of your own skill set and attributes, particularly
those relevant to the role.
Once you have done this it is always a good practice to write them down -
including your experiential examples to help embed them in your

10. Arm yourself with a small arsenal of example stories that can be adapted to
many behavioural questions.
Candidates who tell the panel about particular situations that relate to each
question will be far more effective and successful than those who respond
in general terms.
Vary your examples; don’t take them all from just one job experience. If you
Volunteer for CFA or SES or other organisations these are also an excellent
resource for showcasing your skills and abilities.
It is preferable that your delivery style at interview is as natural as possible.

11. Actively listen to the question and try to avoid constant probing/rephrasing of
the questions by the panel.
If you want to use notes during the final interview, it is permitted however if
the notes distract you from the flow of the interview and you are simply
reading from them, it will put doubt in the minds of the panel that the
words are your own.
Given the nature of behavioral questioning it is unlikely that notes will assist
you greatly however if you wish to use a “notes page”ensure it in point form
so that provide assistance as a “memory jogger”
Panel members are looking for answers that are honest-unrehearsed and
natural.

12. Remember final decisions are made on the whole application performance -
not just the interview alone.
As you will have detected during your attendance at each stage of the
recruitment process this role attract a high calibre candidate, it is very
competitive.
The reality is that you can feel you have performed well at interview and still fail
to gain selection.
Many good people do not make it through to the final stages because of the
“competition”. Others may have met the criteria more closely this time.

13. Review your preparation, consider the next appropriate time to re-apply, make
sure it suits you strategically.
Good Luck with your preparations going forward.
Regards,
Career Firefighter Recruitment Team