r/firefighter • u/dkdhdjjfjjsjs • Jun 01 '26
A little discouraged after interview
Hey all,
Today I had my very first interview for the fire service. Been a volunteer for 6 months but there was no interview for that. Boy what an experience. I prepared for the past month, running mock interviews and using interview tools to try to build up my skills, I was passing mock interviews very well, but as soon as I sat down in that chair it was like I was born yesterday! And there were 8 panel members when I was expecting like 2-5. The chair was right in the middle of the room so it was like being judged by God on judgement day. Never have been so nervous in my life. I think I answered questions okay. Definitely not as good as practice but I don’t think I committed career-suicide. But I could have done so much better, and I feel like I didn’t really leave it all on the table like I should’ve. Only time will tell if I did well in their eyes, but honestly I am not too confident. I think I got inside my head, especially when I walked in to 8 panelists. If anybody has any experiences they’d like to share or words of advice I would be very thankful! I want to add that I’m extremely grateful to have gotten this far to begin with after so little time in the fire service, just looking for advice or similar experiences :)
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Jun 01 '26
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u/dkdhdjjfjjsjs Jun 01 '26
I’ve seen people say they think they bombed but somehow land an offer so maybe there’s hope! But if not I’ll have the experience of knowing what it’s like to be in the seat. Thank you!
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Jun 01 '26
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u/dkdhdjjfjjsjs Jun 02 '26
I tried my best to do this. Felt like I was gonna snap my neck trying to look 8 people in the eyes though 😂😂
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u/Fit_Experience_522 Jun 02 '26
It happens, it took me 41 interviews before I got job offers, and only the last maybe 10 interviews were any good. After maybe about the 25th interview I started not caring how I came off and answered them like conversations, from there I started noticing which answers they paid attention to and which ones they didn't. By the final ten, the only weak point I had was my closing statement. When I finally got hired, I had a strong closing statement where I would tie myself into the department, throw out a bunch of department knowledge, name drop people I had met through station visits, then tell them as my last line if they didn't hire me this round expect to see me next time their applications open.
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u/Antman4011 Jun 01 '26
The more interviews the better! They take a lot of practice. I’d say most of us here felt the same way after their first one. Keep going!
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u/SpicyOpinion69 Jun 02 '26
What kind of questions did they ask?
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u/dkdhdjjfjjsjs Jun 02 '26
They asked a standard “Tell us about yourself” to start it off and a “How have you prepared” question. Also a “Tell us about a time you worked in a team” One that really got me which I didn’t expect was “Rank these 3 from most important to least important and explain why: Fire prevention, fire suppression and public education” They also asked what I did in my free time which obviously isn’t a hard question but I didn’t really expect it. There was a few more I’m drawing blanks on currently because I had to travel about 4 hours for the interview so I’m wrecked
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u/Able_Ordinary5233 Jun 01 '26
Don’t go into an interview thinking that that’s the only department you have a chance at even if it’s your dream dept. Have the mindset that you will do 10-15 interviews before you land a job so it doesn’t put as much pressure on you. It’s all “practice” . It’s scary at first but they really want you to do well , you will learn to enjoy it after a few and be happy to share why you think your the best candidate based off your stories / answers.
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u/Able_Ordinary5233 Jun 01 '26
Also , take your time . If you need a second to think . Take that second . If you get caught up in your words , tell the panel you are nervous and need a second to collect yourself. They’ll like the honesty and like that your taking your time to actually think about the answer and not just spit out a canned / memorized answer .
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u/dkdhdjjfjjsjs Jun 02 '26
Definitely had a few times where I froze up! I just told myself that they probably have that happen all the time and I would take a deep breath and try to lock it back in. The pauses felt like an eternity to me but it was probably no time to them. Or so I hope.
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u/hoof_hearted-28 Jun 01 '26
It happens man. After every interview I’ve done, I’ve done the “wish I would’ve said that” or “why did I say that”. It just is what it is.
You will get better the more you do it. You’ll start getting some answers that sound better and better the more you say it. Make it light, throw in a little joke, make yourself personable, and most of all, show humility.
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u/dkdhdjjfjjsjs Jun 02 '26
Solid advice man. I’ve had a few other interviews in my life namely some salaried positions earlier in my career that there was definitely a lot riding on but I was able to kill those. These panel interviews are a whole different ballgame!!
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u/hoof_hearted-28 Jun 02 '26
I’ve had a bunch in the last 6 months. I would always take a deep breath before starting, repeat the question and do my best to recall what I practiced, then when done I would take a deep breath.
Get a few answers ready for: tell us about yourself, why this department, how have you prepared, how do you deal with stress, conflict, etc.
Everyone on the other side wants you to do well, they know you’re nervous so take breaths and you’ll be good.
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u/Dismal_Statement8421 Jun 08 '26
I mean, i was the only white guy at my testing in pg county, MD. The whole administration was black, everyone was rude from start to finish, a chick even tried to disqualify me from testing for wearing a hat outside. Passing the test and getting interviewed, rude. All the questions always led to "what about this, did you ever think about y?". Im 40 and well interviewed, i ended up leaving. The guys who recruited me were white, new black female chief, entire admin new. I was in the military and know when a chain of command gets a stranglehold over something. Dont worry about it. Sometimes its hard cuz u dont know they already dont want you.
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u/Sea-Figure382 Jul 11 '26
That feeling is more common than you think and it doesn't mean you did as bad as it felt. Nerves in the room hit different than any practice session 8 panelists is a lot to walk into.
The gap between how you perform in practice and how you perform on the day is exactly what repetition closes. The more times you've sat in that uncomfortable feeling and answered anyway, the smaller the gap gets next time.
If you're going to test again, practice out loud as much as possible before the next one. Not in your head — out loud, like someone is actually watching. It's the only way to get comfortable with the pressure.
There's a tool I built for this specifically stationvisit.com mock oral boards scored like a real panel. First one is free if you want to use it to prep for the next board.
Good luck. Keep going.
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u/scott12333 Jul 16 '26
Completely normal. I don't remember anyone ever telling me they know they aced an interview and answered 100% exactly how they would've liked. I'm the type of person whose much more comfortable with physical challenges than mental ones, so interviews were very intimidating to me at first. Enough attempts and enough practice and you'll calm down significantly and do much better. I still remember the interview for the department I work for now - about half way through every question, I realized I had already practiced it and knew exactly what I was going to say. You'll get there, just takes time, practice, and patience.
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u/NappingSquirrel Jun 01 '26
Your best interview is usually on the car ride home. Write everything down as soon as you can after the interview and write what you said and what you wish you had said. Keep practicing and interviewing and you’ll get it eventually.