Interview question ???

[Ms.Medic]

Okay, I need a little help with "hiring" questions. Does anyone know of a good website to get help to study for most commonly asked interview questions? If no website, how about if any of you are in a supervisory position that can send some my way. Thanks in advance.

 

[reaper]

Just answer any question they ask, honestly! Do not try and figure out what they want to hear. Be yourself and be honest!

 

[Ms.Medic]

I just think I will be less nervous, and feel more confident if I can have answers ready, without hesitation to think about them. I know theres no guarantee what will be asked, but at least it would give me an idea. I would never be dishonest with my answers though.

 

[Aidey]

It totally depends on who you are working for. For example, the largest national private Amb company uses a "canned" interview that has the same 5 or 6 questions no matter which of their locations you apply to.

Do you know anyone who is currently working where you are applying? Maybe ask them what their interview was like?

 

[AJ Hidell]

There is a free pdf file entitled "Job Interview Preparation Guide", written specifically for EMS personnel, and listing most all of the common interview questions, at this site:

http://ems-safety.com/emsfiles.htm

Very highly recommended. I have linked that site here before, and will do so many times in the future because they simply put out so many excellent resources for EMS professionals. I also highly recommend the podcast audio sessions, where some of the best minds in EMS are interviewed, including Dr. Bryan Bledsoe, the author of the Brady paramedic texts. Check them out here: http://ems-safety.com/audio.htm

Back to the question at hand, my favorite question of potential employees is simply why they chose to enter the EMS field. This is one of those questions where it is especially important to answer brutally honestly and completley, because I call BS on those who only say they want to "help people". I'll have more respect for you if you honestly tell me you're a siren whacker than to lie to me with nonsense about "giving back" to the community.

On the other hand, there are some questions that you probably should not answer honestly. If they ask you what your future plans are, and your future plans are to work here until you can finish the fire academy and get a fire job, I'm not hiring you. And many other EMS employers feel the same way. Employers want a stable workforce. And people who are going to bail on me the first chance they get are not people who are going to contribute to that stability. Most employers are not stupid. They know that nobody goes to work for Joe's Transfer Service looking for a twenty-year career to retire from. But at least try to give them the impression that you aren't intending to walk out on them with no notice in less than a year.

 

[eric2068]

If they give you senario questions never use the terms " I might, should, could". Be confident and say I will. Good luck.

 

[medicdan]

Do a search on this site, there have been several discussions of how to dress, how to answrer questions, what to ask, etc, just search "interview".

 

[Aidey]

Another common one is "Our company values xxxx quality. Give an example of a time you exhibited xxxxx quality".

 

[WarDance]

I don't think it's a good idea to try to give 'em what they want. I think it's best to be yourself and really get across that you are qualified. Go in there confident and make sure you know a little something about the company. Asking questions is always impressive becuse it shows that you know enough to as a question. I have heard some people use the STAR method for answering questions. You can look at that here http://www.career.caltech.edu/resources/handouts/STAR_Interviews.pdf. If you are nervous something like that could help you remeber to cover all the bases. But when it really comes down to it, relax and be yourself. If the job was meant to be then it was meant to be.

 

[BossyCow]

"So, tell us about yourself...."
Why do you want to work for us?"
Tell us about a time you had a conflict with a co-worker and how it was resolved and what you learned from the experience?
What do you consider to be your greatest attribute as an employee?
What do you consider your greatest shortcoming?
What was your favorite job and why?

Some places will offer scenarios and ask you to describe how you would act in a situation.. such as... you see a co-worker doing something you have been taught is wrong or against policy. How would you handle it?

Or, you are on a call and the situation falls in a gray area protocol wise... what do you do?

The key is to remember that at all times, you are being evaluated. Even when it's all just chatting about you, your family etc. I recall an interviewee after completing the interview, during the post interview chat when we were walking out the door, "Thanks for coming... looks like you are getting out of here early enough to start your weekend early"... His response was a blow by blow recitation of the party his friends were throwing that night and how he was looking forward to drinking himself into oblivion....He wasn't hired.....The funny thing was.. until that moment, he was definitely in the top three of the candidates.

 

[DT4EMS]

There is a free pdf file entitled "Job Interview Preparation Guide", written specifically for EMS personnel, and listing most all of the common interview questions, at this site:

http://ems-safety.com/emsfiles.htm

Very highly recommended. I have linked that site here before, and will do so many times in the future because they simply put out so many excellent resources for EMS professionals. I also highly recommend the podcast audio sessions, where some of the best minds in EMS are interviewed, including Dr. Bryan Bledsoe, the author of the Brady paramedic texts. Check them out here: http://ems-safety.com/audio.htm

Back to the question at hand, my favorite question of potential employees is simply why they chose to enter the EMS field. This is one of those questions where it is especially important to answer brutally honestly and completley, because I call BS on those who only say they want to "help people". I'll have more respect for you if you honestly tell me you're a siren whacker than to lie to me with nonsense about "giving back" to the community.

On the other hand, there are some questions that you probably should not answer honestly. If they ask you what your future plans are, and your future plans are to work here until you can finish the fire academy and get a fire job, I'm not hiring you. And many other EMS employers feel the same way. Employers want a stable workforce. And people who are going to bail on me the first chance they get are not people who are going to contribute to that stability. Most employers are not stupid. They know that nobody goes to work for Joe's Transfer Service looking for a twenty-year career to retire from. But at least try to give them the impression that you aren't intending to walk out on them with no notice in less than a year.

Actually this is very sound advice. Bossy pointed out some of the common questions that are out there............but even some of the agencies that used to use a board style interview are now moving to informal peer type interviewing where you don't know exactly what you will be asked.

AJ hit the nail on the head with this post. Dress nice, be confident without being cocky and most importantly do your homework on the agency before you ever go there. Knowing what they expect from an employee gives you all the answers you need before you get to the interview stage.