First Big Interview Tomorrow.. Help!

[Sublime]

Well I currently am an EMT-B and going to paramedic school, I have been working for an EMS event service for around 10 months, and recently started at a private transfer service a little over a month ago, and tomorrow I have an interview with one of the biggest 911 services in my area. It is a very competitive service, and in the email they sent me said there will be a interview that will test my "critical thinking skills", and then a 45 minute "behavioral" interview. I am not sure what a behavioral interview consists of but any advice would be great.

First of all I am very comfortable performing as an EMT-B on the job, but in interviews (especially this next one), I get extremely nervous. I don't know if I have an anxiety issue or what when it comes to interviews but I tend to get super nervous and it is very obvious in my voice and face. On top of that I have never had a "critical thinking" interview and am not sure I would be able to come up with the correct on the spot answers.

I know the typical questions like: Tell me about yourself, What would you do if you caught you partner doing something against protocol, what are your strengths/weaknesses, why do you want be in EMS, what do you see yourself in 5 years ect.

For the most part I do just fine with those questions. It is the "critical thinking questions" I freeze up on. For instance the only one I can remember being asked before is on a phone interview for the hospital, and I was asked, "Tell us about a time when you were at work and your priorities changed, and how did you deal with it". I froze up and ended up telling and answer that really didn't make much sense. I am afraid I will be asked a lot of questions like this and will be completely unprepared. My anxiety and the fact that I REALLY want this job doesn't help.

If anyone has some advice on critical thinking and behavioral interview questions I would really appreciate it.

Also, one last thing, what would you suggest wearing? I was thinking some black slacks, and a nice button up shirt tucked in.

[tcripp]

...and then a 45 minute "behavioral" interview. I am not sure what a behavioral interview consists of but any advice would be great.

Behavioral interviews are "all the rage" these days. Actually, they've been around for many, many years. Examples include:

1. Tell me about yourself.
   
   
2. Why do you want to be a medic...or why did you become a medic?
   
   
3. Why are you interested in this service?
   
   
4. What do you know about this service?
   
   
5. Define your strengths, weaknesses.
   
   
6. We've all said things we regret, name a time you said something to a customer or coworker you wish you could take back.
   
   
7. Describe a conflict you've had with a coworker and how you handled it.
   
   
8. Describe a conflict you've had with a supervisor and how you handled it.
   
   
9. What makes you a better candidate/can you bring to the table that makes you special?
   
   
10. How do you deal with stress?
    
    

Short list, I can assure you. Now, the trick is to be prepared with the answers. Get someone to practice with you. Practice in the mirror. ESPECIALLY, THE HARD QUESTIONS. If the answer is going to be in a negative light, figure out how to turn it around to appear more favorable. Essentially, they want to see how you respond rather than with what you respond. Make sense?

Example: Describe your weaknesses. We all have them, so you have to say something. For me, my weakness is that I am lazy. However, I also use that to my advantage. I will look for ways to make things more efficient so that I'm not in the midst of redundancy. Around here, we kept our meds in one bag, syringes in another and our needles/blunts in a third. We now have everything combined so that a drug can be drawn in a more timely manner to benefit out patient.

I know there are other posts about how to dress, speak, act, etc for interviews, so I won't go in to that here. However, if you have more specific questions, I'll be more than happy to help.

...and, good luck!

Toni

Also, one last thing, what would you suggest wearing? I was thinking some black slacks, and a nice button up shirt tucked in.

That will be appropriate. Please make sure your clothes are cleaned, ironed and well fitting. Also, ensure that your shoes are appropriate. No tennis shoes, please. (You'd be surprised).

[mobey]

More behavioral questions.

Give me 2 academic strengths

2 academic weaknesses?

Give me 2 personal communication strengths

2 personal communication weaknesses

Tell me about a time you have had to "think outside the box"

[crotchitymedic1986]

http://www.quintcareers.com/sample_behavioral.html

Be yourself, answer honestly, if you dont know what to say, dont try to make something up to fill the void, just say can I think about that one for a little bit, and go on to the next question. Ask yourself tonight, what question could they ask me that would just mess me up, and think of a good answer. Get a buddy to help you out. Some I liked to ask:

Tell me about a call where you or your partner made a mistake with patient care. Then, what did you learn from it ?

Tell me about a time when you or your partner disagreed about patient care, how did you resolve it ?

Everyone has at one time or another taken something home from their workplace that did not belong to them, what dollar value would you assign to the property that is currently in your home that you took from work ?

How many traffic laws have you violated this week, that you did not get caught for ?

Many EMTs/Medics have falsified a patient care report, a falsified set of vital signs, and incorrect 10-8 time, maybe painted a narrative picture that was a little different from reality. Have you witnessed this ? If yes, how did you handle it ? If no, how would you handle it ?

[mobey]

Here is a huge tip.

For some reason as humans, when we don't know what too say, we ramble.

If you don't have a good answer, keep it short. Save your long answers for stuff that makes you look good.

[Sublime]

Thanks for the tips guys, I went over all the questions provided by you guys and a few more I found online, and I feel like I nailed the interview, I was lucky and got a really relaxed group to do the behavioral part. I appreciate all the advice, during the clinical portion where they ask knowledge based questions the guy said "you must be in paramedic school" and the other one said "that or someone is outside telling him all the answers". So I feel very good, even though after they made that remark I missed the next question haha.

[tcripp]

It's okay to miss a question. Just make sure it's a learning experience. You usually dont miss it again.

Let us know how you did.

[Sublime]

Got a call yesterday saying I did very well in my interview and HR will be contacting me on the next step in the hiring process. So I think I got it, although after I talked to my teacher and another student in my class, the company in unlikely to work with my school schedule, my teacher says he lost a couple student to this company. Apparently they give you a set schedule when you start and are unwilling to work around medic school.... so I may not be able to take the position, we will see I guess. Thanks again for the help everyone.

[tcripp]

Got a call yesterday saying I did very well in my interview and HR will be contacting me on the next step in the hiring process. So I think I got it, although after I talked to my teacher and another student in my class, the company in unlikely to work with my school schedule, my teacher says he lost a couple student to this company. Apparently they give you a set schedule when you start and are unwilling to work around medic school.... so I may not be able to take the position, we will see I guess. Thanks again for the help everyone.

Decide your priority and be sure to ask that question when they call. Most companies will apprciate that you are up front with them and will, if unable to work with the schedule, invite you to come back after you've graduated.