Interviewing for a position as a police officer presents unique challenges and lines of questioning. Due to the severe nature of the job, the interview process will often involve specific questions to evaluate their success in the field, in addition to the standard questions you may receive in any other job.
How to Become A Police Officer, Interview Questions
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How to Answer Police Interview Questions
Alright, we know that you’re excited to see the law enforcement interview questions and example answers, and we promise those are coming.
The thing is, learning a bit about how to answer police interview questions first is a good move. Why? Because interviews are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.
Yes, some interview questions are incredibly common. But that doesn’t mean your interviewer won’t have some unique ones thrown into the mix. You need to be ready for those too.
How do you prepare? By honing your strategy.
First, you need to get friendly with research. You need to go through that police officer job description with a fine-toothed comb, learning all you can about the role.
Next, you need to find out as much as possible about the department, including its mission, values, and standing in the community. After all, there are more than 12,000 separate police departments across the country, and they aren’t all exactly the same.
Go over the department’s website, check out its social media pages, and read recent news. Those are all good starting points.
After that, it’s time to learn how to answer interview questions. During a police officer interview, you could face job-specific questions, as well as general job interview questions, including classics like:
So, how do you get ready for that? By making sure your strategy is on point.
One way to pull that off is to get to know the Tailoring Method. With that approach, you can create highly relevant answers to essentially any interview question you might encounter.
The Tailoring Method a strategy that focuses on really speaking to the interviewer’s needs while also highlighting what you bring to the table. Awesome, right? We think so.
Now, while you can use the Tailoring Method on those dastardly behavioral interview questions, here’s a moment where it’s smart to have a “partner.” What kind of partner? Well, the STAR Method, of course.
If you really want to stand out, this combo approach is the way to go any time you’re staring down behavioral interview questions. By combining the two strategies, you can take humdrum answers and turn them into compelling stories brimming with amazing tidbits about your skills, experience, and achievements. That covers every base and more, making it the ideal way to go.
Now, it’s important to understand that, when you’re interviewing for a police officer position, you’re going to face a startling number of questions that focus on complex issues, particularly when it comes to ethics and morality.
Police officers face some unique situations on the job, and the interviewer needs to know you have the proper mindset and traits. Finding people who are stable, calm under pressure, and dedicated to public safety and the law is a major priority.
You need to make sure that, along with showcasing your skills, that you cover points like those, as well. Otherwise, the interviewer might not think that you’re the right person for the job.
We also wanted to let you know that we created an amazing free cheat sheet that will give you word-for-word answers for some of the toughest interview questions you are going to face in your upcoming interview. After all, hiring managers will often ask you more generalized interview questions!
Click below to get your free PDF now:
A police officer’s responsibilities include:
Police Officer Interview Questions And Example Answers
While it’s almost certain that you’ll be asked why you want to become a police officer in an interview, you will be asked many others as well. Consider the following common questions that will be asked during a police offer interview.
“I want to be a police officer because I want to serve my community. I value my role as a public servant to promote safety. I think my skills in communication and teamwork complement my interest in policing. Many jobs can help a community, but by being a police officer I can be one that has immediate results everyday.”
“When looking into the Brookside Police Agency, I discovered that your team had handled more DUI cases than any other in the entire county. I’m very passionate about working on this social issue because my brother was involved in an accident with a drunken driver and was severely injured. It was what first inspired me to pursue a career in law enforcement. I believe working as a police officer on your task force can bring a lot of good to the community.”
“My last job was my first position as a law enforcement officer, so I owe a lot of my current experience on the job to my former police chief. He is a man who believes in the power of the justice system, and he instilled this code of ethics in his entire team. Many people on my team considered him strict, but I think that helped me learn a lot. I have a great deal of respect for my last police chief.”
“I’d been working in my last position for about six years before I decided it was time to move on to a new opportunity. I loved working with my law-enforcement agency and gained a lot from the position. However, I wanted to move my family to a new city and follow my long-term dreams of becoming a homicide detective. That’s why I decided to apply for this position.”
“If I learned that an officer on my team had participated in a crime, I’d be left with no choice but to report them. I embrace the team mentality associated with law enforcement, but I value the code of law more. Although I’d be disappointed to find that an officer had committed a crime, I think it would hurt the team more to neglect the issue.”
“While I can’t speak to the background of your other candidates, I know that my ten years of experience as a police officer in a major city make me a strong competitor for the position here. During that time, I’ve learned about patience, cooperation, and people management. All of which are skills that I think makes me a unique applicant. I’m someone who is committed to their job of making the community I serve a safer and happier place. I’d like to bring that to your law-enforcement agency.”
FAQ
How do I prepare for a police interview?
- Know the keywords. …
- Make a mental list of your skills and experience. …
- Review common interview questions. …
- Elaborate on your answers. …
- Have a positive approach. …
- Anticipate the participants. …
- Plan to avoid failure. …
- Prepare to discuss your future.
What do they ask in a police interview?
How do you answer why do you want to work for this police department?
- What Are Your Weaknesses? …
- Why Should We Hire You? …
- Why Do You Want to Work Here? …
- What Are Your Goals? …
- Why Did You Leave (or Why Are You Leaving) Your Job? …
- When Were You Most Satisfied in Your Job? …
- What Can You Do for Us That Other Candidates Can’t?
