Two people in an interview

Interview tips and information

06 April 2021   Posted in: Wholetime

The interview lasts one hour and will comprise of six set questions which are the same for all candidates. It will be conducted by a panel of two members of staff.  You will be able to book the date and time slot for your interview on our on-line booking system. The link to this will be sent to you.

The interview panel will endeavour to help you relax and enable you to perform your best. They will ask a range of questions to obtain as much information within the hour as possible.

This is your opportunity to provide further details, examples and evidence of your skills, experience and values and how these make you one of the best candidates for the role. You will also be expected to know about the role of a Firefighter and Avon Fire & Rescue Service. It is recommended that you review our website and familiarise yourself with the work we do. This will assist you at the interview stage.

Hints and Tips

  • Ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the diverse role of a Firefighter, Avon Fire and Rescue Service’s boundaries and the communities in which we serve and how we support these communities.  Link this awareness into your answer
  • Listen to the question asked and ensure that the example which you have used is fitting and fully answers the question
  • Use a range of examples and sometimes we learn most from situations which did not go so well.  Do not be afraid to use these if they demonstrate what you learned and what you would do differently.  If you do not have experience of a situation then perhaps tell us what you would do
  • Using acronyms such as the ‘STAR’ – Situation, task, action, result or ‘CAR’ – ‘challenge, action, result’ can help to structure your answers and ensure that you provide sufficient evidence
  • Don’t feel rushed to respond.  Take your time to think carefully about the question being asked
  • Think about your experience, skills and knowledge and how this links within our Service values and the criteria for the role of a FF

If you meet the set pass mark we will advise you by e-mail. We will not advise you of your interview score. This will be used at the end of the process to select the best performing candidates for the limited number of places available on the training course.