interview

[Sappo]

yea, i wore a shirt and tie.... and the 2 other folks (one guy one girl) who were there for the aptitute and med were just wearing normal street clothes... so i felt kinda out of place to be sure.

but my interview did go well, as i covered in a far previous post

 

[atticus]

yea, i wore a shirt and tie.... and the 2 other folks (one guy one girl) who were there for the aptitute and med were just wearing normal street clothes... so i felt kinda out of place to be sure.

but my interview did go well, as i covered in a far previous post

You probably made a better first impression then the other two. I'd much rather be the odd one out in a group and look more professional than the rest. It just makes you look like a better candiate.

 

[CDNBlackhawk]

I wore a suit and felt a little over dressed, i mean it didnt bother me at all, because i know i wanted to look presentable and proffesional.

But like they are saying, a nice shirt and tie is sufficient, the CF personnel realize that not everyone owns a suit, they are not cheap these days....

 

[Sappo]

hehe, except my two actual suits which i managed to finangal off of 1 or 2 previous owners......... no they sure arn't cheap!!!



but yes, you definatly give off a better impression...    even when the officer was telling us how the drug information sheet would go over, he asked a question about who has smoked a cigarette in the past 24 hours or something... the two of us gave quick answers, and the other dude just kind of sat there and shrugged, he asked him directly 'what about you' and got a half-hearted yea i guess kinda answer.


stuff like that I think would help them get a good idea of what you willl be like for the long haul, acting like you're uninterested and bored is not a good idea

 

[jarko]

Hello,


Man i am having my interview on the 25th at the Toronto recruiting center and i am worried as hell. I have never been good in interviews and i failed a couple interviews before (not CF) I get so stressed my tongue gets tangled up and i start sounding like I have down syndrom or something (No offence). Does anyone have any experience they could share with the interview especially the people that applied for infantry, since thats what i am applying for. Is it possible to fail the interview?? What are some no-no's when interviewed. I know about the dress part since my recruiter told me how i should dress. I would just like to know information about the initial interview. Thanks.

 

[CDN Blackhawk]

A few things to make sure

Make sure you know some of the back ground of the Canadian forces, like what we do, some places we might be deployed etc.
Make sure you know about your trade you have applied for,

Make sure to be Polite and Honest
Make sure to dress appropriately and to be well groomed

Make sure you have a reason to join the infantry other then to blow shit up and use weapons. I know that sounds stupid and obvious but some people have actually said this stuff before.


Just be yourself, go in calm, get a good night sleep the night before.


The Interview is fairly relaxed and from my experience most of the recruiters interviewing will try and break the ice and ease the nervousness.


other then that i cant really think of anything else, hope this helped

Good luck!!

 

[phalen]

know where ur training is going to be held.
know where the bases are for all the trades u have selected.
be able to answer questions like:
why do u want to be in the army?
what causes you stress? and how do u deal with it?
how will u handle leadership responsibilities?
why would we want you to be in the army? why pick you over someone else?

 

[buffboyali]

I was asked the stress question and I kinda blew it. I said i would take a nap under stress. I was thinkin more long term stress like depression. Well haha he helped me get that straight kinda. But anyways can that stop me from gettin into the reserves?

 

[Butters]

I myself havn't done an interview, but if you remember what you put on your "Preparing for your Interview" sheets you should be just fine.

 

[jutes85]

The biggest thing you can do is worry about it. Just know a few things about the CF, where they are deployed etc, and why you chose the trade you did. You should know about any company you are applying for anyway. Don't be so tense and just take it easy. Its not as hard as it seems.

Good Luck.

 

[buffboyali]

I was asked how to handle stress question and I kinda blew it. I said i would take a nap under stress. I was thinkin more long term stress like depression. Well haha he helped me and said you don't want to take a nap in reserves and I'm like o yeah for sure i wont. Then I found out he meant like under the spot stress like shooting someone(the enemy) or something. Can this effect my chances of getting in? Cause other than that my interview went pretty smoothly. Also my interview was like a month ago and I'm waiting for my medical to come back from Borden.

 

[sdimock]

It also doesn't hurt to make sure you don't overdue the coffee/caffeine products as well.

 

[Tickles]

i wouldnt worry too much if everything else went well
they realize that you are probably a bit nervous
its too late now but practicing for questions is a great idea
dont sweat it

 

[I_am_John_Galt]

From past advice passed on to me ...

It might help to remind yourself that they *want* to hire people ... think about some of the stuff you wrote on your application and be prepared to expand on it ... maybe ask your interviewer about some of his/her own experiences in the CF (i.e., trade, home unit, past postings, etc.) ... make sure you review the stuff about your trade (training, postings, etc.) on the recruting website, and think about questions you might ask, too (i.e., how long after training does it usually take for promotion?  How often does the (particular course you are interested in) run and how competitive is it to get on?).

Your mileage may vary ...

Good luck!

 

[Jarnhamar]

Two questions I remember being asked:

"How do you feel about working with different races such as blacks or arabs?"
and
"Why should we pick you over someone sitting in that waiting room outside?"

 

[PuckChaser]

I'm guessing that was before the PC craze, right Ghost? 

Interview isn't that hard. Be honest. Show up looking professional. Treat it exactly as you would a job interview, only with slightly more personal questions. Be assertive, know what you want, and where you want to go.

 

[Fusaki]

When I went for my interview, I brought along my old and well read US Army Ranger Soldier Handbook I had bought at a surplus store years back. As I was applying for the infantry, it showed that I had an interest in infantry tactics and that I had a good idea what the infantry would do when in the field. I was also able to say where Canada had deployed troops in the recent past and possible hotspots where we might be deployed in the near future. Mention the Congo and Sudan, for example. Throw out terms like Op Athena (our commitment in Afghanistan), Op Halo (Haiti), and Op Palladium (Bosnia) and you're golden. Lurk around the News and Current Affairs part of the forum. Stay away from heresay, but if you can remember a couple news articles pretaining to infantry stuff it'll be good.

Even if the recruiter can tell that you only dug up the information to impress him, at least it shows you're willing to be proactive and put some effort into your application. It shows motivation, which is what gets you through the training and makes you a reliable investment.

Overall, here are some of the points you'd want to get across:
1) You know what you're getting into.
2) You can work reasonably well within a group.
3) You're physically and mentally fit.
4) You're motivated, Motivated, MOTIVATED!!

And don't sweat it. The recruiter isn't necessarily looking for a guy who's good at interviews. Infanteers are notorious for being a tad unrefined. But if you're motivated, that point will get across regardless.

 

[homerjsimpson]

I ve said it before and ill say it again, for gods sakes just be yourself....

 

[jarko]

Thanks for the quick answers, helped a bunch...

 

[GrahamD]

Ya I had the stress question too, and we went over it for about 10 minutes.

I didn't say I would take a nap, but I did say that that I generally leave situations where the stress is building to the point where I might act irrationally.

This is an equally negative response to the question "how do you react to stress?".

When further pressed and asked "how would you deal with stress when confronted with a hostile induvidual while on patrol in Afghanistan", I recovered somewhat by saying that I would take a few deep breaths and consider my training and respond to the situation as that training would dictate, that I would not simply be looking for the easiest way out.  I also added that I was not a hothead and that in unavoidable stressful circumstances I do not ever react with anger or violence, that in every day life I am always able to analyse the situation and determine what the best course of action is in consideration of my own feelings and also those of the induvidual I am dealing with, and can usually defuse a situation from escalating further. Also that I do not run away from conflict when it does become neccessary to be there to prevent violence from happening to my friends or other induviduals who are expressing passivity.

I was greeted with the response "good answer".

When discussing my competitiveness, the recruiting told me my strong points and also my weaknesses, and this wasn't commented on one way or another, so I think I recovered well enough.

For others facing this question, I would suggest going into the interview thinking specificaly about how you think you would react to the kind of stress you might face while on tour, and not the kind of stress you face from your parents, or some drunk violent guy at the bar.  Personally, I know I deal with stress way better while I'm representing my workplace than when I'm out drinking with my buddies, but that was the kind of stress that lept to mind during the interview, hence the need for a recovery answer.