Staying Calm Under Adverse Conditions
Temperament is a key factor for law enforcement agents at all levels. Throughout the hiring process, candidates are being evaluated with this in mind. Whether they are subjected to an oral board or merely assessed by the standard interview process, the temperament of the individual is being judged to see if they are quick to anger, supersensitive to criticism, or jittery under fire. You should aim to be calm, cool, and collected and not cavalier or chauvinistic.
The kind of temperament, to a large degree, that is desired among law enforcement personnel is often a significant amount of discipline, either self-imposed or imposed on them. Individuals who have spent time self-imposing discipline are usually the best, but many who have withstood the demands of a regimented life like that in the military are also excellent candidates for the ranks of the law enforcement community. It's not just a matter of staying even-tempered though, the individual must also be able to keep their cool, retain their self-esteem, and help others maintain their self-esteem as well.
Keeping your cool during an oral board is difficult. Questions can come from all directions, sometimes simultaneously, and are frequently crafted to trigger negative and even inflammatory responses. Rising to the bait happens, but the prudent candidate will take time to evaluate each question before blurting out an answer that may be wrong, or more importantly, not what the candidate himself actually believes.
If you need more time to think, there are some stalling tactics that you can use. Asking the questioner to repeat the question, or better, rephrase it, can give you time to think through and develop a clear and meaningful reply before answering. When pointedly asked if you have trouble hearing because you requested repetition of the question, your response can be something along the lines that you just wanted to make certain that you understood the full import of the question, because you recognize the importance. These tactics can be used, but they should be held in reserve for when things really get tough, and under no circumstance should they be used more than once. Constantly asking for clarification of things will make you look unintelligent, and such an impression is unlikely to afford you the opportunity to move any further along in the hiring process.
Alert
The hypothetical situations presented at an oral board are reality based. Although you may never encounter anything similar during a career enforcing the law, someone has. Being reasonable is key; assuming board members are looking for someone who always wants to aggressively enforce the law can be foolish. Often, there are mitigating circumstances that are worthy of consideration.
The cardinal rule in oral boards is to be yourself. You also don't want to lose your temper. Some boards will pick and pick at you until they find a soft spot. They will then exploit that for all they can, including probing harder and harder in an attempt to make you blow up. Remember, your limits are being tested, and if they determine that those limits are too narrow, you can forget about a career in law enforcement. In childhood we all heard someone at one time or another say, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That is a good phrase to keep in mind during an oral board. It is an oral board—no sticks, no stones, just words.
