difficult situation

[bartholomew]

Hi there
I was wondering if you could help.
I ll be attanding a job interview and I think one of the questins will be :
Can you think of a difficult situation in your life and tell us about it?

I was thinking about career change, and country move. Could you share your examples/suggest what to talk about?

Cheers thanks

Bart

[kelbillug]

I would probably talk about my decision to move to the UK from the US, and tell of the process i went through to do it. How it was a difficult decision but I knew that if I didn't try it, I would always wonder 'what if' and I knew that if I at least TRIED and it didn't work, I could always move back. Then when I got here, it took ages to find a job in my industry but I persevered because I was determined not to fail. (Persevered and determined are words an interviewer are sure to love!)

Basically talk about why your situation was difficult and what you did to cope with it. They want to know how you handle problems. It's good you have an idea of the question so you can be prepared. Good luck with the interview!!

[trgch]

Part 1 Your interviewers are looking for evidence of your behaviours ie how you deal with situations. The areas they are looking to test will be respect for race and diversity, teamworking,effective communication, problem solving, personal responsibility and resilience. The police interviews have moved away from asking how you would deal with a make believe situation and now ask you about examples from your own experience. The interviewers during your interview will want to ask you questions about your application ie your previous employment, gaps or information that appears to be missing or just expand on some of the information you have already written. The opening questions will an 'icebreaker' along the lines of ;why do you want to be a police officer, what research you have done and what you think a standard day will be like. These are there to get you settled and see how serious you are.
The behaviours will be tested exactly by question as contained in your question. My advice would be is to look at examples were you have challenged conflict, calmed a situation down or as the other answer suggest a diificult period in your life. Maybe a choice of course in school or changing jobs. They are not expecting you to have dealt with life or death incidents or be a Bruce Willis in a 'Die hard' movie. What they want at the end of the interview is an opinion that you demonstrate the potential to make a good police officer after training.
With all the answers you give the best way to answer them is using the following formula. 1) What the situation was. 2) What you did and how. 3) Finally what the result was.
Another question you will be probably asked is what do you understand by the term 'diversity'. So worth doing some research on the intranet, read the police and force defintions as found on police websites and get an answer ready.

[trgch]

Part 2. Though the answers you give are important a lot is still decided on first impressions. So wear a work suit and tie don't wear anything which you would consider wearing on a night out ! Be positive and say hello as you walk in and shake hands. Don't slouch in your chair. Think about the lanuage you use so avoid 'street slang'. Finally be politically correct in the terms you use.
Your final question will be "Have you any questions" It quite alright to say no but it may be good time to find out were you might be posted if successful or gain other information. Question about pay and conditions or perks are pointless as this information should be part of your research. Don't be tempted to ask when do I get the keys to the fast car or similar either.
I hope this helps and good luck.