Firefighter Recruitment Update: Oral Board Interviews Completed
The Firefighter recruitment process continues as scheduled with part one of oral board interviews completed last week. Candidates who pass the written examination and submit all required application documents are invited to participate in oral board interviews. Oral boards are structured interviews that are used to assess candidates’ qualifications for the position. Questions typically focus on motivation, values, and public service orientation, all of which are integral components of this valuable community- and safety-focused position. Written examination and oral board interview scores each account for 50% of candidates’ weighted score for initial ranking on the eligibility list.
The oral interview process has been altered this year due to the pandemic. Instead of live interviews with a three-person interview panel, interviews were recorded at ILEAS in Urbana on November 4 and 5. The interview panels will view and score the interviews during live remote meetings on November 10, 12 and 13. During last week’s interviews, candidates were placed in a room with a laptop and two cameras. The laptop played a video that provided candidates with instructions and each interview question along with a countdown clock showing the amount of time left to answer each question. Two cameras, one primary and one backup, recorded each interview.
Candidates were required to remain masked while in the building and during their interview and rooms were wiped down in between candidates. Candidates were instructed to speak clearly, and interviewers will be instructed to take the unusual circumstances into consideration when evaluating candidate’s communication skills. One hundred and ten candidates were invited to oral board interviews, 99 interviews were completed in the two days at ILEAS, and three interviews will be completed remotely this week for a total of 102 completed interviews.
Candidates wait in hallway for testing.
Candidate sits for interview. Computer and camera setup.