Police sergeant interview questions and answers pdf

There is no shortage of current affairs that you should keep yourself apprised of, especially in regards to law enforcement

By TopSpot Training

This article is provided by www.topspottraining.com and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Police1.

Preparing for a promotional interview can be one of the most stressful times in your law enforcement career, largely because of the oral board interview. While there is no way to know which specific questions you’ll be asked, there are only so many types of questions that will be asked. Knowing what types of questions you can expect in your promotional interview can go a long way to helping you prepare, so here they are:

1) Opening Statements
Just about every interview starts with this type of question, so be sure to anticipate it. Opening statement questions are your biggest opportunity to show to the panel your competence, commitment, and credibility.

2) Bragging Points
These types of questions allow you expand on your strengths and achievements. Toot your own horn, because no one else will do it for you!

3) Supervisory and Leadership Concepts
This is the most common type of promotional interview question, and is really the core focus of the entire interview. These questions are your opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of what it means to be a supervisor and how leaders function in your work environment.

4) Policy and Procedure
The best supervisors have a good understanding of their department’s policy issues. This can be a tedious topic to study, but demonstrating a strong working knowledge of policy and procedure will give you a leg up on the competition.

5) Tactical or Emergency Operations
These questions are designed to examine your thought process. It is important that you understand incident command systems and the management of complex and critical incidents. Be prepared to logically lists the steps you would take as a supervisor of a tactical or emergency operation.

6) Personnel Issues
During your tenure as a supervisor, you are sure to be faced with any number of personnel issues, such as a subordinate’s poor performance or a challenge to your authority. Be ready to answer each personnel issue question as though you are already a supervisor. Be inquisitive about what is causing the problem, and be decisive about how to deal with it.

7) Tough Choices
These interview questions present you with a moral or ethical dilemma, often presented in the form of a scenario that will force you to make a touch choice. There is not always a right answer to these questions. Instead, they are designed to test your reasoning ability. Discuss your options and the reasoning behind your choice.

8) Hot Topics
There is no shortage of current affairs that you should keep yourself apprised of, especially in regards to law enforcement. Hot Topic questions give you an opportunity to express your opinion on one of these issues. Be constructive, and remember that as a law enforcement officer, you serve the public.

9) Closing Comments
Do you have anything you’d like to add before the interview is concluded? You should. Have a strong, well-prepared answer to this type of question. Recap key points from your introduction, bring up bragging points that you did not otherwise get to highlight, and remind the panelists what you sets you apart from your competition.

About TopSpot Training
Nothing is more important to TopSpot Training than your success in the promotional process. TopSpot Training offers hundreds of training videos-- featuring real law enforcement officers answering difficult oral board questions-- and a comprehensive, easy-to-use training curriculum. For more information on the promotional interview process and how to increase your chances of success, visit topspottraining.com.

Police sergeant interview questions are most challengeing for those who are rising into a supervisor role for the first time. You are now not only responsible for yourself, you are responsible for the personnel assigned to you. That responsibility is more clear cut when we are referring to inappropriate behaviors by officers and the corresponding corrective behaviors that supervisors should take. But what about behavior that is not a violation, but at the same time is not optimal. Making a difference here can come down to influencing the motivation of the personnel that report to you. For that reason, the police sergeant interview question on motivation is one for which sergeant candidates should be well prepared.

QUESTION:As a sergeant, how will you motivate the officers who are assigned to you?

ANSWER TRANSCRIPT:Police Motivation

“I recognize that each of us is self-motivated. That said, I also recognize that what I do as a supervisor can have an influence on another person’s self motivation. To the extent that I engage in communication and behaviors that inspire others to perform at a desired higher level, the benefit for that person, my team, and the organization should be obvious.

My responsibility is to blend team communication with individual communication if I am going to impact overall motivation. My team communication will more often than not occur at our daily pre-shift briefings. I know that many individuals respond instinctively to social proof, in other words they adjust their behaviors to the accepted behaviors of the group. So, I must get off on the right foot with my team. I will let them know my expectations – which, by the way, are the department’s expectations – and I will explain why those expectations are important. These expectations will be revisited frequently and reinforced through affirming or, if needed,  corrective communication on my part. This will motivate each member of my team to be responsible to the other members of the team.

On an individual level, much of the one-to-one communication with my officers will be about learning what is important to them. The better that I understand my officers, their goals and their challenges, the better prepared I will be to make decisions that align their goals with department goals. Although textbooks write about common motivation techniques, I would be cautious in assuming that such a broad approach would be right for each individual. Rather, my individual approach to motivating my officers will be focused on learning as much as I can about them, letting them know that they are valued and supported, and to display compassion and caring as warranted. My officers are people first, with real needs and concerns. Being there for them is the best way that I know to inspire them to consistently put their best effort forward.

Those are my thoughts on motivation and how I will seek to activate the motivation of my personnel once I am promoted to sergeant.”

Watch FREEOn-Demand Seminar Module 1:Introduction

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