user123

So after requesting I call back, I got a call from the officer that interviewed me. He said my confidence, personality etc was spot on and I did well on team work, effective communication and respect for diversity but after the personal awareness question about frustration, I just got a bit worked up and as a result didn't pass all the questions following that. Going forward, his advice was to focus less on the examples and the length of them and more on hitting 3/4 of the bullet points under the descriptors as I was giving great examples but not focussing on the aspects of the competency. Also, I was told STAR is only suggested as an aid and they certainly don't expect every answer to follow this structure as some don't simply fall into it naturally so if you feel things getting a bit heated and losing focus, just simply tell the story and you'll have more chance of picking up the competency marks. Quite satisfied knowing I was almost there so going to work on the aspects I didn't do so well in and re-apply in six months. Hope that feedback helps others prepare too

Yep that was exactly like the questions I got. "Describe a time were you were frustrated" That was the question that really knocked me off. With it being so loose I just struggled to tell a story as such. I'd prepare for similar questions.

Thanks a lot. More determined that anything now so will see what happens in six months. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Going to call up tomorrow for feedback. I'll be honest, I'm more determined than disappointed which I'm surprised about! Going to make sure I'm in the best position possible in six months. Just a tip for everybody awaiting their initial interview, all of my questions were more negative than positive so I'd make sure you have negative examples. Wish everybody the best of luck!

Hi guys, So had my initial interview at Jackton today and sadly didn't pass. Going to call up for feedback but failed on 4 competencies. Thanks everybody for the advice throughout the process anyway!

Yep - good chance that question might come up for job knowledge. I'm not really sure how I feel if I'm honest. I know the competency descriptors well but it's the fear of the unknown that's bothering me just now. What about yourself?

As far as I'm aware having an appreciation of the role of a police constable is quite important. So maybe you could ask what some of the more unexpected/mundane tasks are? The constable at my SETs was emphasising this a lot - telling us that there was one person who had quit immediately after going out on the beat as a probationer because he didn't realise that it wasn't all chasing bad guys and blue lights... Good luck with your interview - got mine next week!

I've recently turned 20 but submitted form back when I was 19. Most people I know that've applied in the past were 18-20. However, there are quite a lot of people over 30 applying from what I see. Think the important part is that you personally feel ready for that level of commitment.

That makes sense. I tend to perform well at competency based interviews so this should be fine. Does anybody have specific examples of questions they might ask at the initial interview?

Ahh I thought you were. Heard a few people say they had notes with them. Can anybody else confirm this? Thanks

I was in the same position as yourself - applied March 2017 going through West recruitment and hadn't heard anything in September so I took the risk and changed my posting preferences to East divisions from G div etc. Low and behold, I heard back a day later saying I'd passed the paper sift and my application was progressing. Now, I've got my initial interview in a few weeks so the process sped right up from that point onwards. Good luck!

Happy New Year everybody! So I've got my initial interview in a couple of weeks and need a bit of advice. As advised by local recruitment team at the SETs I'm going to try and speak to a probationary officer at my local station with the next week or so. I'm wondering what questions everybody recommends I ask them. I've got a few relating to the training at Tulliallan but is there any other good questions to ask? Thanks

Good stuff! Glad it's not up to 12 months like Glasgow, Lanarkshire etc! Yep, very lengthy. I did fitness just over a week ago and I've got my initial interview Mid-January so not too long a wait. Hoping that if I pass the interview and assessment centre I could be in for June or September! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Harry, What are your posting preferences? I'm going through West but have chosen Edinburgh and Forth Valley as options. Just wondering how long the wait is currently from medical to start date at Tulliallan. Cheers Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just got an email - passed and invited to interview in January! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk