PQA Interview Techniques What does PQA Mean PQA

PQA Interview Techniques

What does PQA Mean? • PQA stands for Personal Qualities and Attributes • The Interview will assess the examples you provide against the Personal Qualities and Attributes required of a Firefighter <2>

What is a PQA Style Interview? • PQA interview questions will ask for examples of when you demonstrated particular behaviours. E. g. ‘Can you describe a time when you effectively developed yourself or others. • The main aim of the interview is to gather examples of when and how you have used skills that are important for potential Firefighters. <3>

What PQA’s are Assessed? You may be asked questions about any of the following: • Confidence and Resilience • Commitment to Excellence • Commitment to Development • Commitment to Diversity & Integrity • Openness to Change • Working with Others • Problem Solving • Effective Communication • Situational Awareness <4>

Answering PQA Questions • The Interview gives you the opportunity to demonstrate the Personal Qualities and Attributes required of a Firefighter • You will be informed which PQA each question relates to throughout the interview • You must specifically refer to your actions within each example you use <5>

Structure for PQA Questions • Use Star Method • S (Situation) - When, Where, with Whom? Set the context of your example • T (Task) – Describe the situation, task or problem you were faced with • A (Action) – What action did you take? What was your role in the example? • R (Result) – What results did you achieve? What conclusions did you reach? What did you learn from the experience? <6>

Follow up questions? • After providing your example the interviewers may ask you follow up questions to clarify their understanding of how you have used the particular Personal Quality and Attribute being investigated. • The better you describe your example the less follow up questions or prompting will be required by the interview panel <7>

How to choose an Example? • You can use examples from work, college, home life, hobbies or any clubs or organisations you are involved in - Unless the question asks for an example from a specific situation (eg. at work) • Listen carefully to the question asked and ensure the answer you provide is relevant to what is being requested by the interview panel <8>

How to choose an Example? • Many candidates prepare examples prior to the interview and will want to utilise this however it may not fit with the question being asked eg. you may have prepared a question for equality and Integrity based around when you have adapted how you worked with people from a different background but the interviewers may ask you about when you have demonstrated integrity. • Make sure you have thought of a variety of examples where you have demonstrated the Personal Qualities and Attributes required of a Firefighter <9>

Talking About Your Experience • Dont Say We said, it was decided, we spoke to, We solved the problem by, We did • Do Say I said, I decided, I spoke to, My contribution was, I asked etc Make sure the Interviewers are clear on the scenario of your example, the actions you took and why you took them < 10 >

Where Can I Find The Firefighter PQA’s? • The National Firefighter Selection Personal Qualities and Attributes can be found at the useful resources section on our website at: http: //www. syfire. gov. uk/find-a-job/firefighter-recruitment/ < 11 >

Previous Feedback • Relevance - Keep the information you are providing in your response relevant and try not to digress from the question in hand. Don’t be afraid to ask the interview panel to repeat a question to help you keep your answer focussed. Where possible try to refer to examples from recent years. • Be specific - if the question asks for an example provide a specific example that demonstrates your abilities, skills, attributes etc. Avoid limited general responses such as “in my current role I do this daily”. • Expand your answer –The information you provide needs to be detailed in order to attract high marks. If an interview panel needs to prompt you this will negatively affect your score < 12 >

Previous Feedback • The Communities we serve – to provide a service that is equal, fair, respectful, and reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, our Firefighters need to have an understanding of the communities of South Yorkshire. An aspiring Firefighter needs to demonstrate this knowledge and understanding and show that they recognize the barriers that different communities could face in being able to access the services we provide and can identify reasonable ways to overcome these • Emphasise the “I” – Try to avoid referring to ‘we’. If the question asks how you have done something, don’t talk about colleagues or the organisation as a whole… it’s your interview and we want to know about you and your actions, specifically < 13 >