The first seven steps in this process have helped you prepare for your interview, now it is time to execute.  If preparation is the key to success, execution is the door that must be opened. To recap, Part 1 in this series can be accessed here. Part 2 in this series can be accessed here. The panel conducting the interviews has your resume, your application and have prepared a series of questions to help them make an assessment of you as a candidate for police chief.  Their goal is to identify motivated candidates who are competent and a good fit for the organization. Let’s get started. 8.  Arrive Early Arriving early should be a given.  Your one chance to make a good first impression can be shattered if you arrive late.  Yet candidates frequently arrive late.  How can this problem be avoided? The first way is to set two alarm clocks rather than one.  Being late because your alarm clock didn’t go off is a lame excuse.  Make sure that doesn’t happen to you.  Set the alarm on your phone and back it up with a clock. The second way is to set everything you need for the interview out…

As 2017 comes to a close, it is a great time to reflect on how far we have come this year and also acknowledge where we have fallen short.  It is also the time of year when we start making plans for 2018. Have you thought about 2018 yet? No Resolutions For many people, thinking about doing better in the new year means compiling a list of New Year’s resolutions. If you are like me, I’m sure you have done this on many occasions.  And like me, I am sure every resolution you made was broken within a few short weeks or months at the most.  80% of New Year’s resolutions are broken by February.  According to one study, only 8% of New Year’s resolutions are kept. If this information is true, why do people continue to make New Year’s resolutions? One reason is resolutions are easy to make.  It requires little thought or effort to jot a few resolutions down. Another reason is the allure of starting the new year with a fresh start. Still, another reason is the long tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions.  Most people want to be like everyone else. Rather than continue making resolutions…

12 Step Plan to Ace Your Interview for Police Chief, Part 2. Now that you have done your research, collected the data and organized the information you are ready to move to the next part of the interview preparation process 5.     Prepare Potential Questions Anticipating potential questions, you may be asked, is a critical part of your interview preparation process.  How well you anticipate these questions may be the difference maker in the process. Some questions are common, while other questions are unique for a particular job opportunity. Here are a few common questions you may be asked regardless of the job you are applying for. “Why do you want to be the police chief of this department?” “What is your greatest weakness?” “What are the three biggest challenges facing the department today?” “How would you improve the relationship between the department and the community?” “What is your leadership style?” This short list of questions is only a small sample of a much longer list of common questions that may be asked. After you get some of the most common questions out of the way, it is time to get to the specific ones you identified through your research. …