Man giving an interview

A Brief Guide to Preparing for Your New York Civil Service Interview

Have you applied for the civil services exam for the state of New York? Do you wish to be an NYS Court Officer or NYS Police Officer? In order to be hired for a federal job, you have to pass different stages of the hiring process.

Once you meet the eligibility criteria for a job, you’ll have to appear for a written assessment and then pass physical and medical tests. Moreover, you’ll also have to pass employment background checks.

Once you get through all these stages, you’ll be called for an interview which is the final step of the hiring process. This blog post will serve as a brief guide to prepare you for your New York Civil Service Interview.

Understanding What You’ll Be Assessed For

Abilities

The first thing that your interviewers will assess is your capability of handling the job you’ve applied for. As opposed to the aptitude tests, the purpose of the interview is to get a sense of your personality. There are many people who perform exceptionally well on their written assessments but fail during the interview.

Behavior

Your behavior and overall demeanor can’t be gauged fully from a written assessment. However, it’s one of the things that matter the most. Hence, make sure that you portray yourself as a sensible and dedicated individual.

a young man going for an interviewMoreover, since you’re applying for a government job, it’s important to show respect for the authority.

Talk about Your Experience

Although fresh university graduates without any prior job experience are also eligible for civil services, having some sort of work experience can give you an edge over other candidates. If you’ve worked for any organization in the past, make sure you talk about your work experience and what you learned. Even if you don’t have any work experience, you can still talk about relevant internships and voluntary work that you might have done.

Strengths and Weaknesses

If you’ve ever given an interview, you’re probably familiar with this question. Interviewers often enquire about your strengths and weaknesses. Establishing the appropriate context and give the interviewer an honest, thoughtful answer that highlights your self-awareness and professionalism.

Technical Aspects

All government positions require some technical skills or expertise. While you may not have any technical experience, they do expect you to have the potential to learn. You can expect interviewers to talk about technical aspects relevant to your field, so it’s better to do your research prior to the interview.

However, if you are asked something you aren’t aware of, don’t hesitate to accept that you don’t know much about it.

Common Questions

For your civil service interview, you can expect some straightforward questions as well. For instance, you might be asked to describe your greatest accomplishments, any tasks that you’ve recently completed, or the projects you’ve led. If you don’t have work experience, you describe your academic achievement, or talk about your interest in extracurricular activities. Although these questions might seem easy to answer, it’s better to practice them before giving an interview.

InterviewStay Humble

Although qualifying for the services interview is a big achievement, don’t forget that you can still be rejected. Hence, it’s important to stay humble and avoid being overconfident.

Research shows that overconfidence  can make you come off as an arrogant individual and your interviewers are definitely not looking for someone like that.  Remain confident, but don’t act like you know everything.

Dealing with Anxiety

Interview anxiety is common among candidates, and statistics suggest that most candidates suffer from anxiety and nervousness before and during the interview. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to completely avoid it.

However, too much anxiety can ruin your interview and affect your chances of getting hired. The best way to avoid anxiety is to practice beforehand. If you’ve been diagnosed with anxiety disorder in the past, then reach out to therapists for advice.

Practice As Much As You Can

Just like you may have spent days and nights preparing for the written test, it’s important to dedicate some time to practice for the interview as well. You can ask friends or family to help you practice for the interview and provide their feedback. Practicing in front of the mirror can also help. You can also reach out to professionals who have experience in preparing candidates for the civil services hiring process.

At Civil Service Success, we have 45 years of experience in providing preparatory classes for the state’s civil services examinations. We offer exam prep classes for NYS Court Officer Exam, the Suffolk Police County Police Exam, NYS Sanitation Worker Exam, and many other federal jobs. We have some of the finest instructors on board who have just the right set of skills, experience, and expertise to help you prepare for your exams. Register for our classes today!

 

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