Hello there, my name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company PassMyInterview.com.
And in this tutorial, I will teach you how to pass a 999 call handler interview. So,
it does not matter whether you are applying to become a call handler with the police,
the fire service or the ambulance service, I promise you, that if you watch this tutorial
from beginning to end, it will make a huge difference to your preparation. Now, before
I get into those 999 call handler interview questions and answers, a very warm welcome
to this tutorial. My name is Richard McMunn. That's me there in the center of the screen.
I am a former Fire Officer for about 17 years and I've been helping people to pass their
interviews for many, many years now through this channel. I do that primarily by giving
you top-scoring answers to the possible interview questions that are going to come up during
your 999 call handler interview. Now, please do make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the channel
by clicking the red button below the video, and then you won't miss out on any of the
weekly training videos I'm uploading. And I would also very much appreciate your support
if you gave the video a THUMBS-UP (LIKE). That always motivates me to create more content
for you. Thank you very much. Okay. Let's get into the training. So, we're going to
look at a number of 999 call handler interview questions and answers. So the first one I
want to tackle is: Tell me about yourself and why you want to be a 999 call handler?
We want to give the interview panel some information about you that is relevant to the role of
a 999 call handler. Now, as you and I know, the skills and qualities needed to perform
this role competently are unique, and what we want to try and do, is demonstrate to the
interview panel that you have the previous experience necessary to perform well in this
role. Here is my suggested answer. “I am a confident, calm and composed person who
very much prefers to work in a team environment where an ability to work under pressure is
vital. Previously, I have worked in roles where I have needed to use strong communication
skills on a regular basis whilst also demonstrating high levels of professionalism, so I feel
strongly I have an abundance of transferable skills that will enable me to perform well
in the role of a 999 Call Handler. I understand, with this position, there comes a huge amount
of responsibility and there is no margin for error whilst performing your duties. I am
certainly ready for the challenge and will demonstrate a total commitment to professionalism,
integrity and continual learning and development in the role. I want to be a 999 Call Handler
specifically because I prefer to work under pressure and I enjoy being accountable for
ensuring strict rules and procedures are followed. I also want to work in close-knit team where
everyone depends on each other to achieve the objectives of the organization in regards
to serving the public and keeping them safe.” So, you can pause the video if you like, and
take a note of that and use the different areas of my response that are applicable to
your own skills and qualities. The second question of your 999 call handler interview
questions is: What do you think are the most important qualities needed to be a 999 call
handler? This question is basically assessing whether or not you understand the skills and
qualities needed, but more importantly, whether you have read the job description carefully
and also the person specification. Here is my suggested answer to this question. “There
are numerous qualities needed to be competent in the role of a 999 Call Handler. You need
total professionalism at all times, an ability to follow your training and the strict rules
and operational procedures that encompass the role, and also the ability to work closely
with others as part of a team. Other essential qualities are exceptional communication skills,
both written and verbal, and also the understand of how important it is to embrace change within
the role and the organization. In order for the service to continually meet the needs
of the public, it needs to change and improve on a regular basis. Finally, you must be confident
in your duties, have the ability to remain calm and composed at all times, operate with
the utmost integrity, and also demonstrate compassion and empathy whilst dealing with
difficult and sensitive situations and incidents.” In my opinion, that response demonstrates
that you understand some of the really important qualities needed to perform the role of a
999 call handler competently. The next question that we want to look at is: What do you think
the most important values are in the work of a 999 call handler? So, these are the ones
that I think are the most important. Here is my suggested answer. “After studying
the role and the person specification in detail prior to applying, I believe the most important
values are integrity, professionalism, courage and determination, and also compassion. You
need integrity because you are working in a public service, and therefore it is important
to have strong work moral’s, and to be honest in everything you do. You need professionalism
because nothing but the highest standards will ever do, especially in respect of operating
safely and diligently. You need a courageous approach to your work, simply because the
public rely on you to help them and guide them in their time of need. Finally, you need
compassion when speaking to people as it’s very important to understand what they may
be going through when they call you for assistance. There are other values, but those are the
four I feel are the most important in the work of a 999 Call Handler.” Now, you'll
notice what I've done there, is I've not just told them what I think the most important
values are, but I've explained why. I've given, you know, integrity and said why I think it's
important and also professionalism, courageous approach, etc. and compassion. I've backed
it up with reasons. Most of the other candidates would just say what they think the values
are, but I think it's strong to back it up with the reasons why. Next question of your
999 call handler interview. How do you think you would handle the stress of the role? Undoubtedly,
there's a lot of stress that come with this position. I can remember working in the emergency
services and all of the all of the men and women who were 999 call handlers were unique
in their ability to handle stress. They were very, very good at handling the stress of
the role. Here is my suggested answer. “I believe I would handle the stress well. I
appreciate it’s very easy for me to say that, but I have worked in previous stressful
situations, albeit not on the same level as a 999 Call Handler. For example, in my previous
role I regularly had to deal with difficult customers on the telephone who were stressed
and frustrated. I always remained calm, reassured them, followed my training and asked them
probing questions to enable me to achieve my objectives. Whilst dealing with the stressful
elements of the role, I would always remember to follow my training and operational procedures,
ask for help if I was ever unsure and above all, use strong communication skills and absolute
clarity to assess each incident and dispatch the appropriate level of response required.”
So, you are saying there that, you know, you can handle stress and more importantly, you've
been in stressful situations and be perhaps not on the same level as a call handler. Maybe
you have, but I'm given the answer there based on someone who's not had that same level of
stress, but they are providing examples of where they've already done that. Next question
of the 999 call handler interview. Tell me what you'd expect to be doing on a daily basis
as a 999 call handler? If you are applying for this role, you should have a basic understanding
of what you would be required to do, and the job description, if you can get a copy of
that, will reveal the details of what you will be doing on a daily basis. Here is my
suggested answer to this question. “The duties I would expect to be undertaking would
be diverse and varied. The priority would be to competently handle 999 calls as and
when they come in a prompt manner and determine the level of response required. I would also
be required to liaise with operational staff to answer radio calls and provide assistance
and guidance when needed. Other duties include undertaking training sessions to maintain
operational competence, keeping accurate call logs and data, learning new skills and operational
procedures, and also keeping operational crews updated with information pertaining to incidents
as they progress. I would also be required to manage operational resources to ensure
they are in position to protect all areas we are responsible for, and also liaising
with other emergency services and interested stakeholders during the management of operational
incidents.” You can use that response as a basis for your own. As I say, don't forget
to read the job description. I think that's very important during your preparation for
the 999 call handler interview. Next question. Describe a situation when you had to work
under pressure in a challenging environment? Now this kind of question is more commonly
referred to as a ‘behavioral-type’ interview question. It's very important with this type
of question to give a specific situation that you've previously been in, where you have
met the requirements of the question. So, in respect of this, it's working under pressure
in a challenging environment. And my advice is to make it as challenging as possible…
perhaps add a time element or a restriction in there that makes it really difficult for
you. Here is my suggested answer to the interview question. “In a previous job, I was part
of a six-person team who were responsible for handling customer calls and queries. One
day, two people rang in sick at very short notice, which left just four of us to manage
the workload. The situation was compounded by the fact the business was launching a new
product that day, so the pressure was on for us all to answer all of the calls within the
time limits set by our employer whilst maintaining high standards of customer care and attention.
We all decided to take ownership of the situation and we compiled a plan of action for maintaining
standards. This included none of us taking any breaks throughout the day, apart from
the odd short toilet break, and by also asking customer qualifying questions at the start
of the call to get the bottom of their query faster than usual. At the end of the working
day, our manager praised the team’s combined effort, professionalism and commitment to
maintaining standards, despite being two people short.” What I personally like about the
answer, is it uses the STAR technique to structure the response. So: situation, task, action
and result. I also like it because you compile a plan for sorting things out, and more importantly,
you’re working as part of a team to achieve the objective, which is what you would do
whilst working as a 999 call handler. Now, if you would like more help with your 999
call handler interview, there is a link that has appeared in the top right-hand corner
of that screen. If you click that, it will take you through to my website where you can
download my 999 call handler interview questions and answers guide. Within the description
below the video, I have put links to different guides. I've got one for the police. I've
got one for the fire service, and also for the ambulance service. You might want to look
in the description to see which one is relevant for your particular role. I hope you enjoyed
that tutorial! Please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and click the like button and say hello in
the comments section as well! I'll be interested to see which service you're applying for.
If you have any questions, put them in the comments and I will do all I can to help you.
Thank you for watching and I wish you all the best for passing the 999 call handler
interview. Have a brilliant day.