Is my application good enough?

Lots of people just send off their form and hope it’s good enough. But obviously, this is taking a big chance.

This is where we can make huge difference to your application. We can work with you to make sure your application is as good as it can be.

How to make your application stand out

The application form is designed to get you to give information about the things which are important to the Fire & Rescue Service, such as the Leadership Behaviours, Values, Ethics . You will most likely be asked to give real-life examples of times when you have demonstrated these.

These tips will get you on the way to giving good application form answers:

Be Honest
It’s easy to spot a made-up answer. And remember that Ethics and Integrity are core principles in the Fire & Rescue Service.

Structure Your Answer
Follow the STAR guidelines:

Situation/ Task – Give an overview of the situation/ what you had to do
Action – Explain what action you took or how you tackled the issue
Result – Explain the outcome

Remember to focus on your actions. Don’t spend too long giving background information.

Use the word limit wisely

Most application form have a word limit, so make sure you don’t waste any. Make sure you have explained your actions and haven’t repeated yourself.

Don’t just quote the Leadership Behaviours

It isn’t enough to show you are aware of the leadership framework; you need to show, in your own words, how you have demonstrated the behaviours. For instance, it’s no good saying, ‘I demonstrated effective teamwork’ without explaining what you did, in what way it was effective and what the results were that prove it was effective!

Practice beforehand

The best way to make sure you are answering in the right way is to practice first. We have workbooks full of practice questions and example answers. We can also provide personalised feedback on what you need to do to improve your actual application form answers.