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.