Build the material
6 items. Get the competency list, write the answer bank, fix the ratio, know the department.
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- Free Interview Checklist
Free download · 3-page PDF
The Firefighter Interview
Prep Checklist.
Twenty-two things to have done before you walk into the panel room — in the order to do them. Built from more than 15 years on the job and every mock interview I’ve run since.
- Get the competency list
- Write out 8–12 real experiences
- Fix the ratio
- Record yourself answering, on video
- Have someone ask the follow-ups
- Prepare the answer you don't want to give
- Confirm the format
- The first ninety seconds
- …and fourteen more.
Free · No sequence, no spam
Send me the checklist
What's inside
Four sections.
Twenty-two items.
Arranged by when to do them, because the order is most of the point. The answer bank takes weeks; the route to the building takes an afternoon.
Practise the delivery
6 items. On camera, timed, with follow-ups. The answers you don’t want to give. Questions for the panel.
Remove the variables
6 items. Format, route, clothes, documents, your own application. Stop adding material.
Keep nerves usable
4 items. Sleep, eat, arrive, and the first ninety seconds in the room.
Why a checklist
Most candidates prepare
in the wrong order.
They spend the last week frantically reading question lists and the eight weeks before that doing nothing. The panel can tell. Not because the answers are bad, but because they’re being built live.
The candidates who get hired did the boring version of the work months earlier. This is that work, written down, so you can start it tonight.
- Answer bank first — eight to twelve real experiences in full STAR structure. This is the part that takes time.
- Then delivery — on camera, timed, with someone asking the follow-ups a panel asks.
- Then logistics — format, route, clothes, documents. Boring, and the source of most interview-day disasters.
Proof it works
Men who walked in
prepared.
Verified reviews from Mathew’s Google Business Profile.
“
Great experience with this company. They helped me prepare for interviews and taught me how to structure answers using the STAR format, which made my responses much clearer and more confident. Highly recommend their coaching to anyone looking to improve their interview skills.
PB
Patrick BolivarGoogle
“
Mathew was instrumental in my interview success. I was so fortunate to be put in touch with him, as he was the biggest reason I walked into the interview confident, and left with a successful result.
JC
Jake CuttsGoogle
“
I hired Mat to help me prep for the hardest interview I have ever done! He is an amazing man to work with! He takes the time to get to know you and what your goals are! And really knows how to get the best out of you!
CN
Cynthia NiznikGoogle
Questions
About the checklist
What happens after I enter my email?
You get one email with the PDF attached. That’s it — no sequence, no daily tips, no countdown timer. If you want to reply to it with a question, it goes to Mathew directly.
Is this just a list of interview questions?
No. There are plenty of those online and they don’t help much, because panels can ask any question about a competency. This is the preparation process — what to build, when to build it, and how to practise it — that makes any question answerable.
I have an interview next week. Is it too late for this?
Read the last two sections tonight: the week before, and the night before. Then read the four-weeks-out section and do as much of it as you can. And book a call — a week is workable if we use it well.
Want it run at you for real?
A checklist gets you ready.
A mock panel gets you hired.
Interview coaching includes full mock panels with feedback. It starts with a free 30-minute call.
Book a Free Discovery CallOr start with the checklist above and book when you’re ready.