Interview questions Flashcards
Tell us about yourself?
I am a hard worker and have spent years with Dakota county being an explorer and a park ranger. I take pride in helping others and knowing that I did the best I could in difficult situations while also ready to learn from mistakes and criticism. My experience in the explorer post, the park rangers, and colleges helped me build a stronger base of information and interest for Minnesota laws, medical information, psychology, and mental illnesses. I have also recently resigned from my last job being more motivated to being a peace officer and becoming more open minded to those not in the law enforcement thanks to the work I was a part of and my personal hobbies and interests.
Why do you want to work in this office?
I’ve learned and seen from deputies within Dakota County that we have the opportunity to help more than just catching a criminal but also guide victims to programs and financial assistance to promote the change in being a victim to becoming a survivor. That’s the type of policing I want to be a part of
What is your biggest weakness?
My biggest weakness was definitely being someone who can confront others. I never had a problem as a park ranger when working with those in violation of county ordinances but rather with a co-worker. I learned from another Park ranger that apparently she didn’t like me or had some sort of problem with me. It became more apparent after a call in particular that there was a problem that needed to be addressed. when I asked for assistance on an ordinance violation. She took over my scene and escalated the call verbally with 4 people in the park after hours. I was in fear of a possible physical altercation. I made a poor effort to confront her about the situation and never got a real reason as to why we never worked well together. I then took that experience and applied it to other jobs with better communication skills that resulted in positive outcomes and a better reputation.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I’ve had an interest ever since college to become a part of an investigations team, but I’d like to see how far I can go within Dakota County’s Drug Task Force, or Electronic Crimes Task Force.
Why should we hire you
I am confident with the skills I learned being an explorer, a park ranger, and a skills academy graduate. I’m always looking for experiences and learning opportunities through my peers, the community, as well as other officers and deputies within dakota county
Describe a time when you did not get along with a coworker
My experience as a park ranger lead me to use better communication skills in an incident with a coworker at my auto wash detailing job. I decided that I’m not going to make the same mistake again and did what I could to confront the situation. that situation had us recognize the importance of working together to complete the task at hand as a team to satisfy a customer. After I apologized I asked him to continue to hold me accountable for the mistakes I made since I wanted to learn how to do the job right instead of building a reputation that did not reflect my work ethic.
How would your friends describe you?
My friends would say I’m persistent with my missions and goals. Some examples being learning how to become a better indoor rock climber through training, and taking notes to learn how to program certain cnc machines when starting a new work order.
What is your experience working with others with different race/ethnic cultures?
After University I worked at an entry level cnc operator job at Entegris and a mid experience cnc operator job at Toro. Entegris showed me that this profession is one of the greatest ways to start a career with little or no education at all. During my time the employees ranged from those with mental illnesses, disabilities, and even those who came to the United States with English being their 2nd language. I took the skills I learned from entegris and applied for Toro. At toro I worked with people who went to trade schools and technical schools specifically to operate heavy cnc machines, read blueprints, and preform quality assurance checks. There were even those who used Toro’s education services to go to school or return to school for other degrees such as business or engineering.
Do you have any questions for us?
What are some challenges the deputies face when working in this jurisdiction?
What are some things that the deputies do in order to succeed in this position?
Are there any new programs or specialty units to look forward to learning about?
what do you know about the sheriff’s office?
The Sheriff’s office has 13 specialty units not including the Reserves unit, explorers program, and the internship.
Dakota County Parks has events such as
-trails by candlelight
-Take a kid fishing
-summer solstice party
-music in the park
-wild ride mountain bike festival
-national public lands day
-opt outside
-new years Eve party
