5 Critical Mistakes That Will Fail Your Police Interview (And How to Avoid Them)
The Hidden Reasons Why Qualified Candidates Get Rejected
Failing your police interview can set your career back by 3-12 months—or longer if your chosen force isn't actively recruiting. What's particularly frustrating is that many candidates who would make excellent police officers fail not because they lack the right qualities, but because they're simply not "police recruitment process ready."
Recently, during a one-to-one coaching session with an Academy client, I identified five critical mistakes that would have resulted in a definite fail—despite the candidate having an excellent example to share. The assessor would have scored them a 1 or 2 out of 5, well below the passing threshold.
Let's break down these mistakes so you can avoid them in your own police interview.
Mistake #1: Getting Too Technical in the First Minute
When responding to competency questions, many candidates immediately dive into technical jargon and workplace specifics that make perfect sense to them but completely lose the assessor.
The Problem:
My client, who works in a call centre, began answering a question about "considering others' needs before making a decision" with terminology and processes unique to their workplace. Within the first minute, I was completely lost—just as an assessor would be.
The Solution:
Start with a clear, jargon-free introduction to your example. Imagine you're explaining your situation to someone who knows nothing about your current role. Use plain language and focus on the human elements of your story before introducing any necessary technical details.
Mistake #2: Lacking a Deliberate Structure
Telling your example as you would to a friend—meandering through events as they come to mind—creates confusion and prevents the assessor from identifying your key competencies.
The Problem:
The candidate's answer jumped between different aspects of their story without clear signposting, making it difficult to follow their thought process and actions.
The Solution:
Use a deliberate structure that guides both you and the assessor through your example. While the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is commonly recommended, we've found it too simplistic for police competency interviews.
Instead, we recommend our proprietary SOUL-KU framework:
Situation - A challenging scenario that demonstrates the competency
Objective/Aim - What you were trying to achieve (more natural than "task")
Options - The choices you considered (shows decision-making)
Actions - Focusing on HOW you did things, not just WHAT you did
Learning - Specific lessons learned, not generic platitudes
Knowledge & Understanding - How this experience would apply to policing
This structure ensures you hit all the assessment criteria while maintaining a natural conversational flow.
Mistake #3: Missing Crucial Details in the "How"
Assessors award marks based on behaviours, which are revealed in HOW you did something, not just WHAT you did.
The Problem:
The candidate used vague statements like "I spoke to my manager" or "I discussed it with the individual" without explaining their approach, the conversation, or the information exchanged.
The Solution:
For every action you mention, include the crucial details of HOW:
Instead of "I spoke to my manager," say: "I arranged a private meeting with my manager where I presented the three options I'd identified, explaining the pros and cons of each approach and why I was leaning towards option B."
Instead of "I discussed it with the team," say: "I gathered the team for a structured discussion, first asking each person to share their perspective without interruption, then facilitating a focused conversation about the key concerns raised."
This level of detail reveals your actual behaviours and competencies.
Mistake #4: Creating Ambiguity About Who Made the Decision
When answering competency questions about decision-making, clarity about your role is essential.
The Problem:
The candidate's phrasing—"I spoke to the manager to get some advice"—made it sound like the manager ultimately made the decision, undermining the candidate's demonstration of the competency.
The Solution:
Be explicit about your decision-making role. Use phrases like:
"After consulting with my manager and considering their input, I decided to..."
"Having gathered all relevant perspectives, I made the decision to..."
"While my manager provided helpful context, the final decision to proceed with option C was mine."
This clarity ensures you receive credit for the competencies you're demonstrating.
Mistake #5: Failing to Address the "Points to Prove"
Every competency question contains specific elements—what we call "points to prove"—that must be explicitly addressed in your answer.
The Problem:
Despite the question clearly asking about "considering the needs of others" and "making a difficult decision," the candidate's answer didn't clearly identify how they considered others' needs or what difficult decision they made.
The Solution:
Break down each question to identify what must be proven. For example, "Describe a time when you considered the needs of others before making a difficult decision" requires you to explicitly show:
How you identified and considered others' needs
What the difficult decision was
How the consideration of others' needs influenced your decision
Highlight these elements clearly in your answer, even using similar phrasing to the question to create obvious connections.
Being "Police Ready" vs. "Police Recruitment Process Ready"
Many candidates have the right qualities to be excellent police officers but lack the specific skills needed to navigate the recruitment process successfully. Understanding and avoiding these five critical mistakes can make the difference between passing first time and facing a lengthy delay to your policing career.
Our Academy programme is designed specifically to bridge this gap—providing the structures, frameworks, and personalised coaching that transform good candidates into successful ones.
With over 750 five-star TrustPilot reviews and a success rate high enough that we offer a money-back guarantee, our approach has helped thousands of candidates overcome these common pitfalls and secure their place in forces across the UK.
Ready to Become "Police Recruitment Process Ready"?
If you're preparing for your police interview and want to ensure you avoid these critical mistakes, our Academy programme offers:
One-to-one coaching tailored to your specific challenges
Small group webinars for realistic practice
Comprehensive online materials and frameworks
Our proprietary SOUL-KU structure for answering competency questions
A money-back guarantee if you don't pass
Click here to learn more about our Academy programme and take the first step toward your policing career.
Don't let simple mistakes cost you months of delay—prepare to pass first time with confidence.
