Your Resume and Application Package

I remember when it came time for me to apply, I was so excited, I couldn't wait for my Certificate Of Results, I drove to London and waited for it to be printed so I didn't have to wait for it to come to me in the mail. I already had my whole application package printed and filled out, my resume was ready to go just waiting for the final piece to add to the package, my COR. The picture of me holding up my COR on my first post here on the TestReadyPro blog was a proud day. I had such a great sense of achievement and knew I was taking a big step towards a very serious goal.

Once you fianlly receive your Certificate Of Results it's now time to apply. There are two different strategies here, the first being, apply to as many services as possible and hopefully one of them bites and calls you back. The other strategy is to apply to only one or two services, concentrating on the Police Service you most want to be a member. I'm a fan of the later. Why? Very simple answer, because it's easier for you and for them. I say this because if you have applied to Toronto, Barrie, Halton, O.P.P. etc. they're all going to be curious to know which stage you're at with the other services. I understand that this is mostly to reduce redundancy and to not waste resources. I truly believe that loyalty goes a long way with services, furthermore, it shows that you have a dedication. Lastly, it's a lot easier to study for one services LFI then it is for two or more at once.

So, lets talk about specifically what should be on your resume. EVERYTHING. First though lets talk about cover letters, yes they're necessary and it must be included with your resume. Your cover letter should include your name, the name of the service you're applying to, the position you're applying for and a brief write-up of why you're applying to that service. Instead of putting "Attention Human Relations" or "Attention Recruiting" I put the name of the chief of police for the service I was applying to. Do not forget to sign your name on your cover letter. The body of your resume should again include your objective or the position you're applying to. Also, include every position you've held, listed seperately on your application and resume for work experience. This means that if you've worked for the same company over the past five years, started out as a general labourer, were promoted after a year to machine operator, promoted a few years later to line supervisor, all these positions should be listed seperately. How you word your duties on your resume is also important, describe exactly what you did. Too often do I see people with Customer Service jobs who write just that, "Customer Service" without an adequate description, of course we all know what cashier or customer service representative does but it's a great idea to list that your responsibilities included handeling cash, resolving customer complaints, etc. No matter how mundane your job may seem, your employer trusts you and you have responsibilities, be proud of your experiences and showcase them well. You should also be exact with your dates for your application and also have these same dates on your resume.

You should also include your educational information, certifications and, licenses should be in a seperate section. Don't forget to include your hobbies and interests, what do you do in your spare time to wind down? Sports? Do you play on a team? Music? Do you play an instrument or jam with friends?

Do not forget to put all your volunteer experiences down. It's not necessary to include your references on your resume as you'll provide them later or on your application. It is however handy to keep a list of more references than the bare minimum needed for the background investigation portion as you may find some references are unusable. As a rule you should keep handy three references for friends, three refrences for work (including co-workers), three refrences for school or volunteer experiences. Ask your references before you put them down, make sure they know you're applying to become a Police Constable and feel confident in giving you a good reference. Often times I hear horrific stories of people asking for letters of reference or references only to find those people really weren't the best references they could draw on.

When you submit your application and resume it's a wise idea to photo copy both the front and back of your COR, birth certificate, drivers license, health card, Social Insurance Card and, CPR, Standard First Aid certificates. Being organized and having your application, resume and photocopies neatly together in one package will impress.

Laser Eye Surgery

Once you complete your BPAD it's time to have your eyes tested. The good people at Applicant Testing Services are not optometrists but do try their best to give you the best test they can. If you wear eye glasses or contact lenses chances are you will not meet the standard to pass this portion of your testing and you may be required to get laser eye surgery if you wish to move forward. I needed laser eye surgery and I researched every type of surgery available. First what I would recomd before you even go in for your stage one testing is take a trip to the optometrists and have an eye test. See if you ultimately will need eye surgery and if you can afford. Your uncorrected vision (without glassess or contacts) must be 20/40. I was 20/80! I had my eyes evaluated before I even went in to write my stage one tests.

Choosing an opthamologist/surgeon to do your procedure can be difficult. For me, I chose Lasik Eye Surgery and opted to drive all the way out to Fort Eerie, Ontario. The reason why I drove to Fort Eerie was because of the Lasik Centre surgeon, Dr. Teal. She had an excellent reputation, could see me soon and charged a moderate price. The exact price, for me it was $2,400 for both eyes. For you it could be different because the price is based on the work that needs to be done to your eyes specifically. I know there are places where you can have this procedure done for cheaper but Dr. Teal is one of the best and is well worth the drive.

It was May of 2007 (almost a year ago) when I had my Lasik Eye Surgery. Let me first tell you that the surgery is very simple, there are a few jarring things about it like seeing the flap of you eye ball being peeled back or the scent emitted by the laser as it shapes your eyes. Also, many people don't realize that you absolutely must wear 100% u.v. sunglasses when outdoors during daylight hours for not merely a week after your surgery but for months. Yes, this is true. The u.v. rays will cause your surgery to regress, this is not what you want as those who do not wear sunglasses often find themselves going back for a second procedure. You must even wear sunglasses on dark or overcast days. What I recommend is buying two pairs of sunglasses, a dark tint for bright days and a light tint for overcast days. Also, insure that the lenses cover your entire eye, if u.v. rays are leaking in from the sides you're still doing damage. Also, you really must follow the specific directions of not rubbing your eyes, lubricate every half hour with preservative free eye drops, use your medicated eye drops at the right intervals. It will seem like a bit much at the time because there are so many tiny details however, remember the more attention you pay to these details the faster your eyes will heal and the better your quality of eyesight will be!

Here is the tricky part about the procedure, getting your eyes evaluated and passed for a successful mark on your certificate of results. Applicant Testing Services will provide you with all the paperwork, information and contact numbers you will need to complete this paperwork. Despite all the misinformation out there on policing forums, you do not have to wait a year. I was afraid of this myself when I first had my surgery and thought I would have to wait, this isn't so. Your eyes heal slowly but they heal quick enough. The day after your surgery you have a follow-up with the surgeon to make sure everything is okay and that you're eyes are healing well. Usually one week after your surgery you have another follow-up but this time with your optometrist at this time your optometrist will test your eye sight as long as it is 20/40 or better you're okay. This is the first portion of the paperwork done, then twenty one days later you come back and have your eyes tested again, if you once more meet 20/40 or better you have completed the last part of the 21 day waiting period. Thus far it has been simple the tricky part comes in to play now as you will have to wait to visit a specific opmtometrist to finish your testing. These final tests include air being blown and measured by pressure onto your eyes as you focus on a moving image, then your night vision will be tested. If you pass this final hurdle you receive a clean bill of health. So, to reiterate, it only takes 21 days to get a clean bill of health and have your eyes approved for a pass on your COR.

I used to wear my glasses everyday for weeks after the surgery I used to reach for my face where my glasses were to remove them before bed, it was a funny feeling. I must admit for months after the surgery my eyes were very sensitive to light and felt "grainy" or as if something was in them, I had the desire to itch or rub them often but I didn't and I am very happy with the result of my eye surgery.

Behavioural Personnel Assessment Device

When you receive a successful grade on all your stage one testing you will be invited back to complete your stage two testing which includes the Behavioural Personnel Assessment Device for Police (B-PAD). The BPAD is an oral exam, you do it alone in a room, completely by yourself. There are no actors or judicators in the room with you. There is however a video camera which records your responses to the pre-recorded video’s shown on a television monitor. Behavioural Assessment tests like the B-PAD you will experience during your stage two testing are vastly under supplied for preparation material, even the Applicant Testing website has no preparation material for the test so lets first go over the basics. The camera is filmed from a first person perspective so, imagine you are there, the actors on screen look directly into the camera and address you. It is important that you don’t crack up, laugh or choke on this exam, treat it like real life. Although, you will be playing the part of a Police Constable you’re not expected to know laws or Police protocol. You are supposed to react “naturally”. I don’t believe that everyone acts naturally the way judicators are looking for when they look back at your test tapes so I’m going to touch on a program that is often recommended. It is “Crisis Prevention” or “Crisis Prevention Intervention” (CPI). My employment before my interest in joining the Police and even during my testing to become a Police Constable provided “Crisis Prevention Intervention” as a mandatory certification for all employees. I do believe that CPI training is of value as preparation material for the B-PAD however, you can not walk into the B-PAD and expect to pass on your first try without appropriate practice. Here’s why, the situations that you are faced with are many, I believe eight in total and they are very much “in your face” you need to be relaxed, maintain composure and be on your toes with quick answers. I felt anxious going in even after preparing with my mentor, John Belisle. My method was after the situation played out I would take a deep breath that allowed myself a moment to collect my thoughts and then began speaking. I didn’t say anything without thinking about it first, this meant I said some short sentences, took a breath and then followed up. This is fine and allows you to not just think about what you’re saying but also the tone you want to say it in. If someone is in despair you should act appropriately, the look on your face and the tone of your voice should reflect it. Are you being consoling, comforting? Also, if the situation calls for you to be stern, can you hear it in your voice? Do you have a look of confidence and control?

I stand behind the material offered on TestReadyPro.com because it’s what I used to pass the B-PAD, the self-assessment marking sheet is a great tool and I recommend you try it with your friends in stead of practicing alone in the mirror, the more you practice to the video scenarios and mark yourself based on your response, the better you will be at coming up with appropriate answers to the scenarios on your actual B-PAD. Also, I find many people ask me about how long their answers should be. Obviously you should identify yourself and ask some probing questions, with those points down all you need to do is respond to what you’re seeing and any questions you’ve been asked. By now you’ve said all you need to say. On average you should for a minimum of 10 seconds. Remember, the preparation material is there so that you don’t find yourself stuck, with nothing to say, instead you have experience which is practical to your B-PAD and to your future career in policing.

Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police (PREP)

The final test on your stage one test day is the PREP. I talked a lot last week about preparing for the PREP and getting yourself into an exercise routine that will prepare you for the PREP but also your future at the Ontario Police College. Running is a big part. The best preparation you can have for the PREP is running it before you actually go, if you haven't gone yet or are not currently signed up, sign up for TestReadyPro's TrainingDay. I did it a year ago and it really helped me. Not only will you review the entire PREP and work on exercise routines but you will spend at least an hour with John Belisle, he makes a presentation on the interview process, competencies and will answer your questions. Although I feel the training day is the best preparation you can get for the PREP and interviewing lets talk about exactly what you will do in the last hour of your stage one test day. The first portion of the PREP is the pursuit/restraint circuit. The total distance is 100 metres and although running is involved you can jog it, I would recommend jogging as to save yourself for the shuttle run which follows the pursuit/restraint circuit. During the pursuit/restraint circuit you must wear a 9 pound belt that simulates equipment a Police Constable would wear in the field. The first part of the circuit is pursuit where you will run/job 25 metres, go up a set four stairs, touch the top stair and go down a set of four stairs. You must touch the top step, when going up the stairs I recommend you only touch two stairs on the way up, coming down do the same but turn your body and feet slightly to take advantage of the length of your foot across the width of the step, these stairs are narrow and easy to trip on, especially when you're rushing! You will do this pursuit four times but on the second and fourth time you will jump over a four foot wall. When jumping the wall you must make sufficent contact to make jumping it safe. There are a variety of ways to make contact with the wall and it will be demonstrated for you on the test day before you run the circuit. You now move into the body control simulator where you will push. Here you're allowed two different techniques with your feet, I recommend turning your hips and crossing over as it allows for you to complete this portion the fastest. Once you complete six arcs you move left to the arm restraint simulator. Grab the grips low and squeeze. Again, grabbing them low is easier. You move back to the previous machine you were on, the body control simulator where you will now pull, in this portion you are only allowed to use the shuffle technique, going foot to foot. This is fine but try and sit back, really whip yourself around and take advantage of the full width you can get your legs spread, if so, you will complete this portion faster. You now go back to the arm restraint simulator executing the same technique of grabbing the grip low. You're almost finished, the home run stretch is lifting a 150 pound dummy "rescue randy" and dragging him 15 metres. Grab him by his wrists, lift his arms so that his upper body is not making contact with the floor and drag!! I can't tell you out of all the times how many people I've seen have the friction of his back dragging along the ground, lift him up so that only his butt and legs are dragging, it will make it easier on your quads and you will be faster.

Thats it, you finished the pursuit/restraint circuit and hopefully within two minutes and forty two seconds. Now, you get a minimum of ten minutes to cool down and relax (if you can) before you run the 20 metre shuttle run beep test. If you're not a strong runner please read over last weeks post then email me if you need additional instruction, running is something I've spent a considerable amount of time and money getting better at and I don't mind sharing my knowledge on the subject and recommending resources where you can find the information and help you need to get yourself ready.

Between the circuit and shuttle run, you should not consume a lot of water, it could cause you to cramp while running.The shuttle run is exactly six and a half minutes of running. It starts at stage 0 and goes up to stage six and one half. Each stage is not one minute long, in fact the time between stage six and six and one half is only two laps!! I've said this before on the forum but I really want to reiterate this, if you can't go on, stop thinking about running, keep a fast paced song in your head, remember a motivational running quote, think of something else but keep your mind off the track. This is only six and a half minutes of your life... you can do this! Don't let the sound of the beeps speeding up and getting higher in frequency psych you out.