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Interview Questions

EMay

Newbie
Preparing for my interview I’m reading navy news and the Royal Navy website to find out where the current deployments are and what they’re doing, there seems to be so many. Do I need to memorise all of them? If not can someone summarise the main ones that I should mention when asked at the interview?
As for current affairs, where do I start? There’s so many articles in Navy News, shall I talk about whatever I fancy or is there a specific area they want me to demonstrate I’ve read up on?

Any help is appreciated.
 
Preparing for my interview I’m reading navy news and the Royal Navy website to find out where the current deployments are and what they’re doing, there seems to be so many. Do I need to memorise all of them? If not can someone summarise the main ones that I should mention when asked at the interview?
As for current affairs, where do I start? There’s so many articles in Navy News, shall I talk about whatever I fancy or is there a specific area they want me to demonstrate I’ve read up on?

Any help is appreciated.

You won't be expected to memorise every ship and tasking. If you can, it may help.

Best generalise:

"Where is the Royal Navy currently operationally active?"

"There's a Type 23 out in the Pacific region, we have an anti-piracy presence off the Horn of Africa, HMS QE is soon to complete her work up for F35B in America and we have various patrol craft dotted around our shores, a few in the Gulf, and down in the Antarctic. There's also ships in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic."

Levers
 
Also they tend to aim it at your branch etc. When I joined as a submariner I was asked to name the current in service boats by name and what the difference in class etc where. They ask more what you have done in the past and more about you as a whole, they will ask you to provide examples of when you have worked in a team etc, at the end of the day the interview is to assess you to see if you are suitable for the service as opposed to your good at memorising lists (although this will help you massively through out your career the navy like lists)
 
Brilliant! Thank you both.

In terms of questions specific to your chosen branch, I want to join as RN Police, do you know where I’m likely to be based/which ship I’m likely to be on, etc? I can’t seem to find any answers to that.

Also, is it normally one person interviewing you or a whole panel?
 
Brilliant! Thank you both.

In terms of questions specific to your chosen branch, I want to join as RN Police, do you know where I’m likely to be based/which ship I’m likely to be on, etc? I can’t seem to find any answers to that.

Also, is it normally one person interviewing you or a whole panel?
Based anywhere, any ship frigate size and above, no idea about interview but it was one on one.
 
Brilliant! Thank you both.

In terms of questions specific to your chosen branch, I want to join as RN Police, do you know where I’m likely to be based/which ship I’m likely to be on, etc? I can’t seem to find any answers to that.

Also, is it normally one person interviewing you or a whole panel?

The police?

Oh God. What have I done!

Only kidding mate. As said, the world is your oyster.

Levers
 
So far I’ve prepared answers for:

Why do you want to join the Royal Navy?
What is the role/purpose of the RN?
History of RN?
Where is the RN currently operationally active?
In depth description of training, pay etc.
Tell me when you’ve been a leader, failed, proudest least proud etc etc.
Greatest strength weakness.

I’ve written out how many of each ship that are currently commissioned, and one sentence describing what that type of ship does. And have been looking at pictures of each. Is this enough to do with ships?

How much are weapons going to come up? I have no experience with weapons so trying to memorise all the different names is hard.

Anything else I’ve missed out?
 
So far I’ve prepared answers for:

Why do you want to join the Royal Navy?

Be honest. None of this 'because I'm not afraid to die for my country and kiss a picture of Brenda every night before turning in in my White Ensign duvet cover'. You want a decent job from an employer with a proven track record to develop the skills you know you think you have, and know that the pay and opportunities are excellent. Also, you want to be part of the team, learn something and see the world.

What is the role/purpose of the RN?

Careful. Avoid 'flying the flag' and other jingoistic claptrap. The Navy exists to support the government's wider defence policy and can extend in three maritime directions - strike (kill the bad people), littoral (park off bad people's costs and launch even badder people at the bad people) or humanitarian ops (hurricanes and ting) We also have mine warfare and patrol commitments, don't forget

History of RN?

Bitesized and bulleted. Hit the major switchpoints when shit changed and mention the big hitters. And smile when you mention Nelson as though he means something to you, because he does for us. Spend one minute on startup to WWI, cover WWII in the next minute and the last minute bullet point since WWII. Do not forget the three bolt-ons the surface fleet has (without whom we would not be in existence) that are: The Submarine Service, The Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Marines, and not necessarily in that order.

Where is the RN currently operationally active?

Scan and copy the Navy News article or better still print off an A3 Mercator and pull it out of your pocket and point to the places

In depth description of training, pay etc.

Find out where you'll be trained and for how long and what the outcome of that training is regarding qualification

Tell me when you’ve been a leader, failed, proudest least proud etc etc.

Don't forget, the Navy exists on Command, Leadership and Management. Buy this book

Royal Navy Way of Leadership

Greatest strength weakness.

Make your strengths look strong. Don't come over, 'well, I think I'm good at … ' and 'people have told me I am good at this … ' ******* well know you are good at it and be prepared to be questioned and challenged. Temper 'over confidence' and 'arrogance' with 'assurance' and 'determination'. If you are single minded, say so. If you are collegiate, say so. But always come over that there's a decision to be made and a path to take and it's your job at the end of it to decide the best way. Your weaknesses - make them sound trivial and pathetic and able to be overcome at the nod of a head. Do not say 'well, I like a drink' and 'I sometimes doubt myself' We all do both. But the best of us don't broadcast it.

Also, make your pitch sound and smell like CCDRIL - the Navy's Core Values.

I’ve written out how many of each ship that are currently commissioned, and one sentence describing what that type of ship does. And have been looking at pictures of each. Is this enough to do with ships?

Don't labour too much on detail here. Type 45s carry Sea Viper to kill aircraft and Harpoon to kill ships, they also have a Merlin and 4.5 gun. Some T23 have Sea Wolf, Harpoon and a 4.5/Merlin too. They form a layered defence bubble round a task group with Astutes underneath and F35B overhead, to take one or more landing craft ships to foreign shores to disgorge bootnecks, because they are far more artful at slotting nasty people than us. See what I did there? Surface, FAA, Subs, Bootnecks. It's how we roll.

How much are weapons going to come up? I have no experience with weapons so trying to memorise all the different names is hard.

Sea Viper - long range aircraft killer
Sea Wolf/Sea Ceptor - short range aircraft killer
Harpoon - Medium/long range ship killer
4.5 in gun - general purpose brick thrower
Merlin - Anti Sub/Troop Carrier
Lynx Wildcat - Death from above
F35B - Fifth generation flying deathmobile

Good luck. See you in the service.

Levers
 
Last time I spoke to my careers advisor about the interview, he told me to concentrate on HMS Raleigh, basic training etc he was saying there’s been a surge of people having no idea about this vital phase of training!

I don’t know if @Ninja_Stoker has anything to add?
 
Had my interview last week, there was certainly more focus on what you will be doing during/after training, where it is, the pay, making sure you know that the Navy is a fighting force and you may be off to war, and generally making sure you actually know what you are doing and are not trying to join for a laugh.

Otherwise I was only asked why we have a Navy, not much about current deployments or the history of the RN.

Although of course it probably depends on the branch you are joining, I am going as ET(ME) so was asked about the training, on what I will be doing on the ships and also general knowledge on a few things that I would be working on.
 

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