Sift interview advice

[Luke Robinson]

Hi all!

I passed my SIFT interview last Thursday and just thought i should post some of the questions i got on here

guaranteed questions - you should have rehearsed answers for these!

Why do you want to join the royal navy?

Are you familiar with the RN policy on drugs?

How do you feel about the taking of human life?

Would you ever consider working on a submarine?

RN Trivia questions (that i got)

What is the difference between a destroyer and a frigate?

What classes of submarine are there?

what is significant about the vanguard class submarine?

Name as many types of vessel in the royal navy?

Where in the world are the RN on operations?

Royal Marines questions

How many sections of RM are there?

Where are the RM on operation?

Personal questions

Families reaction to RN application?

examples of leadership?

examples of determination?

examples of teamwork?

and many more that i cant recall sorry

Advice

Relax! you may be in a suit or shirt and tie and it may be an interview, however the careers officers are pretty cool guys who can relate to your situation.

Do not fiddle with anything on you, or swing on your swingy chair! (i did this but got away with it still....it is not advised)

if you cant answer a question do not make up some random shit, 1. they know if your lying! 2. Most of the time there is only one answer.

be friendly and confident, there is a period on the way to the interview where you can make the interviewer your friend. Greet him/her politely and answer any questions they have in a mature and confident manner.

Good luck all!

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

Good post.

Well done & best of luck with AIB.

 

[T-H]

Thanks for posting that, really helpful stuff - all the stuff I need to be revising.

 

[Luke Robinson]

No worries guys,
Thanks for wishing me luck
sorry i couldn't remember all the questions :/
feel free to ask me anything about it while its still fresh in my mind!

 

[WhatACatastrophe]

Thanks man for this. Good luck with your AIB too.

I'm guilty of shuffling, so I guess I'd better work on that before my sift interview

 

[Magda]

Thanks man for this. Good luck with your AIB too.

I'm guilty of shuffling, so I guess I'd better work on that before my sift interview

Well done Luke, nice feeling isn't it?! =-) Good advice as well, seems simple after you've done it, but at the time it's hard to remember it all.

I'm also a fidget - but I think as long as you make good eye contact and are not constantly jiggling one leg (bad habit which drives me up the wall) or twisting your hair around a finger (a girl thing - hair up and off your face ladies!) or doing something else equally irritating, then I would have thought you'll be OK.

Good Luck all =-)

 

[WhatACatastrophe]

Well done Luke, nice feeling isn't it?! =-) Good advice as well, seems simple after you've done it, but at the time it's hard to remember it all.

I'm also a fidget - but I think as long as you make good eye contact and are not constantly jiggling one leg (bad habit which drives me up the wall) or twisting your hair around a finger (a girl thing - hair up and off your face ladies!) or doing something else equally irritating, then I would have thought you'll be OK.

Good Luck all =-)

Mine jiggles by itself, I seem to have to be told that it's happening. Subsequently stop. Then start jiggling it again without realising.
I am going to have to be very VERY alert at the interview.

 

[Magda]

Mine jiggles by itself, I seem to have to be told that it's happening. Subsequently stop. Then start jiggling it again without realising.
I am going to have to be very VERY alert at the interview.

That's called a bad habit, mate ;-) And it can be broken, you need to be constantly reminded to stop when you start. Get everyone to tell you to stop whenever you start, the moment you start. Just as jiggling your leg without realising has become a habit, so to should keeping it still. This is how I broke a bad habit of having very poor posture (and a bad back as a result). I'd get yelled at by my parents at the breakfast table, friends at school would poke me if I slumped etc... after a while it happened less and less.

It's also harder to do if you cross your legs, as you'll realise you're doing it.

You of course need to be alert at the interview - but I can almost guarantee you'll be so caught up in trying to answer questions that it'll start without you noticing. So break the habit now.

Apart from that, IF I end up with you at the AIB or even BRNC if we're both lucky, you'll drive me insane if we share a table :-D

 

[WhatACatastrophe]

That's called a bad habit, mate ;-) And it can be broken, you need to be constantly reminded to stop when you start. Get everyone to tell you to stop whenever you start, the moment you start. Just as jiggling your leg without realising has become a habit, so to should keeping it still. This is how I broke a bad habit of having very poor posture (and a bad back as a result). I'd get yelled at by my parents at the breakfast table, friends at school would poke me if I slumped etc... after a while it happened less and less.

It's also harder to do if you cross your legs, as you'll realise you're doing it.

You of course need to be alert at the interview - but I can almost guarantee you'll be so caught up in trying to answer questions that it'll start without you noticing. So break the habit now.

Apart from that, IF I end up with you at the AIB or even BRNC if we're both lucky, you'll drive me insane if we share a table :-D

My mum never fails to tell me about it because she said it made her feel seasick. I might get my house mates to start punching me then, currently they just politely ask me to stop. All else fails I'll wear trousers and not a skirt to my interview and cross my legs

Hopefully if we do end up at AIB or BRNC together, the problem will have disappeared...

 

[Luke Robinson]

haha yeah that is a bad habit, especially for an interview, but im sure you'll be fine as long as you do your naval research!

 

[sunnyglasgow]

taking life question

I have my Sift interview on the 9th May for Warfare Officer. I'm a bit unsure about the "how would you feel about taking another persons life?"

My answer is currently looking like:

"The Navy is an armed service and I realise that in the line of duty I may have to take another persons life. It is not something I look forward to but it is my duty to protect my fellow soldiers. If those serving with me are sustaining fire or are in certain danger then I acknowledge the need to prevent the loss of life on our side by taking the lives of the enemy until that danger has subsided."

Does that seem like a justified answer? Or am I coming across like a Klingon when I mean to come across like Horatio Hornblower.

Hi all!

I passed my SIFT interview last Thursday and just thought i should post some of the questions i got on here

guaranteed questions - you should have rehearsed answers for these!

Why do you want to join the royal navy?

Are you familiar with the RN policy on drugs?

How do you feel about the taking of human life?

Would you ever consider working on a submarine?

RN Trivia questions (that i got)

What is the difference between a destroyer and a frigate?

What classes of submarine are there?

what is significant about the vanguard class submarine?

Name as many types of vessel in the royal navy?

Where in the world are the RN on operations?

Royal Marines questions

How many sections of RM are there?

Where are the RM on operation?

Personal questions

Families reaction to RN application?

examples of leadership?

examples of determination?

examples of teamwork?

and many more that i cant recall sorry

Advice

Relax! you may be in a suit or shirt and tie and it may be an interview, however the careers officers are pretty cool guys who can relate to your situation.

Do not fiddle with anything on you, or swing on your swingy chair! (i did this but got away with it still....it is not advised)

if you cant answer a question do not make up some random shit, 1. they know if your lying! 2. Most of the time there is only one answer.

be friendly and confident, there is a period on the way to the interview where you can make the interviewer your friend. Greet him/her politely and answer any questions they have in a mature and confident manner.

Good luck all!

 

[BreathingOutOnTheWayUp]

Sunny,

For a verbal answer you must not waffle. IMO Your answer looks like something pulled from the web - ie @ 'Soldier'.

It is something you will really have to get your head around and be absolutely positive (in both senses) about, and not just for an interview!!


Practice verbally with your friends/family as your answer may well lead to an moral ethics discussion. Then go large - ie Think TRIDENT.

Bottom Line? "He who hesitates is * * * *-ed."

Bob

 

[sunnyglasgow]

???

Are you saying the answer wouldn't pass? It is one I thought of but I'm not sure what they are looking for here.

I dont want to come across a maniac but I also dont want to sound like I wouldn't be able to do what was necessary if the time came. I thought I struck a good balance

Sunny,

For a verbal answer you must not waffle. IMO Your answer looks like something pulled from the web - ie @ 'Soldier'.

It is something you will really have to get your head around and be absolutely positive (in both senses) about, and not just for an interview!!


Practice verbally with your friends/family as your answer may well lead to an moral ethics discussion. Then go large - ie Think TRIDENT.

Bottom Line? "He who hesitates is * * * *-ed."

Bob

 

[BreathingOutOnTheWayUp]

Sunny,

I'm trying to say "Best not to try and double think the interviewer." 'twas a wee while since I had to put that answer verbally/formally and no-one can put 'acceptable' words in your mouth.

Your answer(s) will have to come across as showing that you have genuinely considered it and would have no qualms about it.

Besides that, as a leader you may well have to pass on, or even issue yourself, such an order for your subordinates to carry out. After all - that's our raison d'etre, is it not?


Hence the need to clarify your own position by discussion with others in good time ahead of your interview. It is a serious matter but your oral reply should then flow a lot more naturally.

 

[Luke Robinson]

The answer is good, you have covered the topic very well and have justified your thoughts on it well. However it is important that this sort of answer is how YOU feel, if your answer is not how you truly feel then you may want to reconsider it.

If your sticking with your current answer, then you probably want to make sure you do sound adamant with your decision by sounding confident not like a computer reading it out.

best of luck!

Are you saying the answer wouldn't pass? It is one I thought of but I'm not sure what they are looking for here.

I dont want to come across a maniac but I also dont want to sound like I wouldn't be able to do what was necessary if the time came. I thought I struck a good balance

 

[sunnyglasgow]

Cheers for the advice guys

I will resist sounding like Steven Hawking when giving my answer even though, it would be hilarious.

I'm currently scowering (spelling?) the huge AIB thread for more long term prep. My biggest issue is knowing where the Navy is currently operating. The navy site page on afghanistan seems detailed enough but cougar is very confusing. Navy news says a different thing from the website which says a different thing from the operations map.

 

[CmdKeen]

There is no shame in saying there is contradictory information on Cougar. That you know it is on, which ships are involved and the general plan was enough for me to pass my SIFT. Say what you know from different sources - it will look good that you've looked in multiple places.
I was corrected on what I knew about Cougar because it had just changed to Op Cougar because of Libya - but that didn't count against me.

 

[Magda]

Cheers for the advice guys

I will resist sounding like Steven Hawking when giving my answer even though, it would be hilarious.

I'm currently scowering (spelling?) the huge AIB thread for more long term prep. My biggest issue is knowing where the Navy is currently operating. The navy site page on afghanistan seems detailed enough but cougar is very confusing. Navy news says a different thing from the website which says a different thing from the operations map.

Just do your best with what you can find. The Navy website, Navy News and this website (thanks to Soleil) are veritable goldmines if you spend the time.

I actually asked the Lt at my Sift Interview about something I didn't understand (I forget now what it was) and he explained it. I obviously knew something about it and wanted to know more so he was willing to explain further. Show willing =-)

And I shall stop banging that drum and disappear. :-D

 

[Pandemican]

Great thread! Thanks for posting, very helpful! I have my SIFT interview a week from now so I am currently in the process of revising and preparing!