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Dec 21

A short Christmas reflection, and thanks…

2020 has been a difficult year for so many reasons, not least for those working in policing and the other blue light services. Never before, possibly since the founding Peelian principle of The police are the public and the public are the police, has the relationship between the police and... read more →
Dec 09

Focus On Prep That Counts (Most Don’t)

One of the most common questions that I get asked when speaking to officers who are considering booking onto one of our masterclasses or 1:1s is “How much do I need to prepare prior to the day?” The answer to this is pretty straightforward but often unexpected. Nothing, nada, zilch,... read more →
Nov 26

What’s Banksy Got to Do with Police Promotion?

In a previous life I was a sales trainer in a pharmaceutical company. One of the key techniques we used to help sell the drugs to healthcare professionals was to ‘paint patient pictures’. We asked the doctors and nurses to think of a specific patient that was in the practice... read more →
Nov 18

“I Don’t Believe It!” – I’ve Got No Examples…

Increasingly I am having conversations with officers from all ranks and forces who are convinced that they will not perform well at a board as they believe the role that they are in doesn’t provide enough opportunity for them to be able to pick good competency based examples for their... read more →
Sep 22

A Warning – The Worse Interview Advice EVER!

Let’s be honest, interviews are a very strange concept and very unlike how you tend to speak normally to friends and family. You have around sixty minutes to talk about some of your awesome past achievements and to big yourself up at every opportunity. The sun should literally shine out... read more →
Sep 03

We Were Only Being Boring – 6 Quick Tips For Your Board

Make no mistake. Assessing a promotion board is a hard job. Really hard. Assessors need to listen intently, make copious, accurate notes and fully engage with candidates for the 60 minutes or so of the interview. Often, they have do this every day for weeks on end. In my experience... read more →
Aug 11

Virtual Promotion Masterclasses – Are They Any Good?

I’ve had a few conversations recently about what the bselectedpolice Masterclass consists of and how is it working in the ‘virtual’ world. When the COVID 19 situation began to develop, we decided that our Masterclasses should run virtually over Zoom. We already ran lots of 1:1’s via Zoom or Teams... read more →
Jul 16

How To Prepare For A Online Interview

“Your interview will be next week over Zoom”. “All assessments will now move to MS Teams.” “Look out for the WebEx invite to your board”. Only 3 or 4 months ago these terms would have been a foreign language to most officers, but now as face to face boards have... read more →
Jun 22

Oh S**t!! I’ve Got To Complete An Application Form

An application form is often the first stage ‘sift’, with successful officers proceeding through to the next assessment stage. One thing is for sure is that competency based application forms are a very challenging part of the process. And unfortunately there is no easy way to approach them. If you... read more →
Jun 15

A bite-size blog: Problem Solving for Police Promotion Success

Arguably, solving problems is what the police promotion process is all about. Specifically, in an application form or interview – articulating how you have solved problems in the past; in a role-play or in-tray exercise – solving problems ‘here and now’; and in a presentation, briefing or for forward-facing interview... read more →