Well, so much for summer on it's way. Back to 20 degree weather! I'm at the gym this week (great place to spend the colder months by the way....other than FLORIDA) and a friend of mine comes up to me and tells me he is applying for some police officer positions. He begins to tell me that he is worried about the entrance exam and how he has experienced trouble in the past with police exams. So we spoke a little and I explained to him that he needs to first think like he is already a police officer. I explained to him that he needs to look at each question like he is investigating it and trying to uncover the truth. I assured him that he did not need to wear a trench coat or carry around grocery lists and other Detective Colombo paraphernalia. A few days went by and I came across an old copy of a study guide that was given to me from a department a long time ago during different application processes. It provided a background of the type of information an applicant should familiarize him or herself with prior to taking a police officer exam. I also explained to him that it would not hurt to visit the local bookstore and purchase a study guide; Baron makes some of the best study guides available.
So more time went by, and before you know it he was growing more comfortable with the material, and was becoming more and more eager to actually take the test. The big day finally came for him and he did what I said and showed up clean shaved, pressed suit, and shined shoes. I even taught him the trick of putting a small circle on shoe polish on the top of his shoes and neglect to buff it off. This technique shows the contrast of the un-buffed and buffed portion. It shows the instructors that you did indeed polish your shoes and just missed a small portion. Of course you would NEVER do this once you are in an academy or you will have to do push-ups, but at an exam it shows you took the time to prepare yourself for the process. Immediately after his exam he called me up and said, "I went in to the building and they had us line up and they were picking on people for not shining there shoes! They took me out of line and brought me to the front for the other candidates to see, and started telling at everyone saying that I was the ONLY ONE that took the time to polish their shoes!" Now, not only did he get recognized in a positive way, but he also gained an incredible amount of self-confidence going into the exam. The test results came back in a little less than a week and he received....drum roll please...a 96 out of 100! Not only did he thank me for helping him ace is exam, but he also told me that this exam was the first police exam he has ever passed. Next step, the agility test. I will keep you posted.
So remember; when someone tells you that they have a problem, instead of just brushing it off and going on with your day take the time to listen and maybe you can help them. We all need a step up!
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