Are you able to communicate with people from all walks of life?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Answer Example
Community Answers

Communication is key in any profession, but especially in law enforcement. As a detective, you will encounter various individuals while on the job. This could range from hardened criminals to innocent victims, all from different backgrounds, cultures, and socioeconomic groups. Navigating the different personalities and situations is essential to solve cases. Some individuals may be cooperative and willing to provide information, while others may be hostile and uncooperative. To solve cases, you must use your skills of observation, communication, and persuasion. Display to the interviewer that you can clearly communicate with people from all walks of life.

"Yes, I have been highly trained in communication and have no concerns when communicating with those in all walks of life. The past seven years I have spent as a police officer have taught me a lot about communication and I am confident in my ability to meet people on their level. I have worked with individuals in the community who are high-powered officials to those who live on the streets and are down on their luck. I am respectful and courteous to everyone I interact with."

Anonymous Answer

"Communication is one of my strengths, alongside my personal and work life. At work, I had to develop high-quality standards of communication. Furthermore, I follow important values when communicating such as approaching individuals / or groups; impartially (different backgrounds); acting with honesty, and being aware of the cultural differences when needed."

Marcie's Feedback

Awesome! It's great that you consider yourself to be a strong communicator and that you employ various methods to ensure you communicate effectively. Can you give some examples of times when you successfully talked to people who are different than you? These examples will support your assertions and show the interviewer how skilled you are in this area. Great job!

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Anonymous Answer

"I try to see people with empathy. Everyone is different and comes from a different background. Everyone has a story. I feel that my 25 years in Law enforcement starting in the communications center, working in the jail with inmates and my immersion in my job have helped me to communicate effectively with many different people. I also am a professional communications instructor which has helped me tremendously in communicating with people from all backgrounds of life."

Amanda's Feedback

The ability to communicate with others and demonstrate empathy is vital to the role of a detective. This is a very strong answer because it highlights that you have extensive law enforcement experience and advanced training and skills in the area of communication that helps you not only empathize and communicate with diverse groups of people, and also enables you to train others to do the same.