CBSA Mock Interview

Master 60 CBSA interview questions covering border security, integrity scenarios, and situational judgment.

Question 1 of 60

Agents with the Canada Border Services Agency ensure Canada's security and prosperity by facilitating and overseeing international travel and trade across Canada's border. How will you meet the mental demands of this job?

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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

Working for the Canada Border Services Agency can be strenuous. Throughout your application, you'll need to demonstrate the characteristics and traits they're looking for in a CBSA employee. These include dealing with difficult situations, decisiveness, effective interactive communication, sound judgment, personal integrity, and strong values and ethics.

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

"I know that CBSA looks for candidates who display decisiveness and have good judgment and can deal with making difficult decisions. When it comes to these mental demands, I will meet and exceed your expectations. Based on my previous work experience in high-pressure roles such as large events security, I have proven my ability to make wise, calculated decisions that benefit large public groups. I am emotionally mature and have been practicing stoicism for the past three years, which means training myself to be emotionally resilient."

Kevin Downey

Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.

Align CBSA's language to your own as much as possible. Provide tangible examples rather than generalizations.

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Anonymous Answer

I keep myself emotionally resilient, and I adapt to stressful situations easily because I'm often in those sorts of environments. I have worked in respite shelters where there is a daily overdose, and I come across dead bodies often. It takes a cool, level head to stay calm and resolve these problems.

Rachelle's Feedback

It certainly does take a level-headed individual to remain calm in this type of emotional and straining situation. This answer is a good example of weaving in details of your unique experiences to set yourself apart from other candidates. I recommend finishing up your response with a final qualifying sentence. I've provided an example for you below.

"I keep myself emotionally resilient, and I adapt to stressful situations easily because I'm often in mentally demanding environments. I have worked in respite shelters where there is an overdose daily. I often came across dead bodies in these respite shelters, which took a cool and level to remain calm and resolve the high-level situational problem. When I join the CBSA, I will meet the mental demands of the job by...(discuss your action plan using measurable examples)."

Anonymous Answer

When I applied, I was made that aware that CBSA looks for candidates who can deal with difficult situations, and who have good judgment, values, and personal integrity. I am very emotionally mature, and I believe that I would make a great fit to the agency, as I do have real experience in being in high stress situations, all while maintaining good judgment and making quick decisions.

Rachelle's Feedback

Yes, it is evident that you are emotionally mature - this can be seen clearly through your response's consistency. Your experience as a screening officer will also be a valuable factor in your candidacy. Since the question is framed as 'how will you...' I suggest discussing measurable ways that you plan to meet the mental demands of the job. Perhaps you could mention some habits or practices you have/plan to put in place to build mental fortitude.

Anonymous Answer

I am confident in saying that I stick true to my core values and beliefs. In situations where I have been faced with a time-sensitive matter, I am able to keep a level head and weigh out the relevant information provided before me, then make a calculated and unclouded decision. If I feel that I do not have the proper authorization, I am not afraid to present my findings to the proper authorities, work with them, and come to an agreement.

Rachelle's Feedback

You're off to a good start! I recommend focusing primarily on your reaction to mental demands. Referring to time-sensitive matters and discussing proper authorization seems to take away from the focus of the question.

Anonymous Answer

By following the rule of service, protection, and integrity.

Stephanie's Feedback

This is a great start, but I would suggest strengthening your answer by sharing more specific information about how you will handle the mental demands (example: highlighting your sharp memory, attention to detail, processing skills, quick learning, etc.)

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60CBSA Interview Questions & Answers

Experience

1.Agents with the Canada Border Services Agency ensure Canada's security and prosperity by facilitating and overseeing international travel and trade across Canada's border. How will you meet the mental demands of this job?

Behavioral

2.Canada Border Services Agency includes 'integrity' in its core values. Talk about a time that you acted with integrity.

Experience

3.How familiar are you with international trade laws and regulations?

Career Goals

4.Canada Border Services Agency has land, air, and marine monitoring capabilities. Which division is of most considerable interest to you? Explain why.

Career Goals

5.Why are you pursuing a career with Canada Border Services Agency? Talk about your most significant motivating factors.

Education

6.Walk us through your post-secondary education and how the knowledge you gained will benefit your career with CBSA.

Behavioral

7.Answer with complete honesty. Have you ever committed a crime, participated in any illegal activity, or maintained inappropriate criminal affiliation by association?

Experience

8.How have you trained and prepared yourself for a role with Canada Border Services Agency?

Experience

9.In addition to border agents, CBSA employs forensic scientists, international trade specialists, public affairs officers, and other specialists. Talk to us about the unique skills you will bring to our agency.

Behavioral

10.What do you know about the Public Sector Values of the CBSA?

Experience

11.Have you carefully reviewed the CBSA Code of Conduct? Are there any points of ethical conduct and responsibilities you feel unable to fulfill?

Experience

12.All CBSA employees must maintain high standards of honesty, integrity, and character to gain and maintain the trust of the public. How will you exude this commitment in every interaction with the public?

Experience

13.Certain employee conduct, on and off duty, may be subject to disciplinary action. What actions do you understand to be impermissible?

Behavioral

14.Every CBSA employee is required to disclose misconduct immediately. How have you approached reporting the actions of others?

Behavioral

15.Canada Border Services Agency considers the use of prohibited substances a severe matter. Have you ever used, possessed, sold, or distributed illegal drugs?

Behavioral

16.Canada Border Services Agency does not tolerate violence or harassment in the workplace. How often have you lost your temper or failed to control your emotions?

Behavioral

17.Canada Border Services Agency has a firm stance on 'Respect' as a core value, which includes respect for democracy and respect for people. How do you plan to support these efforts?

Communication

18.What is a 'pandemic,' and what part do you believe Canada Border Services Agency plays in such an event?

Education

19.What do you know about the history of the Canada Border Services Agency?

Situational

20.You are on the job, and a member of the public calls you a racial slur or derogatory term. What do you do?

Behavioral

21.How do you deal with uncomfortable situations?

Experience

22.Canada Border Services Agency maintains a profoundly stringent hiring process. Why should we hire you?

Behavioral

23.Working for the Canada Border Services Agency can be exceedingly stressful. How will you cope with this intensity on and off the job?

Education

24.We want to hire employees with a keen interest in public protection and law enforcement. How do you stay up to date on current events that may impact Customs, Immigration, and Border Protection?

Leadership

25.Talk about the ways you exhibit leadership qualities even when you are not in a leadership role.

Education

26.To qualify for specific roles, CBSA agents must be bi-lingual in English and French. Do you have any special linguistic skills to mention?

Discovery

27.Are you willing to consent to the rigorous medical testing required to join the Canada Border Services Agency?

Behavioral

28.Canada Border Services Agency offers a diverse workplace community. Tell us about a time you adapted to serve others of different cultures?

Experience

29.Canada Border Services Agency safeguard our borders. How will your expertise, character, and dedication to our mission be of benefit to our agency?

Experience

30.On a typical day, the Canada Border Services Agency seizes thousands of pounds of illegal drugs and makes hundreds of apprehensions. How will you best support your colleagues while managing a perpetually heavy workload?

Discovery

31.Tell us about yourself and why you want to work for the CBSA?

Behavioral

32.Describe what teamwork means to you.

Behavioral

33.Describe a time you took the initiative to take on more work than usual?

Behavioral

34.Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision on the job.

Experience

35.What has been your experience with agency paperwork and how do you feel about it?

Situational

36.An angry client comes in with scrapes and bruises and explains they tripped over the parking space dividers in the parking lot and they want to know what you are going to do about it? How do you approach this situation?

Situational

37.As the team lead for your unit, you’re responsible for a team of three. One of the member of your team is not meeting expectations and is unperforming. This is interfering with the work goals of the unit. How would you handle this situation?

Situational

38.What would you do if the work of a fellow team member was not meeting expectations and was slowing down productivity?

Situational

39.A co-worker tells you in confidence that they intend to call in sick while actually taking a week's vacation. What would you do and why?

Situational

40.How would you handle it if you believed strongly in a recommendation you made in a meeting, but most of your co-workers shot it down?

Situational

41.What would you do if you realized at deadline time a report you wrote for your boss would not meet your standard or their expectations?

Situational

42.How would you deal with a colleague at work with whom you seem to be unable to build a successful working relationship?

Situational

43.You disagree with the way your supervisor suggests handling a problem. What would you do?

Situational

44.Who would you talk to if you discovered that a co-worker was disclosing confidential information that should not be divulged?

Situational

45.When would it be appropriate to request your supervisor’s help while dealing with an angry customer?

Situational

46.If you felt a policy was causing more harm than good, how would you suggest making changes to that policy?

Situational

47.Morale is low, and you consider yourself a good manager. What do you do to build team spirit?

Situational

48.You're in charge of a project team for a new project. What are your first steps to get the team going and complete the project?

Situational

49.You don't have the information you need to prioritize your projects. Your co-workers and supervisor are unavailable for you to ask for assistance. How do you handle the situation?

Situational

50.How would you organize the steps or methods you'd take to define/identify a vision for your team?

Role-Play

51.Two teammates are embroiled in a conflict over how to proceed on a team project. They’re raising their voices and the conflict seems to be escalating. There are no other supervisors present and you are walking into the situation cold...

Role-Play

52.In a team-leadership role, you discover that a team member has gone “over your head” to propose an idea or complain about an issue without talking to you first. You’ve asked to talk to them for a minute and they agree...

Role-Play

53.In a training session, you find that the trainer has a thick accent, and you can't understand what's being said...

Role-Play

54.You are a security guard working at a large toy store. You notice a commotion where a parent is agitated and you learn their kid is missing...

Role-Play

55.Your boss is not in the office and there is an irate customer waiting in the waiting room. The secretary asks for your help...

Role-Play

56.You are working in the customer support team of a retail firm. A customer who bought a ginger beer from one of your stores discovered that it had a dead snail in it after drinking and is now threatening to call the consumer watchdog...

Role-Play

57.An aggressive person you don't ever recall meeting before accuses you of inappropriate conduct in front of others...

Role-Play

58.You are a sports club manager. You spot a person posting signs where they shouldn't hung. You approach this person.

Role-Play

59.You are in a meeting. Your manager blames you for underperforming in front of everyone attending the meeting. You disagree with their assessment and their approach. Concerned for your reputation, you ask to talk to them in private…

Role-Play

60.You have recently been promoted to the manager of your team over Sarah, and as a result, she’s considering moving over to your competitor. Persuade Sarah to stay without damaging the reputation of the company.