The candidate has no way of knowing what skills the other candidates may possess and should acknowledge it. The purpose of this question is to determine if the department will receive an adequate return-on-investment from the required training they must provide for a new employee. When preparing for this question, view the issue from the perspective of an employer.

Departments do not want to hire an officer only to learn he/she is incompetent, lazy, or are looking to move on to another agency. The candidate should be able to describe how he/she has always been a dedicated and hard worker with other employers. Candidates who are highly motivated may describe how they continuously seek to enhance their knowledge, skills, performance, and do not expect the department to always provide this development. They may also describe a desire to stay with the department because of ties to family and friends in the community and department.