Canadian Armed Forces / Forces armées canadiennes Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process is pretty simple, the recruiter just goes through a checklist. It's mostly to help you figure out if the military is a good fit for you. Make sure to ask the recruiter anything you need to when you're there in person, because they're really hard to get ahold of by email or phone.

For this interview, they're going to be looking at your leadership background and how that has gotten you ready for this specific position, along with how much you know about the job and what the main duties are.

It went pretty smoothly. They asked about my research and teaching style, and seemed keen on my academic and publishing history. Some questions touched on leadership and my time in the armed forces. There were two interview rounds, starting with a basic one and then a more in-depth panel interview.

The application process was pretty simple. I applied in June 2019, and things moved pretty fast from there. I had my interview in August 2019, and got a job offer by September. The main thing was that the recruiters didn't share a lot of key details, even when I asked. They were really misleading about the starting salaries. They tried to get me excited about the role by talking up signing bonuses since it was a high-demand position and I had a degree and 10 years of experience. But then in the interview, they told me I'd be offered way less than I expected. The Canadian armed forces website shows salaries for 'trained personnel.' When I spoke to two different recruiters, they made it sound like it was just 10 weeks of boot camp, then 17 weeks of training, and I'd be all set. That wasn't true at all. This job was essentially a 4-year apprenticeship. So I'd have to commit 4 years and still wouldn't be earning what I did in the private sector. The salaries shown on the CAF website are what you make *after* you've completed the 4 years. I was still hoping they'd consider my 10 years of experience and my education. But when I got the offer, I'd have to take a pay cut of almost half, and there was no signing bonus included. I couldn't afford to live on a salary that worked out to less than $18 an hour, which is what a first-year soldier makes, so I decided to turn it down. I have no issues with the CAF and really wish I could have joined. But financially, it just didn't make any sense. And I'm surprised by how little starting pay our armed forces members get.