As you may already know, if disciplinary charges are brought against you during a civil service disciplinary investigation or if you are merely interviewed as part of someone else’s civil service disciplinary process, you are going to want your union representative as well as a lawyer present to make sure you do not say the wrong thing and possibly incriminate yourself. Depending on how things go during the investigative interview will help determine the outcome for you or someone else. That person, you, or both of you may have their jobs on the line as a result, so it is good to be prepared ahead of time for the types of questioning that could take place during one of these interviews.
5 Tips for Achieving a Successful Outcome
While most questions during this interview will be specific to the case being investigated, there are a few questions that will almost certainly come up in one way or another. To help you be better prepared, here are a few tips:
- Meet with a lawyer in advance. Your lawyer might want to bring your union representative onboard as well while you and your lawyer discuss the potential questions you might face during the investigative interview in addition to the usual review of the circumstances surrounding the case. Pay close attention to all advice provided as if you were studying in school, even taking notes if possible. You want to be ready for anything during the interview.
- Be ready with general information. Your name, your position, the number of years you have worked as a civil servant, the number of years with that organization, the number of years in your current role; be prepared to divulge all this information without hesitation.
- Understand the organization’s rulebook. You should have at least a general understanding of your employer’s rules and guidelines. You may need to refresh your memory by reviewing these guidebooks before the interview. If the investigator knows that you understand the civil servant handbook for your position, then it will be easier for you and your words to be trusted.
- Prepare to describe how you know the person of interest appropriately. If you are serving as only a witness, you will be asked how you know the person being investigated. Be brief and impartial in your response. Saying too much about your relationship could make you appear biased and less reliable as a witness. In addition, you could incriminate yourself, so keep it short, to the point, and objective. Be sure to consult with your labor representative and your lawyer as to how you might want to respond beforehand.
- Provide a complete recounting of the event(s) in question. Whether you are a witness or the accused, the investigative body is going to want all the details regarding the incident or incidents in question. They will need a descriptive summary of everything that happened, especially as it concerns the accused. Be sure to get coached by your lawyer on this before attending the investigative interview. You need to be prepared with the appropriate storyline so as not to seem inconsistent or otherwise uncertain or unclear about the case.
Contact a Bronx Civil Service Job Defense Lawyer
Whether you are facing charges or serving as a witness during a civil service investigative interview, you are going to want to retain the representation of a skilled Brooklyn civil service job defense attorney who can guide you through the process and help you respond properly to all questions during the interview. Call JOEY JACKSON LAW, PLLC today at 833-563-9522 for further details about how we can help you.
Sources:
https://www.ifpo.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/interviewing.pdf
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CVS/75
https://www.labor.ny.gov/formsdocs/personnel/ga9.pdf
http://www.pefregion8.org/wp-content/uploads/summofcsl.pdf