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responses. They way not have much exposure to different types of people or a wide variety of activities. The experiences of such candidates should not be devalued because they seem less sophisticated or less varied than the experiences of candidates from, urban areas. Comments reed to spec target cwteristics , In ad►ditiun to amments which apply to the interview mess in general, participants made some co: = ments about cultura; and gender issues th" t relate specifically to target characteristics that wi+ :e measured in the inter- view. Courage. Focus group participants said the interview questions for this characteristic should target physical coumge, as opposed to other types of courage (e.g., ethical courage), if that is the sand of courage needed in the Firefighter position. They also noted a distinction between courage and risk-taking. Courage involves taking a risk when the potential benefits of an action outweigh the potential costs and there is a reasonable chance of success. Risk-taking can include actions that are simply foolish, e.g., where the potential costs outweigh the potential benefits or them is little chance of success. Persons who are high risk takers are not necessarily courageous. Focus group participants also noted that some cultures (e.g., As=* ) encourage humility. candidate from these cultures may be reluctant to "boast " about his/her own courageous deeds. Some candidates may simply not wish to talk about situations where they were forced to display a great deal of courage, e.g., coming to the United States as a refugee. Candidates may not wish to recall such harrowing experiences. On the o �r side of the coin, some candidates may think "heroic" actions are requimd to demonstrate courage so they may have trouble think- ing of an example of their own courage. Focus group participants suggested that interview questions about courage should make 52