Congratulations!
You have made it to part 4 of 5 of your Fire Service Resume and we are headed down the home stretch. Soon you will have a deep and complete understanding of what a winning firefighter resume should look like and what information should be contained in the document. As you can tell creating something that shows the caliber and quality of person you are takes time and effort. I can tell you with great certainty that the time you are spending is well worth it.
Education was the last section we discussed for your Fire Service Resume and it was fairly straightforward. In this section we will cover qualifications, certifications and licenses for your Fire Service Resume. These are the elements that show that you should be able to do the job of a firefighter based on the fact that you have done them before and have a qualifying document issued by an official agency that demonstrates your proficiency.
Qualifications are defined as essential attributes, abilities or accomplishments that make somebody suitable for a job as described in the job announcement.
You will need to have a copy of the job announcement with you to refer to it for these important characteristics. These may also be referred to as Minimum Qualifications on the announcement. Some examples of qualifications are:
- 18 years of age at time of application
- High school diploma or GED
- Successful completion of the Candidate Physical Abilities Test (CPAT)
- A U.S. Citizen
- Meet city or department physical requirements
- Valid drivers license
- Completed a pre-determined number of college credits
- Non-smoker
These are just a sampling of what may or may not be set as the organizations expectations.
Certifications are designations earned by you that assure you can perform a task. They show that you have passed a legally defensible assessment of your abilities and have satisfactorily demonstrated the required skills. Some examples of firefighter certifications are:
- State Firefighter I and/or Firefighter II
- Completion of a certified fire academy
- Emergency Medical Technician
- EMT – Paramedic
- HazMat Technician or Specialist
- Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
- Command and Control
- Rescue
- Apparatus Operators
Licenses are documents that grant permission to do something that may otherwise be illegal. It may give the authority having jurisdiction the opportunity to set conditions and limitations. Examples of licenses that you may need to have to be a firefighter are:
- A specific state drivers license
- A specific class of drivers license
- A paramedic license
- Some agencies may require a license to carry a concealed weapon
For our final segment we will be going over Community Involvement and Volunteerism in your Fire Service Resume. As we conclude this piece I would leave you with this, at each phase of the hiring process there will be opportunities to jump ahead of the pack and do the things that others are unwilling to do. Seize those opportunities, for those seemingly small openings will be the difference between you passing and failing, winning and loosing, getting hired and watching someone else drive by in the jump seat of that engine while you stand on the sidewalk.
If you want to be in the jump seat, you need to do what is necessary and visit us at FireAlumni!
Until next time…
“Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing great was ever achieved.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
