To ensure that your job application is not rejected, you need to make sure that your firefighter resume has it all and does not miss out on any of the important details.
Your professional firefighter resume should have all the information of your profile including your contact information, professional summary, experience, education section, skills, certifications and licenses details and any other relevant details of transferable skills, relevant training or such.
Your resume is your chance to present all that you have to offer. It is your sales pitch presentation which you have to ace in order to get hired. Hiring managers might not looking for someone who meets all the requirements but someone who meets the requirements and ALSO brings something more to the table.
Since the skills and knowledge are extremely important for the role of firefighter, you will have to present your profile which leaves strong impact.
The information provided in the resume should be conclusive and credible to ensure that hiring managers don't question the validity of your profile.
All this means that you need to put some serious efforts in your resume and try your best to present your profile in deeply informative and impactful manner.
To do that you need to ensure that you have all the resume related knowledge along with the knowledge of your role, job responsibilities and duties, industry and everything else of relevance.
In this article we will help you out with all the concerns and questions you may have regarding the firefighter resume writing. We will provide the detailed guidance on how to write the firefighter resume, resume writing tips and address all your worries.
Let's dive in!👇
Research the role
To write a really effective resume, you need to do some research. You might already be quite familiar and knowledgeable of your role and everything that comes with it however you might not know everything that you need to write a good firefighter resume.
Researching the role will give you some idea of what do hiring managers look for, what is the job market like, what are the current trends, what are usual qualifications and requirements, what all do you need to ensure you get hired.
Doing some research will also help you find the keywords that you will have to include in your resume.
While you do the research you should also make sure that you have all the necessary qualifying documents and certifications along with licenses. Different countries and states may have different requirements that you will need to meet depending where you apply for the job.
Once you have done some research you can get to writing your firefighter resume.
Choose the right resume format
For the best resume that has impact on the hiring managers, you need to choose the right format for your resume. There are various formats that job seekers can choose from: Functional resume format, reverse chronological resume format and combination resume format.
Functional resume is suitable for freshers. The combination resume focuses on transferable skills and the experience and that is suitable for those looking for career change.
For you as a seasoned professional with significant work experience, the reverse chronological format will be the right one.
The reverse chronological format allows you to describe your experience with focus along with the key skills. It also helps you present your profile in the most professional and formal manner.
Fill the Header
Once you have decided your format, start writing your resume. First will be the contact information in the header of the firefighter resume.
Mention your full name in a slightly bigger fonts. Next mention your contact number in formal way with area code. Make sure the number is accurate as well so that the hiring manager can contact you.
You need to mention your email address after the contact number. Your email address should be formal and professional. Do not use your personal email that maybe informal.
Although, not mandatory you can also mention your home address briefly if you are applying for the job in another state or country.
You can also include your photo if you want. However, that is not mandatory either.
Compelling Professional Resume Summary
After the header, you will need to describe your profile in summary. You need to be brief and concise in the profile summary.
Use bullet points to write the profile summary. Your profile summary shouldn't be lengthy and wordy. Hiring manager should be able to get the gist of your profile from the profile summary.
When describing the profile summary, you should first mention the job title i.e. firefighter. Your first bullet point should cover the years of your total experience along with a little background.
Next up highlight your key accomplishments and relevant skills that have helped you perform well. Try not to include every accomplishment and notable details of your profile. Only mention the most important ones that are career highlights.
You can also mention any notable recognitions or awards you have received. Be brief in the profile summary and mention it all at length on the resume later.
At last note what kind of opportunity you are looking for, what you bring to the table and how you will contribute.
Write the Professional Experience
While writing the professional experience, you should begin with the job title and the employer name. Also, mention the period of time you worked there for.
Next describe the usual responsibilities that you handled at your previous jobs. Highlight and focus on exceptional performance, instances. Note the key accomplishments. Include the relevant skills that you utilized while doing all of that.
Quantify the details as much as you can. Use numbers wherever possible. How many emergency calls you attended and how many emergencies you handled.
Most importantly as mentioned before the format is reverse chronological which is defined by the manner in which you have written your experience section.
Meaning, while writing your experience section, you need to note your latest experience first and then walk back to your first experience.
Your experience section should mention all the vital aspects of the role so that the hiring manager knows that you are an experienced firefighter who is knowledgeable and skilled, not just experienced on paper.
Add Your Education Section
Once you are done with the experience section you need to mention your education section. In your education section you need to mention your highest level of education. Mention the education institute and the degree you acquired.
In the education section, you can also include all the firefighting training as well. It could be on the job training or other relevant training.
You can also mention any special programs or events you have attended or completed which provided you with knowledge, skills and training.
Important: The Skills Section
After the education section comes the skills section. In the skills section you need to make sure you mention all the important and relevant skills. The skills section is important as it backs up your experience and competency for the role.
Here are some of the skills that you need to keep in mind, you can also include them in your resume:
- EMT P procedures
- Natural disasters
- Life support
- Communication skills
- Structural fires
- Technical skills
- Emergency response equipment
- Emergency calls
- Firefighting equipment
- Fire safety
- Fire suppression
- Hazardous materials
- Emergency medical procedures
- First aid
- Medical emergencies Protocol
- Extinguish fires
- Fire engines
- Fire prevention
- Fire equipment
Above list includes skills as well as relevant areas which you should have the knowledge of. Make sure you include them all in your resume. You can also include skills and these particular topics in other sections such as experience section, profile summary section and so on.
Apart from these skills you can also include more skills that you have, make sure to research your role, job description, industry and everything in between and note every important skills. Include these skills in your resume to make sure you do not miss out on any job.
Add the Licenses and Certificates
As a firefighter you must have particular certifications and licenses because without them you cannot serve as a firefighter. There are various rules and regulations in place that have to be followed by you.
In your firefighter resume, you need to include these certifications and licenses to make sure you meet the qualifying criteria of the role.
Make sure to confirm the availability of all the documents required while applying for the job.
Extra Information
Apart from the above mentioned sections if you have any other information that is relevant experience or skills or such, you can mention that in your profile as well.
It could be relevant hobbies or interests, it could be something you are pursuing simultaneously i.e. medical school, night classes for relevant courses.
These details could set you apart in the pool of applicants and make an impression on the hiring manager.
Whether volunteer firefighter resume or senior firefighter resume or wildland firefighter resume or entry level firefighter resume, every firefighter resume should have the details of valid driver's license, excellent communication skills to deal with emergency situations, a clear firefighter resume objective reflected throughout the firefighter resume.
You can also refer to various firefighter resume examples and find out how a good firefighter resume is presented.
Include Keywords
Every hiring manager uses the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) these days which means you need to make sure your resume is good enough to beat the ATS.
The ATS works on the parameters (the relevant keywords) to scan resumes and filter the firefighter resumes they receive.
This means your firefighter resume should have all the relevant keywords. What are these relevant keywords though?
As a firefighter you have certain responsibilities, skills and experience. For example, you have the knowledge of fire department, fire equipment, fire prevention, emergency situations, fire engines, how to extinguish fires, first aid, emergency medical procedures, fire safety, hazardous materials, firefighting equipment, emergency response equipment and emergency response protocols, fire station, ladder trucks and so on.
As a firefighter you also have certain relevant skill such as hard and soft skills, communication skills, and many other key skills that are important.
You may also need familiarity, expertise and training of fire department, fire prevention, first aid, and working with fire chief of the fire department.
All these details have the keywords that are important and mentioning these details with those proper keywords and terms that relevant to your role.
All you need to do is go through the firefighter job description and include all these relevant keywords in your firefighter resume.
Conclusion
In conclusion your firefighter resume should be deeply informative and concise to reflect the professionalism and credible skills and experience. You may see many firefighters with notable employment history, soft skills doing a really well firefighter jobs, you can be there as well.
All you need is to write a really good firefighter resume. Now you know all about writing a good firefighter resume. To get the firefighter position you want, you can refer to our resume examples and use the resume template.
Whether you are an entry level firefighter or emergency medical technician working with the fire departments, this guide article can be useful for you. You can use it your guide and a checklist.
Make sure to proofread your perfect resume before saving it with formal label and compatible format. Good luck with the job search!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I need a bachelor's degree?
Many positions may allow candidates with high school diploma however you should confirm with job description or the recruiter.
Do I need to be good at CPR?
Yes, you should be trained for any and every emergency medical procedures because fire department's firefighters are first responders and they are faced with all kinds of emergency situations.
Do I need the medical knowledge?
Yes, some of the basic medical knowledge such as CPR, first aid and other procedures and treatments are necessary for immediate response to avoid more damage to the victims of various incidents and you need to be trained for all of them to be a competent firefighter.
