Can someone please explain to me what goes on when you apply?

[BigGriffC12]

So..I've applied to numerous firefighting jobs with all branches.
Dept of the army
Dept of the navy
Dept of the air force

I don't apply to jobs that require more certification then I have (FFI,II,Haz Mat Ops,EMT)
I write my resume to support that I can do everything in the job description, I don't lie.
I answer those questionnaires honestly. I make sure all my paperwork gets faxed to the right number and all my Is are dotted and Ts are crossed.

I just don't understand why I'm not getting accepted. I'm a 10 point vet (more then 30% disability,purple heart) so shouldn't I receive first priority as long as I meet the minimum requirements?

What I'm ultimately getting at is..I applied to a job that was literally 5 minutes from my house..I was qualified for the GS-05 level, I wrote my resumex resume perfect, and I heard
that they hired guys who have officer I and certifications that exceeded what the job posting was for. I can't comprehend why you would post an opening for GS-05,06,07 when you want people to have fire inspector, instructor III officer II and all that stuff. I'm just a little bitter, I got really emotionally attached and I felt like all the hard work i invested was finally going to pay off, but I get the big F-U.

I really just don't understand what they want. If they can't be honest in the job posting.

[fire49]

have not been in the system for awhile

do you have dod firefighting certs??

were you a firefighter in the service???

have you ever been on a dept??

any problems that might let you get a security clearance??

[BigGriffC12]

All my certs are proboard..
firefighter in the service? no
Volunteer dept only

I don't have any more debt then the next guy, I probably have less. I just need a job that pays decent so I can get rid of it.

[DFurtman]

All my certs are proboard..
firefighter in the service? no
Volunteer dept only

I don't have any more debt then the next guy, I probably have less. I just need a job that pays decent so I can get rid of it.

These are probably your biggest problems right here.

Sure.. you are a 10 point vet, but there are a lot out there. On top of that you're competing with guys who have been in the military as a firefighter for years with licenses, experiences as a DoD Firefighter, certs above and beyond what's being asked of them and have 5-10 vet pref points. Don't let it discourage you but having the minimum certs isn't going to help your odds.

Good Luck!

-Damien

[fire5555]

See above reply

Debt is the the only factor in security clearance


Some reason you are not applying at city positions??

What state are you in or willing to live in???

[fire5555]

See above reply

Debt is the the only factor in security clearance


Some reason you are not applying at city positions??

What state are you in or willing to live in???

[BigGriffC12]

See above reply

Debt is the the only factor in security clearance


Some reason you are not applying at city positions??

What state are you in or willing to live in???

I have applied at city positions, I'm currently in the process with 2 cities..weather I get hired is another discussion..but I have tested with cities/county F&R depts before and its not an issue.
The cost of gas is an issue right now. If gas wasn't 4 dollars a gallon I'd travel a lot more. It is a lot easier to apply for positions from a desktop, well..more economical.

I apply ANYWHERE that I am eligible for. basically any place that hires GS 04/05 because that is what I am able to do right now..I just want to get into the system somewhere..I've realized that going somewhere where I don't necessarily want to be in order to go somewhere I want to be is what I'm going to have to do.

I'm working on getting the certifications that I need..The driver/operators/haz-mat technician,NFPA 1006 CORE, Instructor, fire officer,inspector etc. I understand it is going to take time.

My anger I guess lies within the fact that if you want X amount of guys who have all these certifications..then why advertise to bottom of the barrel guys like me? in 2 or 3 years I know I can get there I'm not disappointed..but if you want a guy who has fire officer III,Inspector II, instructor III
Driver/operator space shuttle firefighter then advertise that so I don't get my hopes up.

I just want to get in the system..somewhere..I feel that my odds are a little better, and the job security seems to be better as well. I was just venting.

[devildog4]

Apply everywhere, accept anything, and hang in there. You may have to relocate to another State in order to get your foot in the door. Then you can transfer within the system to wherever they have an opening. I been a DoD FF for 19 years, and it is getting harder and harder to get in. At my base, the Chief is only picking applicants who already have their basic DoD certs...

[BigGriffC12]

Apply everywhere, accept anything, and hang in there. You may have to relocate to another State in order to get your foot in the door. Then you can transfer within the system to wherever they have an opening. I been a DoD FF for 19 years, and it is getting harder and harder to get in. At my base, the Chief is only picking applicants who already have their basic DoD certs...

How do people get hired if they only hire from within? lol

[fire49]

How do people get hired if they only hire from within? lol

suggest you focus more on city departments, chances are a little better.

also, focus on getting paramedic

what state are you in??? or would you want to live in??

[FWDbuff]

How do people get hired if they only hire from within? lol

First of all, with 99% of DOD Departments, it's not who you know, it's who you blow. Put on your kneepads. In many many cases, DOD Chiefs are also Vollies or even Volly officers on the outside of the fence. If you dont think they dont groom their little volly buddies for the spots and then hire them, you need to go be a meter maid. The Chief can and does have say in who gets hired. He will "sway" the HR folks into putting his guys on the list- it's not like a City Department where Civil Service hands the Chief a list of hires and says "here are your people." DOD Chiefs will get their list (remember they groomed their volly buddies to get the right certs) and then they will select whomever they want off the list and come up with some fukced up but legal reason to go over or around your name.

Many times when you see a GS7 or 8 position, it is a Full-Performance Firefighter/Driver Operator position- and they will hire from within by bumping up current GS5 or 6 guys, and then after THAT they have to hire to replace the GS5/6 FF that they just promoted......It's a big soap opera. Yes it sucks. I was raped out of a D/O spot at a certain Army facility an hour from my house in the Lehigh Valley by this same exact senerio- I was driving 135 miles/2.5hrrs one way at the time. I had the time in grade and everything, so you can imagine how pizzed I was.

If the position you are applying for requires a security clearance, you need to have a spotless record, and I mean SPOTLESS- as in as smooth and clean as the prom queen's thighs. If you got pinched for shoplifting a candy bar when you were 8- forget it- especially if the facility has an airfield, weapons, explosives, laboratories, etc. They WILL find out. You think your juvy records are sealed? Not to the FBI background investigator who is researching you for a security clearance.

I would certainly contact the Civilian Personnel Operations Center nearest to you and ask to speak to a hiring specialist who knows DOD Fire Department hiring. Explain that you are a vet, and see if they will go over your resumix and tell you if you are doing anything wrong. The Northeast CPOC (Maryland to Maine) was located at Aberdeen Proving Ground (Aberdeen Area) as of 2005, IIRC it was building 314...dont know if it still is.

One other thing you can do- Wait until after the hiring is all done and over with. Give it a few weeks, and then if you are located close to the facility, call the Fire Chief (or his secretary) and ask to have an appointment to see him. See if they will help you figure out whats wrong. Perhaps they will appreciate the fact that you are being proactive and remember you for the future, especially if you are ON the list, but just werent selected (this time.)

By the way, Aberdeen has at least 1 opening as of last Friday.

Good luck.

[BigGriffC12]

suggest you focus more on city departments, chances are a little better.

also, focus on getting paramedic

what state are you in??? or would you want to live in??

I have no real interest in going for paramedic. maybe 2 or 3 years down the road..but I can't justify using my GI bill for something my heart isn't in.

I Apply EVERYWHERE that I am eligible to apply.

[fire5555]

So what state are you in

[BigGriffC12]

Pa..does that matter? lol

[fire5555]

Pa..does that matter? lol

Some states are more competitive

Some require more certications

Etc

[devildog4]

How do people get hired if they only hire from within? lol

You are right, but that is just my Base...

[devildog4]

FWDbuff, how long since you been a Fed FF? Some things you said are just not quite true. "He will "sway" the HR folks into putting his guys on the list- it's not like a City Department where Civil Service hands the Chief a list of hires and says here are your people." A Chief cannot "sway" HRO to put anybodys name on any list unless they are qualified. It is like a City Dept where HRO hands the Chief a "cert" list with qualified applicants who are numerically rated. If he doesn't hire from the top 3 or top 5 (I forget which) he better have a DAMM good reason for doing so, AND HRO has to agree with him.

"If the position you are applying for requires a security clearance, you need to have a spotless record, and I mean SPOTLESS- as in as smooth and clean as the prom queen's thighs." Simply not true. I listed my DUI and I still got hired. I also work/worked at bases that had airfields, weapons, explosives, laboratories, etc.

All applications get scanned by a computer which looks for "keywords". The more you have the better. I was a GS5 FF and put in for a GS5 FF slot at another base. I was determined "unqualified" because I did not take the time to do my homework and learn what to put down.

[FWDbuff]

FWDbuff, how long since you been a Fed FF? Some things you said are just not quite true.

I was a Federal FF for 11 years 1994-2005, USN 94-97, US Army 97-05. Was also a shop steward for the IAFF Local, very politically active in the union. Every Fire Chief (especially the ones I have worked for) will push their "local hiring authority" on the HR folks and get who they want onto the lists- certs or no certs. Of course it is easier to hire someone with the certs already in hand, but if they dont have something (say, Fire Inspector I for example) the Chief will hire who he wants as a GS5 trainee and quickly bump up to 6 upon wonder boy obtaining the cert. Everything I said will, can, does, and has happened and if you dont think it doesnt, you need to get your head examined- perhaps in California they do things "by the book" but out here they do things the way they want to, and get away with it.

[devildog4]

Oh yeah, it's happened before. I've seen it. If you are saying the "good 'ole boy" system still happens, then there are Chiefs out there who should be fired. Why doesn't the Union step up?

Years ago it was accepted and wide-spread, but in this day and age things have changed. Maybe you live in some backwoods, redneck, country*ss State where the "good 'ole boy" system still works, but Chiefs and HRO folks can get in alot of trouble if somebody pursues it...

[FWDbuff]

Oh yeah, it's happened before. I've seen it. If you are saying the "good 'ole boy" system still happens, then there are Chiefs out there who should be fired. Why doesn't the Union step up?

Years ago it was accepted and wide-spread, but in this day and age things have changed. Maybe you live in some backwoods, redneck, country*ss State where the "good 'ole boy" system still works, but Chiefs and HRO folks can get in alot of trouble if somebody pursues it...

Learn this term: Local Hiring Authority. Translation: "When a chief who knows the system and how to play the system can do what he wants when he wants legally and with impunity."