EMS resume help

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Silentknight

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OK I probably should start this off by saying Hello, I am new to this forum and really new to the EMS profession. So the reason I joined this forum was really because of the problem of my resume, you see I am a recent EMT-I graduate and just passed my NREMT I/85 exam (first try!) and now find myself ready to start working yet unable too because of my resume. You see I am 19 and have never worked any sort of job, I also have never volunteered anywhere nor did I participate in any after-school activities, both of those facts I fear will cause any employer to ignore my application. I guess my question to whomever is reading this is am I justified in my fear that because I have no work experience nor did I ever volunteer anywhere I won't get hired anywhere or is it possible to still get hired without work or volunteer experience and if it so does anyone have any tips on how to beef up my resume because right now it's only half a page long. Thanks.
 
Silentknight said:
OK I probably should start this off by saying Hello, I am new to this forum and really new to the EMS profession. So the reason I joined this forum was really because of the problem of my resume, you see I am a recent EMT-I graduate and just passed my NREMT I/85 exam (first try!) and now find myself ready to start working yet unable too because of my resume. You see I am 19 and have never worked any sort of job, I also have never volunteered anywhere nor did I participate in any after-school activities, both of those facts I fear will cause any employer to ignore my application. I guess my question to whomever is reading this is am I justified in my fear that because I have no work experience nor did I ever volunteer anywhere I won't get hired anywhere or is it possible to still get hired without work or volunteer experience and if it so does anyone have any tips on how to beef up my resume because right now it's only half a page long. Thanks.
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We won't waste our time discussion how past work experience or volunteering would be beneficial since we can't change the past, but can you outline how your resume currently looks so we can see what is included and recommend what you may be able to add?
 
Take the FEMA NIMS courses. ICS 100 200 700 800

Take a few AHA courses. Anything that you can get your hands on.

Instead of your resume being focused on past jobs. It will be focused on education.

So you will have the following:

Objective

Education (Where you went to school and your GPA and all that good stuff) Put here how many clinical hours you have done.

Awards, certifications, and whatever other classes and certs you get.

Then Experience:

Wherever you have worked even if it wasn't EMS.

Basically you need to put all your good stuff first to make them want to keep reading to the bottom of the page. And by the time you get down to the bottom, if you do it right, they already want you for an interview.

I am very good at doing resumes. Taken many classes on how to do a well written one. Let me know if you need any more help.
 
Basically this is how my resume looks

[The heading (name, address, e-mail)

Objective: Hardworking EMT-Intermediate seeking a position with a well established ambulance company.

Summary of Qualifications:
NREMT I/85 certified
Ability to speak, and read in Spanish fluently
Good communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to work under pressure and contribute as a part of team
CPR certified

Education:
(name)High School 2007-2009
(name) College 2009, GED graduate
College of (blank) 2010, EMT-Basic graduate
College of (blank) 2011, EMT-Intermediate graduate

References available upon request]

and that's it.
Like I said there is barely anything there and there is nothing I can add to it as far as past work experience, or volunteer work. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
[The heading (name, address, e-mail)

Objective: Hardworking EMT-Intermediate seeking a position with a well established ambulance company. (GOOD)

Certifications and Qualifications


  • NREMT I/85 (DATE CERTIFIED)
  • Bilingual
  • Good communication and interpersonal skills (This will go in your cover letter)
  • Ability to work under pressure and contribute as a part of team (Again in your cover letter)
  • CPR certified (Date and if it is AHA or Red Cross)

Do you have any computer skills?

Education:
(name)High School 2007-2009

  • Main focus
  • GPA
(name) College 2009, GED graduate (Err I may leave this out. If you didn't get a diploma I wouldn't put high school on there at all)

College of (blank) 2010, EMT-Basic graduate

  • Anything special about your classes. GPA maybe. Perfect attendance? anything?
College of (blank) 2011, EMT-Intermediate graduate

  • Same here.
References available upon request




Get a template for microsoft.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/results.aspx?ck=1&ex=2&qu=resume&av=all#ai:TC101953378|

that is a good one. Play with it and make it your own.

Are you saying you have never worked a day in your life? Ever? You don't have anything you can put in experience? It doesn't matter if it McDonalds or walking dogs. ANYTHING lol


And trust me. Take some free AHA courses online and the NIMS. I never worked in EMS before and I got hired. I had a really good resume and I had all the certs they wanted.
 
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Thank you for the ideas, and yes I've never worked a real job, mainly because I was in a semi-successful band and by that I mean we toured all over the place but never made any "real" money doing it, the money we did make was just enough to keep a 17-18yr old kid content so I never felt the need to get a real job. Also do you mean that since I didn't get my high school diploma I should just omit anything before my EMT classes in general?
 
Yea. Of course when you fill out your application you put you have a GED.

But I wouldn't put that on your resume. It's kind of assumed anyway.

Get a good cover letter. Brag about yourself. And just be ready to explain that you were a muscian for a few years.

You should be ok. Its not that hard to get a job. Unless its CA.
 
Anjel1030 said:
Certifications and Qualifications


  • NREMT I/85 (DATE CERTIFIED)
  • Bilingual / Spanish
  • CPR certified (Date and if it is AHA or Red Cross) - wanted to make sure you saw this :)

Do you have any computer skills? especially experience with Word/Excell/etc. Show you can learn new software as this can be a big part of the learning curve for training new personnel. This is one area where you can set yourself apart from older, more experienced applicants

Take some free AHA courses online and the NIMS - This, show you have initiative and already have these out of the way (especially the NIMS as they are required by the majority of employers.
Click to expand...

Anjel had some great advice, I've added or emphasized a few things in red. Play up your assets (young and can learn, motivated, shows intitiative). I'd keep the formal education section simple and short. The biggest part in getting a job as an EMT at your age will be the actual interview, you will have to seriously NAIL IT. Practice with family/friends who have experience interviewing (preferably as the interviewer). The biggest concerns when hiring youthful applicants in no specific order are;

  • Dedication (leave outside friends at home, no facebook, myspace, etc.)
  • Vehicle Insurance limitations (I know at my service, I couldn't have you drive at your age)
  • Maturity (You'll have to shine at the interview, especially with no evidence of employment maturity)

To get over those obstacles, you'll have to do research on the agency(ies) you're applying for, know their environment and culture. Have strong referrences (both professional - teacher, medics/ffs, etc. and personal - nonparental). Show what value you can add to the organization. The age limitation caused by the company's insurance is normally lower with municipal or volunteer services. This may mean going the medic/FF route, if so, see about getting your basic FF cert.

Another reason to go through as many classes as you can that are applicable (PHTLS, GEMS, etc) is to meet and gain some visibility with other providers. Make sure you are professional and leave a good impression, the word of a solid and trusted employee or instructor bringing in a new recruit is a big plus vs. a walk in applicant. If an instructor mentions a rising star in his class, it will get someone's attention (and word will get around, EMS communities are normally pretty small).
 
OK so after adding the great suggestions I've been given this is what my resume looks like now

[The heading (name, address, e-mail)

Objective: Hardworking EMT-Intermediate seeking a position with a well established ambulance company.

Summary of Qualifications:
NREMT I/85 certified 8/31/2011
Bilingual / Spanish
AHA CPR certified 12/2009-12/2011
Proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, & Excel

Education:
College of [blank} 2010, EMT-Basic graduate
2x 12 hour ER clinicals
1x 8 hour Mental hospital clinical
2x12 hour Field rides
College of [blank] 2011, EMT-Intermediate graduate
2x 12 hour ER clinicals
1x 12 hour Respiratory clinical
2x 12 hour Field rides

References available upon request]

Thank you all for the advice given to me so far and any more would be appreciated.
Where would I be able to take free AHA courses, I checked the website and the courses there all had a price, also what are the NIMS classes and where do I take those?
 
Silentknight said:
Thank you all for the advice given to me so far and any more would be appreciated.
Where would I be able to take free AHA courses, I checked the website and the courses there all had a price, also what are the NIMS classes and where do I take those?
Click to expand...

NIMS courses are here: http://training.fema.gov/IS/NIMS.asp

There are also a huge list of other classes: http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp

All free, most fairly useful, and an easy way to pad your resume.
 
Awesome thank you, now would those NIMS courses go under Education or Summary of Qualifications?
 
Silentknight said:
Awesome thank you, now would those NIMS courses go under Education or Summary of Qualifications?
Click to expand...

under certification.

And I would just put how many clinical hours you have. Instead of 2xEr etc. It looks more profession to just put


  • x amount of hours in clinical experience.
 
I'm going to go contrary to what most people are saying.

Get rid of the objective. everyone who submits a resume knows why you are doing it. it's redundant, especially when you are writing it in the cover letter.

add a phone number in the header

get some experience. even if it means finding a volunteer agency somewhere, it's important, not only to show experience, but to make connections to other people in the field who can point you towards a new job. have a reference from a paramedic on the onside can go further to getting a job than a nice shiny resume.

Add when you got your original EMT certificate. it shows you have a little bit longer of an EMS career.

don't list the comment about references... that can go on the app, and everyone has references that are available on request. it's not like those who don't list it don't have references.

I wouldn't list a breakdown of the clinical hours; if the agency is looking for intermediates, than EVERY Intermediate should have the same breakdown. If you must, put down your total clinical hours, your GPA in class, and that's about it.

when you list bilingual, make sure you put English & Spanish. not just Spanish.

Take other CEU courses to pad your resume. without a work history it's gonna be tough, but once you get the first job (paid or not), start networking with other agencies and other providers and see what they can do to help you advance.

your resume is gonna suck. without any job experience, it's gonna suck. and it's going to continue to suck until you get some type of job experience. what you can do to help balance out the sucky resume is write a really good cover letter. focus on positive things, leadership experiences, challenges you have overcome, and what you have learned. your cover letter is going to be what causes a prospective boss to give you a chance.

and network with everyone you can, former preceptors, classmates, instructors, get phone numbers, email addresses, keep in touch with people, make sure they remember you, so if they get have a job that needs an EMT I, you are on the forefront of their mind.

good luck
 
get your paramedic
 
BEorP said:
That's only one more line on a pretty empty resume.
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It's 700 more clinical hours on a 19 year old kid.

And it speaks volumes more than the commitment it takes to get EMT-I.
 
Another question, on my cover letter, who do I address it to if there are two different people who are in charge of human resources and recruitment?
 
Silentknight said:
Another question, on my cover letter, who do I address it to if there are two different people who are in charge of human resources and recruitment?
Click to expand...

Dear sir or madam,
 
Hi Silentknight,
First of all, don't stress out about all this. We've all been in your shoes(and so has every person reading your resume and application). You're 19. You just finished school. What can they expect? They know what's going on. HR, personnel, whomever, knows this. The work experience isn't there....YET...but it will come.
There are employers that are always looking for new recruits. They know you're fresh. Look into transport companies. IFT as they say on here. Get your foot in the door...that's all, and work up. We all started from the bottom.
 
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