Help for someone feeling discouraged

[EMSandChill]

I passed my EMT class in December 2015. It took a while to get through NREMT with the holidays, and I finally passed and received back NREMT and my state card in April. All the while, I have been riding with AMR and receiving stellar reviews from preceptors both on the ALS and BLS side. I have over 150 hours riding in 3rd with them per the requirements of my degree program, and do well. I got constantly told “I carry myself well” and “have a bright future in EMS”.

I was invited in to interview with AMR this month, and did that. I was not offered a position. I heard from everyone “Anyone with a pulse can get hired here.” But apparently, I can’t. I am so discouraged. I passed my class with flying colors and I was told by supervisors they would like to see me PT there. I think it may be due to my large hiring class and lack of experience, but I know many people who got hired right out of EMT school by them. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I’m almost 99% positive I passed my stations, and interviewed well. I’m trying to get into contact with my HR hiring person to see if they could give me any feedback as to what I could improve on for next time, and see where I went wrong. It may have just been my being new, I don’t know.

I am looking to go over to volunteer side to keep building BLS skills and add more experience to my resume, which is inconvenient given that AMR covers most of this area. But I feel like I’ve hit a wall. I know things happen for a reason, but this stung a little.

 

[Ewok Jerky]

Try again. Try the next county over.

 

[STXmedic]

If there's only one position, and two apply, somebody is getting turned down. With zero experience, don't be surprised if it's you. Timing and luck can have a big part in getting your first job. Keep at it.

 

[mgr22]

You might not get any feedback from AMR, but that doesn't necessarily mean you did anything wrong. There are often subjective issues involved in the hiring process that you have no control over -- not fair, but such is life. The best you can do is try again.

I can think of two times I didn't get jobs I interviewed for -- once in EMS -- where I was sure I'd be hired. I never did find out why I wasn't.

If you know someone who hires people, maybe you could set ip a mock interview wit them, just to see if there's anything negative abut your presentation.

 

[NysEms2117]

Also EMSandChill, it is really quite sad to say this, but the world we live in goes mostly on who you know not what you know(although in this profession it should be 100% the other way around). You may have a resume 2x as good as somebody else applying, but they may call in a favor from the deputy chief or somebody in a position controlling the applications. I understand this is a rather glum view, but this is how my experiences in the "real world" have been. Keep your head up though!