Question about getting hired

[burnsmh]

Current resume stats:

Computer Networking AAS
TWIC Background card holder
Boat/hunting safety certified
First-Line Leadership Certified
CPR/First-Aid/AED Certified by American Red Cross
EMT-B (End of summer)
Process Operations AAS (End of fall)

Volunteer works:

Leader of a gamer group that holds events for many charity groups
Donates whole blood every 2 months
Volunteer at a local soup kitchen once a month


I am going to be looking for a job after the summer semester to save up while I finish my AAS degree in Process Operations. I want to work as an EMT-B and the biggest ambulance service in my area is Arcadia (Southeast Texas) how hard will it be to find a job with my resume stats? I really need the money and since I took such a heavy work load in school the past few semesters I can work full time, my only restriction is I couldn't work Monday or Wednesday due to those are the only days I have classes. I don't have any EMT-B Volley experience and I can't really afford to do it without getting paid.

As a side note, I will want to work as an EMT-B while I look for a job after graduation for a Process Operator job. But I will want to move almost 3 hours away to move in with my girlfriend, how good are companies in this field about switching locations but staying with the same company. My GF lives in Brazoria and I live in Orange County.

It also looks like Arcadia is hiring EMT-B's but I don't know how my resume pushes up against other EMT-Bs. Please get back to me when you can, thank you for reading my long post.

 

[Flight-LP]

It's Acadian, not Arcadia.

Your credentials would be equal to any other recent EMT graduate. Unfortunately, a lot of credentials you presented will have no weight on competitive employment.

You also are likely going to need AHA CPR to meet their internal credentialing requirements.

Good luck!

 

[Handsome Robb]

Just a tip but don't include the fact that you donate blood or boating or hunter's safety.

Also, TX will do their own background check so your TWIC card won't matter I don't think.

If you intend on leaving EMS for another job in the near future don't count on getting a job, especially if you make that known. No point to hire and train someone who's planning on leaving in a few months, especially depending on their FTO length, orientations, academies, things like that.

 

[burnsmh]

Just a tip but don't include the fact that you donate blood or boating or hunter's safety.

Also, TX will do their own background check so your TWIC card won't matter I don't think.

If you intend on leaving EMS for another job in the near future don't count on getting a job, especially if you make that known. No point to hire and train someone who's planning on leaving in a few months, especially depending on their FTO length, orientations, academies, things like that.

Is that something I should disclose? I would expect to work for them for 6 months to a year depending on the process operator jobs. But as I said we really need the start up money and the IT job market sucks, hence why I am back in school. But upon what you have seen do you think I would have trouble finding a job based on my credentials?

Also a job as an EMT for awhile would boost my resume when looking for an operator position because I will still be a practicing EMT on the plant site as part of the ERT, I just wont be employed by a hospital or ambulance service.

I keep the boating thing on my resume just for the Process Operator job set because it shows I am knowledgeable on how to work on/around boats which would be part of the job, the hunting thing just is on the same card. So I can see how that wouldn't be super relevant but why should I leave off the blood donation part but leave the others in my volunteer section? Just curious.

 

[burnsmh]

It's Acadian, not Arcadia.

Your credentials would be equal to any other recent EMT graduate. Unfortunately, a lot of credentials you presented will have no weight on competitive employment.

You also are likely going to need AHA CPR to meet their internal credentialing requirements.

Good luck!

Any other certifications I can work on this summer? Would have to me something not too time consuming as I have a heavy load in summer classes and not to expensive.

Is the AHA CPR done at a different facility or is it just a standard of CPR training? Does my ARC CPR meet AHA standards or on the same level as it?

 

[Aquam]

Idk how it is where you live, but where I live a lot of businesses and nursing homes won't even accept ARC CPR certification and will only take AHA.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Is that something I should disclose? I would expect to work for them for 6 months to a year depending on the process operator jobs. But as I said we really need the start up money and the IT job market sucks, hence why I am back in school. But upon what you have seen do you think I would have trouble finding a job based on my credentials?

Also a job as an EMT for awhile would boost my resume when looking for an operator position because I will still be a practicing EMT on the plant site as part of the ERT, I just wont be employed by a hospital or ambulance service.

I keep the boating thing on my resume just for the Process Operator job set because it shows I am knowledgeable on how to work on/around boats which would be part of the job, the hunting thing just is on the same card. So I can see how that wouldn't be super relevant but why should I leave off the blood donation part but leave the others in my volunteer section? Just curious.

You don't have to disclose it but every interview I've been in has asked me "where do you see yourself in five years" or a similar question. With that said it's not a deal breaker to say that you don't plan to work in EMS in 5 years. If they ask you about a year away though it may put them off but it depends how badly they need people.

As an EMT-B you're not going to be able to save a ton of money up unless you're living situation is free. Most EMTs start around 10/hr if not less in some places but $10 seems to be the average. Not trying to dissuade you, call it full disclosure.

It may help for your Process Operator stuff but sometimes unnecessary clutter on a résumé can put off people. You want it to be professional but easy to read. If they're having to pick through a bunch of irrelevant stuff they might miss something you want them to see or just not even read the entire document. Not saying that's a fore sure thing but it's definitely a possibility.

Having a degree will probably help you even if it doesn't have much, if anything, to do with EMS for the simple fact that it's not the norm. Many EMTs only have the ~120 hour vocational class and no degree and are working in the field. Same with Paramedics except a select few places. I don't see anything that would hurt your chances, it would be worth taking NIMS classes. ICS 100, 200, 700 and I think it's 800 are required by most employers as part of your orientation or academy prior to working in the field. I had to redo a couple of them because my agency had an agency specific ICS course they wanted everyone to have.

I second looking at getting a Healthcare Provider CPR course. I don't think ARC does one anymore so you'll probably have to redo CPR through American Heart Association like the other poster said. Make sure when you do it's a "Healthcare Provider CPR" or "BLS for Healthcare Providers". All the EMT classes I have seen require it although some include it as the first few days of the class so that's worth looking at if you haven't already started your class, I may have missed that part in your original post though.

 

[UnkiEMT]

A few points:

1) Six months is what it takes to properly train a brand new basic, if you're planning to leave at that point, it'll at least give some employers pause. That being said, a training house might take you on, anyhow. They (we) fill our rosters with brand new basics, and if we're very lucky, we keep one out of every five who are worth their salt past six months, it's the cost of doing business. Ask around, there's a training house in every area, your instructor can probably tell you who it is, if not, ambush some poor crew you spot that's either staging or on lunch, they can tell you.

b) As someone else said, don't count on working as a basic to let you save money. Unless you are lucky enough to find a service with endless overtime and are good at living frugally, basic usually pays enough to keep you barely above the poverty line.

iii) AHA is the gold standard, I've never seen a single job either on the truck or in a facility that won't accept AHA. ARC is the silver standard, it's rare that I see someone who won't accept ARC. That being said, make your applications, unless the job listing specifically requires AHA, go ahead and submit the application, if it does specify AHA, contact them beforehand, I can't imagine that any service would turn you down out of hand over it, at worst they'll make any offer contingent on completion of an AHA course. As an aside, if you make it to the end of your ARC cert before you get an AHA cert, make sure you recert with AHA..among other things, it's actually cheaper for the BLS from AHA than the ARC, last time I looked.

4) You're applying for different types of jobs, so by all that's holy, make different resumes. The truth be told, though, it almost doesn't matter what your resume says when you're applying as a brand new basic. We know that we'll be training you from scratch, because with very few exceptions, nothing you've done before prepares you for this. Me, I've got phrases like "Flight Medic" on my resume, and that counts, on yours the thing that matters is where you did your schooling, and even that matter less than "National Registry Basic #123456789". The only type of previous experience outside of EMS that really counts for much is customer service jobs...it's nice to know that you can take a heaping pile of crap from someone and smile at them after.

e) What does count is your cover letter (assuming that the job you're applying for is application only, which as a brand new basic, most of them will be, hell, my current job only has a copy of my resume in my personnel file because after my interview I forced it on them since, by gods, I spent 5 hours working on that damned thing, I was going to use it. Your cover letter is what gets you the interview, and in both of them your task is the same, convince the reader/interviewer that you're someone they can tolerate spending 24 hours in a truck running back to back calls with. If you can convince them they'll enjoy it, so much the better. You want to be charming without being smarmy, you want to be confident without being arrogant, and you want to be funny without being desperate. If that sounds like you're walking a tightrope, you're right, you are. If it's any consolation, though, your competition is on the same rope.

vi) I know you've said that EMS is just a means to an end in Process Operations, but be open to it. Just as often as people come into EMS thinking that it's where they'll spend the rest of their lives only to decide to move on, people come in thinking of it as an interim job only to make it their focus. I'm a prime example, I was going to be an EE/ME, I took the course because I needed five and a half elective credits and it fit in my schedule, I took the job because I figured it would be a good study job...and nine years later, I regret nothing (Except, every once in a while, my bank balance.).

7) This isn't really related to anything but my attempt to give you earnest advice, but lose the profile pic, it is, as the vernacular of the board would have it, whackerish. The siren song of Ricky and the Rescues is hard to resist when you're first starting out, I know, I succumbed to it myself, but it makes people take you less seriously.

 

[Drax]

4) You're applying for different types of jobs, so by all that's holy, make different resumes. The truth be told, though, it almost doesn't matter what your resume says when you're applying as a brand new basic. We know that we'll be training you from scratch, because with very few exceptions, nothing you've done before prepares you for this. Me, I've got phrases like "Flight Medic" on my resume, and that counts, on yours the thing that matters is where you did your schooling, and even that matter less than "National Registry Basic #123456789". The only type of previous experience outside of EMS that really counts for much is customer service jobs...it's nice to know that you can take a heaping pile of crap from someone and smile at them after.

I was going to say-

Every job you apply for SHOULD have a different resume. Your objective should always be geared towards the position you're applying for. If you have no background, then you'll probably find yourself putting everything on the resume, but still highlight related fields.

My advice:

1) Do not put specifics about your degree and don't talk about it unless it is related to your job specifically. It is a pretty big tip off to an employer if you're currently working towards a degree that has nothing to do with EMS, that you'll probably bounce out once the opportunity you're looking for pops up or once you're all done with it.

2) Emphasize things differently. E.g. if you were looking to apply for a volunteer job, then you might emphasize a little more on the volunteering you have done. You want to apply for an EMT job so emphasize things that are related to EMS a little more. I would say for example since you're on point with computers-that you have experience with electronic documenting, are proficient at certain programs, etc. Gear your resume and try to make it look as much as you possibly can that you have experience in the field, even if you don't really. I would emphasize that you are effective at communicating in a diverse environment and different walks of life-then going into the soup kitchen service. Whereas working with a computer may not require the experience or knowledge you gained while volunteering there. Make sense?

3) Do not mention leaving, I don't recommend lying ever but consider this. You may really want to work with computers, but all of the sudden discover that BAMMMM you REALLLLLLY love working ems. Now you're addicted and stay with it. If they ask a 5 year question, consider the possibility that you'll actually stay with them and maybe progress to para-medicine if you really love it. In any event, don't make it seem like it would be a waste of your time to work with them for any longer than you have to.

Honestly, you never know. Things change for everyone and sometimes on whims. Good luck to you sir.

 

[Drax]

Any other certifications I can work on this summer? Would have to me something not too time consuming as I have a heavy load in summer classes and not to expensive.

Is the AHA CPR done at a different facility or is it just a standard of CPR training? Does my ARC CPR meet AHA standards or on the same level as it?

I would not state on my resume or application (unless it specifically asks) where you picked up your CPR cert. I'd go with something like:

Healthcare Provider CPR Certification - (Date that I received it)

possibly adding city/state I picked it up in...if it looked any better. Or flowed better with my format.

I would additionally ADD the twic background thing (if it is related to security or clearance, unfamiliar with twic) because it can demonstrate two things: A) You'll pass a background check and B) You're a trustworthy individual.

 

[NomadicMedic]

AHA and ARC "Healthcare Provider" CPR classes are accepted practically everywhere. You're going to need to present a copy of your card at hire anyway... It's not a big deal.

I'd bet that most ambulance company HR folks have no clue what a TWIC is, unless they do oil rig or offshore transports.