Firefighter Resume Examples, Samples, and Tips

What every firefighter resume needs to include is a strong list of professionally presented experience. Let’s take a look at how to do that.

Your experience section is often the one a potential employer looks at first. So keep in mind that the rule of a thumb is to show rather than tell. Make each bullet point of your firefighter resume experience section count, mentioning the impact you had in your previous positions. Make sure every point is accompanied with a concrete example. So don’t just say you’re great at communication, demonstrate it.

The next step towards an experience section that rocks is to start selecting which experience to include in your firefighter resume and how to order it. It's best to keep it chronological, start from the most recent position and continue further down. Also, carefully curate what experience you show. It's best to keep only the experience which is relevant for the company or job you're currently applying for.

After we reviewed 114,000 resume examples and job offers, it appeared that an average experience for a firefighter job required by employers is 1.6 years. But experience which appears on firefighter resumes is around 3.1 years, making firefighters overqualified. More experience is always good but if you come across as overqualified to a potential employer, you might loose your chances. The rule of a thumb is to tailor your resume to the job description and only leave the relevant experience in when writing a firefighter resume.

Simply put, nobody likes overused buzzwords. Your potential employer has surely read a hundred times about how someone managed or organized something without any concrete numbers to back it up. The resume skills that aren’t quantified get ignored or can even count against you. Again, the solution is to focus on concrete numbers which demonstrate your impact as a firefighter. So instead of “Handled firefighter duties and responsibilities” write “Worked as one of a tight family of firefighters on a hard-working crew of 50 firefighters.” Those kinds of resume action words really stand out and leave a strong impression.

When you send your resume to a potential employer, chances are they've seen at least 10 others in that same day. That's why you need to make your firefighter resume stand out. Do it by adding more personality to your resume, not just your professional experience. Employers are far more likely to remember a candidate who seems like a genuine person and not just a list of responsibilities. Add passions, share your favorite books, or even what your usual day looks like to catch their attention and make them fall in love with you.

What are you most proud of? It's a difficult question but including the answer to it in your firefighter resume can make a huge difference. This section will help you show more about your personality, attitude, and character, especially if you don't have years of experience behind your back. You can share a story about overcoming hardship, learning an important life lesson, or just a triumph you had that means a lot to you. Either way, this is one of the best places to make your firefighter resume really stand out.

Writing a resume can feel quite overwhelming. We hope our guide for a firefighter resume will help you with writing a resume to be confident in in 2022.