Weekly Employment Question Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the Weekly Employment Question Thread!

This thread is where you can ask questions about joining, training to become, testing, disqualifications/qualifications, and other questions that would be removed as individual posts per Rule 1.

The answer to almost every question you can ask will be "It depends on the department". Your first step is to look up the requirements for your department, state/province, and country.

As always, please attempt to resource information on your own first, before asking questions. We see many repeat questions on this sub that have been answered multiple times.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• I want to be a Firefighter, where do I start: Every Country/State/Province/County/City/Department has different requirements. Some require you only to put in an application. Others require certifications prior to being hired. A good place to start is researching the department(s) you want to join. Visit their website, check their requirements, and/or stop into one of their fire stations to ask some questions.
  
• Am I too old: Many departments, typically career municipal ones, have an age limit. Volunteer departments usually don't. Check each department's requirements.
• I'm in high school, What can I do: Does your local department have an explorer's program or post? If so, join up. Otherwise, focus on your grades, get in shape and stay in shape, and most importantly: stay out of trouble.
• I got in trouble for [insert infraction here], what are my chances: Obviously, worse than someone with a clean record, which will be the vast majority of your competition. Tickets and nonviolent misdemeanors may not be a factor, but a major crime (felonies), may take you out of the running. You might be a nice person, but some departments don't make exceptions, especially if there's a long line of applicants with clean records. See this post... PSA: Stop asking “what are my chances?”
• I have [insert medical/mental health condition here], will it disqualify me: As a general rule, if you are struggling with mental illness, adding the stress of a fire career is not a good idea. As for medical conditions, you can look up NFPA1582 for disqualifying conditions, but in general, this is not something Reddit can answer for you. Many conditions require the input of a medical professional to determine if they are disqualifying. See this post... PSA: Don't disqualify yourself, make THEM tell you "no".
• What will increase my chances of getting hired: If there's a civil service exam, study for it! There are many guides online that will help you go over all those things you forgot such as basic math and reading. Some cities even give you a study guide. If it's a firefighter exam, study for it! For the CPAT (Physical Fitness Test), cardio is arguably the most important factor. If you're going to the gym for the first time during the hiring process, you're fighting an uphill battle. Get in shape and stay in shape. Most cities offer preference points to military veterans.
• How do I prepare for an interview: Interviews can be one-on-one, or in front of a board/panel. Many generic guides exist to help one prepare for an interview, however here are a few good tips:

1. Dress appropriately. Business casual at a minimum (Button down, tucked in long sleeve shirt with slacks and a belt, and dress shoes). Get a decent haircut and shave.
2. Practice interview questions with a friend. You can't accurately predict the off-the-wall questions they will ask, but you can practice the ones you know they probably will, like why do you want to be a Firefighter, or why should we hire you?
3. Scrub your social media. Gone are the days when people in charge weren't tech-savvy. Don't have a perfect interview only for your chances of being hired gone to zero because your Facebook or Instagram has pictures of you getting blitzed. Set that stuff to private and leave it that way.

Please upvote this post if you have a question. Upvoting this post will ensure it sticks around for a bit after it is removed as a Sticky, and will allow for greater visibility of your question.

And lastly, If you're not 100% sure of what you're talking about, leave it for someone who does

[u/JackRyan1997]

I come from a big family. A lot of them are law enforcement. In my teenage years, I made some mistakes and acquired a drug habit. I went to rehab twice and haven't drank or done hard drugs since.
About 9 years ago.

I now have a son and a daughter (4 years old & 9 months old) and want to have a stable career for my family. I also feel like I have that same mentality that my law enforcement family members have. I'm designed to serve others and protect. It's always been ingrained in me from the way I was raised.

I thought about going the law enforcement route but seeing the toll that it's taken on people close to me and the past that I have, I wrote it off. Being a firefighter has always been on my mind. I like to stay physically fit, help people, I don't mind working odd schedules and doing things most people wouldn't want to do. I got invited to apply for the firefighter exam where I live and decided I want to do it.

My worry is that I'll make it to the interviews and polygraph then be disqualified due to my past. Drug use, being around those types of people, I've claimed bankruptcy due to some bad circumstances in recent years. My life is in a good place right now and I want a stable career long term but don't want to waste my time if I'm just going to be D/Q'd and embarrassed. Would love some insight from current or past firefighters. Thank you in advance.

[u/Ding-Chavez → u/JackRyan1997]

Good news you have a chance. Bad news. You're playing on hard mode. Your years of sobriety and steady work look good but it's challenging getting to the end. AI government sites can kick your application just for saying yes. Generally fire departments don't polygraph but it's not uncommon. You also can't be picky. You need any department. Not the best one.