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Writing a Resume

U.S. Forest Service / Avue Digital Services

• Quick Reference Guide
• Creating, Saving, and Updating Applicant Information
• Applying for Jobs

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Writing a Resume

The most important thing to know about getting a wildland firefighter job is to know how to get a job. Before you can get a job, you need to “get a foot in the door.” A good resume will make a supervisor consider hiring you.

Below is a resume tailored for a fire science instructor position at a local community college.

More detailed information about writing a resume is at Purdue University's Online Writing Lab

Figure 1. A printed resume should look professional, with a clean design and bullet points under the main headings. You will mail, fax or hand-deliver this only if the job announcement asks you to do so. Your resume can be uploaded as an electronic file in AVUE Digital for Forest Service jobs.

Figure 2. For online applications like USAJOBS, you will cut-and-paste your resume into a text box. All of the fancy formatting will get lost — so headings should be identified with all-capital letters instead of a larger, bold font. In this example, the arrow bullets are replaced with the ">" sign, and blank lines are added to make it easier to read.

Kent B. Maxwell 9010 Cty. Rd. 240, Salida, CO 81201 (719) 539-6237 QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY > Colorado state-certified Firefighter II and Hazardous Materials Operations, currently pursuing Fire Instructor I certification. > As senior firefighter, company officer, and training officer, have provided classroom and hands-on instruction to dozens of entry-level firefighters and assisted with their preparation for state certification. > Experienced in hospitality industry, providing customer satisfaction through detail-oriented service and professional communications. EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS > Founded and obtained 501(c)(3) status for non-profit wildland firefighting school. > Developed 500+ page website highlighting firefighter safety and fatality investigation reports, using advanced knowledge of Macromedia Dreamweaver and Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator software. EMPLOYMENT & VOLUNTEER HISTORY > Ponderosa Lodge, Salida, CO (1988-present) lodge manager > Chaffee County Fire Protection District, Poncha Springs, CO (1989-present) volunteer firefighter, station captain since 2002, regular training officer since 2005, Firefighter of the Year - 2005 > Colorado Firecamp, Salida, CO (2002-present) founder and coordinator EDUCATION & TRAINING > Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (1987-88) civil engineering studies > National Fire Academy, Emmitsburg, MD (2003) Command and Control of Incident Operations > FEMA Emergency Management Institute, Emmitsburg, MD (2004) Incident Command System Curricula train-the-trainer