Your steps to apply
Wildland Firefighter
Forest Service · Gold Beach, Oregon and 28 more · Closes in 8 days
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1 Check you can apply You are here
Who can apply: The public.
Any U.S. citizen or U.S. national can apply. Veterans' preference does not apply to this vacancy.
Experience: You need one year of specialized experience at least equal to the GW-4 level in federal service or equivalent. Examples include mopping up after fires, serving on a specialty crew such as hotshot or helitack, and operating fire tools such as portable pumps or drip torches.
Education: A completed 4-year course of study at an accredited college or university with a major in Fire Science, Fire Training, Fire Technology, or a related field qualifies you for GW-5. A combination of education and experience also qualifies.
Licenses and certifications:
- Valid state driver's license
Experience can be paid or unpaid, volunteer work included: if it matches the duties, it counts. The full rules are in the announcement.
2 Resume and documents
Write a federal resume for this job. For each job you held, give the month and year you started and ended, your hours per week and what you did, using the words of the experience the announcement asks for. Many announcements accept resumes of up to 2 pages: check this one.
3 Apply on USAJOBS
Closes in 8 days (November 12, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).
You sign in to USAJOBS with a Login.gov account, answer the questionnaire and upload your documents, then you submit. Answer the questionnaire honestly: your resume must show what you claim.
How they rate you: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and selective factors are sent to the selecting official without a rating. Inflated or inaccurate information can lower your rating, make you ineligible, or lead to removal from federal service.
4 After you apply
In USAJOBS, under Applications, you can see where your application stands: received, reviewed, referred to the hiring manager or not, then selected or not. It can take a few weeks.
For the interview, prepare three examples with the STAR method: the Situation, the Task, what you did (Action) and the Result.
If they choose you: a tentative offer, then a background check, a security clearance (Other), then the final offer with your start date.
Tips for this job:
- Attach your IQCS Master Record or equivalent proof of FFT1 and S-290 training, because red cards are not accepted.
- Keep your resume to 2 pages and list hours per week and dates for each job, or you may be removed.
- Upload files under 5MB in PDF, Word, or similar formats, and avoid encrypted or Adobe Portfolio files.
Kandidatu is an independent website: only the official posting counts. Read it before you apply.