Your steps to apply

Wildland Firefighter
Forest Service · Payson, Arizona and 29 more · Closes in 8 days

1 Check you can apply
2 Resume and documents
3 Apply on USAJOBS
4 After you apply

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1 Check you can apply You are here

Who can apply: The public.

The job is open to the public. You must be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or someone who owes allegiance to the United States. Veterans' preference does not apply to this job.

Experience: You need 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GW-04 grade in federal service, or equivalent experience. Examples include serving on a hotshot, helitack, or engine crew, and operating portable pumps or drip torches.

Education: Completing a 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 can qualify you. A combination of education and experience can also qualify you. The announcement does not say education cannot replace experience.

Licenses and certifications:

State Department of Transportation license, required before you can drive crew carriers
NWCG Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1) course completion
NWCG S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior course completion
IQCS Master Record or equivalent proof of IFPM certification

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.

Resume ready: dates, hours per week, duties Resume of 2 pages or less with personal information, education, and work experience Resume must show dates of work, hours worked per week, title, series, and grade Unofficial college transcripts if you use education to qualify, with course information English translation of transcripts, and accreditation proof for any foreign school IQCS Master Record or equivalent training documents proving IFPM certification (red cards are not accepted) Proof of eligibility and SF-50 forms if you claim CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority

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 are sent to the selecting official without a numeric rating. Your resume is checked to confirm you meet all requirements, and you must complete the Assessment Questionnaire when you apply. Inflated or inaccurate information can lead to a lower score, ineligibility, or removal from federal service.

Apply on USAJOBS ↗

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 IFPM certification. Red cards are not accepted.
Keep your resume to 2 pages or less, and list hours per week and exact dates for each job. Longer resumes are removed from consideration.
Start training for the Arduous Work Capacity Test now, since passing it is a condition of employment.

Kandidatu is an independent website: only the official posting counts. Read it before you apply.