Last summer when I was job hunting for an EMT position in the Bay Area, I wrote a post about my impressions on the EMT job market and how EMS seemed to be affected by the recession from the perspective of a job hunter. This post gets frequent google hits for things like “EMT Job Market San Francisco,” “How to Get a Job as an EMT in the Bay Area,” and “How hard is it to get a job as an EMT right now?” The popularity of this post inspired me to try and help out fellow EMT students and dole out some advice on getting a job.  Keep in mind that I’ve only been working as an EMT for about seven months at a small, family-run BLS/ALS operation, and also that I am NOT a hiring manager.  Ergo, these are plainly non-expert opinions. However, I love my job and genuinely enjoy helping out EMS students, particularly those who are driven and motivated to achieve their goals and advance within the profession.

With that said, here are some thoughts and advice on how to land an EMT job:

  • Research!

The first thing you’re gonna have to do is hop over to google and research.  Pull up the county EMS website for whatever counties you could feasibly work in.  If you dig deep enough on their website, it *should* have a list of every single approved ambulance provider in that county.  This will give you a great list of all the companies where you can apply.  Once you have a list of all the ambulance companies close to you, research them!  Go on their websites, ask your instructors from school and friends about them.  Job hunting, like everything else, is a numbers game.  So the more places you apply, the better your chances will be of landing a position.

  • Get all your certs in order BEFORE you apply.

This is another thing that county EMS website can help you with.  They should detail what you need and how to obtain your county certs.  What you need to work as an EMT will vary from state to state, however the things I had to obtain were as follows:  DM51 medical examiner form, two livescan federal background checks (you will have to find a livescan location and go and get fingerprinted for this), ambulance driver’s license, printed out personal driver history form, County EMT Certification and NREMT certification.

Yes, you technically can apply places without all of these certs in place, and some companies (if they really like you) will wait for you to have them completed, however imo why give them a reason to put you on the bottom of the pile?  Be the organized candidate that has everything done up front.  Not the one still scrambling and waiting on things to come back before he can start.

  • Create an organized “portfolio” of your materials.  Put together a separate one for each company where you plan on applying.

This doesn’t have to be a fancy binder, it can just be a file folder with your name printed on it.  However, it should include the following:  front and back copies of all the above mentioned certs, resume and cover letter, completed application for the specific company (generally can find this on their website), front and back of your DL, list and contact info of references, letter of recommendations (if you chose), first aid cert and possibly EMT school graduation diploma.  Have it all together in a neat and organized fashion.  It also helps to have multiple copies of everything- have a few back-up copies in case more than one person at a company requests them.

  • Shake a tailfeather and go apply IN PERSON

DO NOT FAX IN ALL YOUR STUFF!! DROP IT OFF IN PERSON!!  Do you know how many faxes these places get?  How do you know anyone checks the fax machine there, anyway?  I would say a fax’d in application is an instant bottom of the pile move, *if* it makes it into the pile at all.  Yes it is a pain in the butt to go in person, but will yield exponentially greater results.  You may even land an on-the-spot interview!

When you go in person, dress professionally.  Don’t wear “EMT gear” or an outfit that you would wear for a ride along.  This isn’t a ride along, you are there to convey your interest in the firm and elevator pitch yourself about why you would be a great fit.  Dress sharp and look like a professional.

  • Follow up like a maniac stalker ex boyfriend

Take however many times you think you should follow up without appearing crazy and too-gung ho, then increase it twofold.  I almost lost a job offer because I didn’t follow up enough.  When they said they would call me, I really did wait for them to call me.  I should have been calling them every week to touch base.  Sometimes these companies work excruciatingly slowly with hiring.  They understandably have LOTS going on, and even if they liked you and are planning to hire you, you can fall through the cracks.  Don’t let this happen to you!  Be polite and not harassing, but persistent and keep following up.

  • Do extra Ride alongs

Ride alongs are a fantastic way to not only learn about the company and see if you would like to work there, but also develop repartee and debut your talents to their firm.  You can do “extra” ride alongs after above and beyond the ones required by your EMT program to graduate.  If you haven’t done a ride along at a company where you may be interested in working, call them and set one up yourself.  Even if you’ve already graduated, chances are your school can still help you set them up as well.  Depending on the company’s particular policy, you may have to go through your school for insurance reasons.

  • Bonus: Ways to be a Good Ride Along

Bring cookies to share with the crews on duty and dispatch, be curious/ask lots of questions, have good “energy,” be genuine, act interested, interact with the patients, get in there and take the vitals, hustle to open and hold doors for the EMTs and patients, help out as much as you can with everything.  If your EMTs are trying to sleep for some of the downtime, give a pause to asking questions and let them chill out ;)

  • Network!

EMS is a surprisingly small community- one that is getting even smaller with technology and social media.  Networking can help you learn about opportunities and to begin cultivating a positive word of mouth.  Start networking in school with your classmates.  It’s invaluable to have a “crew” of fellow EMT students where you guys can trade info about how your job searches are going, what companies are hiring, what places are good to work, etc.  Help each other out!  You can also network with your EMT school instructors and administration.  Volunteer to help them as a fake patient when they’re testing out other classes.  Help set up and clean up after events.  Things like that.  Other places you can network:  Professional EMS associations in your area, county EMS organizations, volunteer in a local ER, volunteer at a local firehouse, ride alongs, and EMS 2.0 meetups.

  • Send handwritten thank-you notes for EVERYTHING.

Send them when the people you’ve networked with hook you up with a connection or a contact.  Send them to the crew you did a ride-along with.  DEFINITELY send them after an interview.

  • Take extra classes to make yourself an even better EMT

Show them you are dedicated to this career and serious about being a fantastic EMT!  Here are some ideas of extra classes you can take:

-any FEMA NIMs class, I suggest ICS 100, 200 and 700 to get you started. These are pretty boring but you can do them online and they are free.
- Spanish for medical professionals
- any EKG or 12 lead class
- NERT training (with some research you can probably find these offered for free)
- Public speaking (will help bolster confidence when giving a verbal report in the ER and an MD, two nurses, and an ER Tech are all staring at you)

If you follow some or all of these steps, you will hopefully find a job eventually.  EMS is a fantastic and rewarding career, and I sincerely wish all of you job-hunters the best as you take the first steps in your career trajectory.  I know how tedious and arduous the process can seem when you’re just starting off.  Stay positive, stay on top of things, and persistence should yield success.  Those of you with specific questions about working in the Bay Area are more than welcome to contact me directly.

Cheers,
Ceej