More Strategies to Get an EMT or Paramedic Job in EMS

MORE STRATEGIES to Get An EMT or Paramedic Job in EMS 

In the previous post, I presented five tips on how to prepare for and answer job interview questions to either start a career in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) or get promoted.  In this blog, I’ll offer additional tips and hints that can work to get you onto the “Short List” or at the Top Of The List!

Know who will be conducting the interviews.  This might be easier if you are a volunteer patient care provider applying for a career position with the agency or county EMS service.  If you are from the outside, you might actually be in a better position than someone from within.  How could that be?  Wouldn’t an agency always hire from a known pool of applicants?  Absolutely no!  In my previous post, I presented a key strategy that most “insiders” simply don’t follow and it’s typically a big shock when the candidate isn’t moved forward and not hired.  Find out who will be on the interview panel, if you can.  This might take a bit of work, but a few phone calls or a couple of emails might produce some bits of important information about the interview.  Use that information to your advantage as you craft your answers to the interview questions.

Be up-to-date on current protocols 

Take time to review local protocol.  Most agencies probably post their protocols on their website.  Look them over and become familiar with them.  Does the agency mirror national standards or are they more advanced?  Is the agency performing advanced procedures that are not authorized in surrounding agencies in the county or state?  Are there protocols or procedures that have resulted in the agency receiving an award or special recognition?  The more you know about the agency and their protocols and procedures will serve you very well if used appropriately during your interview(s).  Don’t just look at an agency’s website’s landing page, spend some time going through the site. The time you spend doing that may very well be what puts you over the top!

Know what emerging technologies or techniques are on the horizon.   Do some “global” research before your interview arrives.  Find out what new technologies or techniques are coming in the next few years.  Be sure to research your target agency to see if they already use any of these emerging technologies or techniques.  If they do, be absolutely certain that you incorporate that knowledge during your interview.  It will show that you have cared enough to spend some time getting to understand how the agency is positioned relative to the global field of EMS.

Prepare and rehearse four or five answers.   If there is any one job interview tip to follow, this should be it.  Never, ever go into an interview cold.  If you do, the agency might just respond to you with a chilling “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You” cold shoulder after your interview.  In your preparation for the interview, write down your key accomplishments, education, any awards or special recognition, and of course your relevant EMS certifications.  Now, you should weave that list into your “prepared” answers.  But, you might be saying “How can I prepare an answer to a question I don’t know?”  For the amateur that is a reasonable question, but for a professional, it is unacceptable.  You can count on a question that will ask you to briefly “introduce” yourself to the interview panel.  This is your opportunity to grab their attention with your background.  Remember that your answer should be 3 minutes or less.  Use your list to develop your response.  You can also count on a question that will challenge your experience.  If you are looking for your first job, your list will be invaluable.  Are you an EMS volunteer?  Have you worked in a hospital Emergency Department or a physician’s office?  Are you the top student in your EMS certification class?  Prepare and then rehearse four or five “stock” answers that you can use for just about any question that is asked of you.  Practicing your answers will also reduce your interview anxiety and will help to eliminate the annoying “Um” that so many fall victim to.

Ask for the job!  This might seem silly at first, but you want to stand out from all the others who are being interviewed.  What can make you memorable?  Once thing is to ask for the job!  Typically at the end of the formal questioning, you will have an opportunity to ask questions.  This is your opportunity to not only obtain information to questions about the job that will help you determine if you are the proper fit for it.  It will also open the door for you to appropriately provide a summary of yourself.  Be certain that during this period you ask for the job, if you are still interested.  You might say something like: “When I applied for this position I was excited about the prospect of working for the agency. As I did my research on the agency and how it is on the cutting edge of emerging technologies, I became more energized at the idea because I kept realizing that my background, training and experience is such a good fit for your agency.  And now, after this interview, I hope to be considered for this job because I would be honored to have you hire me.”

Say Thank You!  Sure, you’ll probably say Thank You when you begin the interview and hopefully when you wrap up.  But, to stand out, you’ll have to do better.  Find out how many will be interviewing you and either get their email addresses, or be different.  Get a small Thank You card for each member.  Immediately after the interview, sit down and write out a brief note for each person who interviewed.  This means that you must remember the names of each person who interviewed you.  If they are all from the same agency, you could either mail the card or hand them to the receptionist for distribution.  You could also use email, but remember that your g