By Chief Dean Guccione - 

One of the best ways to improve your chances of getting hired as a full-time, professional firefighter, is to apply for and take, as many fire department tests as you can. Just like anything else in life, the more experience and practice you have at learning a particular skill, the better you get, and the art and science of taking fire department tests is a skill you must develop to be successful.

In particular, taking written exams, and interviewing are two critical skills you must develop to earn your badge. You can’t get to the interview without passing the written, and you cannot move forward to the Chief’s interview and the background process without earning a top interview score.

You may be the best candidate for the job, but if you can’t pass the written, or perform as a top candidate in your interview(s), you will just be one of those candidates who fades into the pack.

Practice Makes Perfect

One thing that I’m always preaching is to test, test, test. Applying for as many fire departments as you can will significantly increase your odds of getting hired. It’s obvious what I’m talking about is a numbers game. The more times you do something, the better chances you have at success. Fire department testing opportunities are no different.

That’s why we practice in the sports we play. That’s why we practice playing the guitar or drums. Or, the more times you strike a golf ball, you eventually start hitting the ball straighter and with more accuracy. That’s how it works. The more we practice, the more muscle memory we develop and the better we get.

The same holds true for our mental muscle memory. The more we learn and the more we practice, the better we get, and the better we get, the more opportunities open up for us, especially when we reach or attain a certain level of expertise in the written exam and panel interview. That’s the power of repetition and understanding when it comes to your preparation.

So, take as many fire department tests as you can, so you can not only increase your chances of getting hired, but to also build that mental muscle memory that is so critical for you success, even if you don’t really want to work for a particular department. You’ll see why below.

A Blessing in Disguise

I get many candidates asking me why they should test for departments that they aren’t really interested in, and my answer is twofold; the first reason is the department may be a blessing in disguise. I’ll explain the second reason below.

One thing that candidates cannot fully understand are the inner workings of a department, and some of the hidden opportunities a department can offer until they have actually been employed there for a given amount of time.

While you can get a snapshot of the department when you do your station visits, you don’t get the full picture about a department and how it operates unless you’ve had the opportunity to work there. Unless you get a horrible vibe from the firefighters during your station visit, it’s always worth the time for an opportunity that may actually be the right decision.

I can’t tell you how many candidates I’ve coached who have gotten hired at a department they thought was less than desirable, only to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of its members, quality of the leadership, its equipment and apparatus, and the future opportunities, which in the end, caused them to enjoy and embrace a department they were indifferent to a year or two ago.

So, I challenge you to take tests with as many departments as possible, because there may be that hidden gem of a department that’s waiting for you, that fits your personality, and fits like a puzzle piece into your career goals.

The Stepping Stone Department

The second reason you should take as many fire department tests as you can, is once you get hired, that department may be a stepping stone for you to move to your target department.

Although, you may not want to spend your entire career at this type of department, do not discount the value of the experience you will gain in learning the job, understanding and navigating station life, all while honing your teamwork, customer service, and firefighter skills.

If you have the right attitude and mindset going into a stepping stone department, you will have a significant advantage over many of the candidates who are also testing with your dream department.

Because you will have gained an inside understanding of what the job entails, what’s expected of you and the skills you’ve learned in your time there that you can bring to your new department, you will be able to articulate why and how that experience has prepared you for your final career department.

Final Thought

When I was testing for firefighter back in the 1980s, I knew that the more tests I took, the better the chances I had at earning my badge, and interestingly, today's testing environment is no different than 30 years ago. I also knew that having that testing experience would benefit me in every subsequent written exam and interview.

It was the best thing I did for myself. If you don’t know my story, I tested with about 30 departments over a 5 year period until I was hired with the Beverly Hills Fire Department.

The benefit of having taken so many tests by the time I was hired, I had honed my skills to the point that I was not only offered a job with Beverly Hills, but I had offers from 4 other departments at nearly the same time. So, I was able to choose my destiny and where I wanted to spend my career. I had my choice. I was sitting in the driver’s seat for my life and my career, and I want the same for you.

So, I challenge you to test, test, test. Apply what you’ve learned from past tests. Refine and hone you’re your testing skills. Prepare like your life depended on it. Learn from your mistakes and work on shoring up areas where you’re not as strong.

Always be working on your interview and written test skills, and take every test opportunity you can, and I promise, you will have multiple job offers that put you in the driver’s seat for your own life and for your career.