Leaving Jobs and Interviews

[afav36]

I recently finished up the fire academy and emt and just passed the NR exam. I have been applying with depts and have an interview in Seattle and hopefully get one in Wichita Falls where I think I ranked pretty well. Any tips on interviews and taking job offers and then going to the dept you really want to work for. Everyone tells me to take the first job that is offered to you, if the money is sufficent to live on. How do depts look at "leapfrogging"? I am the person that will commit to the dept that hires me fully and to the best of my ability, but there are 3 depts I would want to work at for the rest of my career. So what i am asking is how will depts view me if get hired by one then in a year or two after service if i get hired by a "dream" and leave for that job? Plus with interviews coming up any tips would be greatly accepted. Thanks!!!

[afav36]

Maybe I should add to my above post. Most big depts seem so hard to get on that it is almost a lottery in sense due to the fact that 100's if not 1000's of people test for them. I dont want to use a dept to get to another but people do come and go at depts. The first dept I get on, if it is for me, i am staying and not testing at places anymore. I dont want to seem like i suggested it was ok to bail ship on dept just to get another. By no means is that what i was suggesting. I was just saying if there was a chance after a few years of service that one of these dream jobs open is it accept to "transfer"? I know how hard it is to get that badge and for awhile it seemed liked it would never happen, but chances i feel good about are coming up for depts (and not many hahaha) and i dont want a dept to think, "well he is only gonna stay here till he finds more money" sense. Because I didnt pick this career for the money.

[GreenJT]

$.02

Just my opinion, one or two departments leapfrog is ok. I can understand of having a dream department. The main thing (depending on your age) don’t leap frog your way into working for retirement at the retirement age (If you get my drift). Don’t burn bridges when you leave one department for the other. And the last little tidbit "the grass is not always greener on the other side".

[jccrabby3084]

I do agree with the previous post...This does happen and it can be understandable to work somewhere else, be a dream job, or hometown whatever. Most important thing is if on a dept, don't burn bridges. Don't say you can't wait to go to such and such. If you do want to be somewhere else, I feel it is important do be where you are for at least a few years.

Although more depts today understand this and many have a "pay back" requirement saying to the effect that if you leave within a certain amount of time, you have to reimburse the dept for equipment, training, uniforms, so on.

I personally don't agree with the "buying time" attitude on one dept while waiting for another. One, it is very competitive just to get on somewhere, to go to one dept you don't really want to be you:
1.) took a job from someone who really may have wanted to be there
2.) Cost the dept money for training, equipment, turnouts, etc....(reason why there are reimbursement policies now)
3.) How did you really answer the question "Why do you want to be a FF for here" If you said to just wait until you can go to another dept, I doubt you would be hired.
4.) Do you even care about the community you are serving now?

People always move on and it is understandable, if you do, I think you should put some years into the dept that hired you first. My biggest reason I don't like that attitude is you took a job from someone else who's own "dream" could have been your spot.

Don't burn bridges if you do go. I was hired with a guy that worked for our dept, left for "bigger and Better" realized he was happier here and came back. He stayed in the retirement system, but lost a lot of seniority.

[afav36]

I agree with you all, the first place i get on i plan on dropping out of other depts i am in the process with and plan on working there not to buy time but because i want to be there, also i know how hard it is to get on just at one dept. I am in no way going to use the dept to try to get somewhere else. I was just asking cause I thought when you are on a dept you are there for good, and just wanted some people's two cents. The only reason i would leave is to be closer to family, which is where these "dream" depts are, but not for after awhile of service. And i know you don't want to leave with either side of the bridge being burned. But thanks for the advice, being i am new to all this.