Free resume template
This summer I worked on a Forest Service fire crew. I got hired with no fire experience. After my video about it a lot of you asked about my resume, so here it is, part by part, with the free template.
Most wildland fire jobs are with the federal government. You apply on USAJOBS (usajobs.gov, the government's job website). It asks for two things:
1. Two pages or less
That's the limit for every federal job. It's the same if you type your resume into their website or upload your own file.
2. Dates and hours per week on every job
Start and end month and year, plus hours per week. USAJOBS can turn down an application without the hours (it happened to me!), so the template has a spot for both.
Official government sources: Office of Personnel Management, two-page limit · Department of the Interior Fire Jobs, Create a Resume
Here's the resume I applied with last year. The orange numbers match the parts below, and the hours per week are highlighted on every job. If you worked at a gas station or on a landscaping crew, that goes where my farm job is. I blacked out my contact info and test scores.
1 Graham Breaker
2 University of Wisconsin–Madison student pursuing Agricultural & Applied Economics. Brings hands-on livestock and crop experience combined with strong teamwork, work ethic, and leadership from rowing.
3 Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Madison, WI
Bachelor of Agricultural and Applied Economics (Expected May 2029)
Relevant Coursework: Intro to Animal Science, Intro to Agricultural and Applied Economics
New Trier High School, Winnetka, IL
Graduated June 2025 |
4 Experience
Wagner Farm, Glenview, IL
Farm Hand | September 2024 · August 2025 (~40 hrs/wk summer, ~8 hrs/wk school yr)
Garden Apprentice | May 2024 · August 2024 (~40 hrs/wk)
Convito Cafe and Market, Wilmette, IL
Market Worker | February 2023 · March 2024 (~10-20 hrs/wk)
6 Leadership & Activities
Athletics
New Trier Rowing (New Trier HS) | 2021–2025
Senior Service Project Student Board, Winnetka & North Chicago, IL
Project Lead & Board Member | October 2024 – May 2025
Trimmed for length. My full resume had a longer summary and a few more activities.
When I applied, I was 18, in my first year of college, and I had never worked a fire. Here's each part and why.
I put my name at the top in bold. Under it go your phone, email, and city and state, so a hiring manager can reach you fast.
Two or three sentences about who you are. Mine was about my farm work and rowing.
If you played a sport in high school or college, I'd put it here too. It shows you can work on a team, you're used to competition, and you know hard work. That's a big part of this job.
Here's one you could copy and change:
High school football and wrestling. Two years working at a gas station and on a landscaping crew. I show up on time and I like hard, physical work. Looking for an entry-level wildland firefighter job.
I listed college and high school next. This part isn't as important as you might think. No college yet? Your high school and the year you graduated work great.
This is the part that matters most. For each job, list:
Put hours per week on every job. USAJOBS can turn down an application without them. I actually screwed this up the first time I applied and they rejected my resume.
Start each bullet with a verb, like "milked" (yes, I milked cows), "trained", or "led". Add numbers where you can. Mine had 30+ animals and 3 cows milked twice a day. Here's the same job written two ways:
Short
Worked at a gas station.
With more detail
Ran the register, stocked coolers, and closed the store alone 3 nights a week.
List equipment you can run (like a farm tractor, chainsaw, etc.), First Aid or CPR, a driver's license. If you've taken fire classes, list them here. I hadn't taken any when I applied.
I was captain of my rowing team. It showed I could handle leading a team and that my coaches/teammates trusted me. Think of something that shows you can be counted on in a team setting, and like to work hard.
Mine came from high school. If high school was a year or two ago, use it. If you've been working a while, use your jobs to tell this part of your story.
Nearly everybody I met this summer took a different path to get here. Some went to college, some didn't. Some were in the military first. Some were 36, some were 18. So this resume isn't one size fits all. It's what worked for me. Yours should tell the hiring crew why they can count on you to pull 14 hour days on a fire for two weeks straight with a smile on your face.
Not for entry-level jobs. I didn't have any. The Forest Service has you take the required fire classes after you're hired. If you've already taken some, list them under Skills.
The Forest Service says you need to be 18 to apply. If you're a senior and already 18, yes. Put your high school, any jobs with hours per week, and your sports on your resume.
No, high school is enough.
No, hiring managers want to see that you can do the work and work well with a team. Grades don't matter as much as that.
No. You can type your resume into their website or upload your own file. Either way, keep it to two pages and put hours per week on every job. The template already has a spot for the hours.
Yes. List it like any job, with dates and hours per week. Outdoor physical work like that fits this job well.
Yes, list it like any job: title, dates, hours per week, what you did. Use everyday words so a fire hiring manager gets it right away. Veterans can also get extra credit on federal jobs, called veterans' preference. Look for that section in the job posting.
Check the two things at the top of this page: two pages or less, and hours per week on every job. Then keep applying. The jobs board on this site shows what's open right now. You can also find most locations on Instagram, follow them and reach out. Some list their contact information. Call them and email them too.
It's the same layout as mine, with a note in every spot telling you what to write. Delete what doesn't fit you and make it yours. I hope it helps. If you have questions, send me a message on Instagram.