mississauga interviews [Archive] - The Firehall.com Forum

scoop422

01-07-2005, 04:39 PM

Jurassic, what's wrong with someone getting an interview with no fire qualifications. How many of your instructers got hired on career departments without fire background? How many guys have worked thier a$$es off for thirty years and shaped the fire service into what it is without fire background? The best fire departments have guys from many different backgrounds. I'm sick of guys thinking because they have taken fire courses they deserve the job. Why don't you find out what this guy you talk about has on his resume and ask him for advice? Get a trade or hold down a job for a while and get some life experience.

Jurassic

01-07-2005, 04:56 PM

Scoop, I have a trade, I have held down a job for a while, and yes, I even have alot of life experience.

Why do most of the cities outside this province require Fire Education? Would it not make sense for people to have the "trade" that they want to make a living out of?

Wouldn't it be more of a "risk" to a dept. to hire someone, train them ($10k), and then lose them because they "thought" the job was going to be different?

I will be even more surprised if he gets hired, which i'm pretty sure won't happen. Don't get me wrong, I don't think you HAVE to have fire education, because being a volunteer is just as good, and probably better.

If you know ANYONE in the current mississauga class (actually the 26 that just graduated), ask how many had ZERO fire education/volunteer. That's reality.

TomC

01-07-2005, 05:43 PM

Im hoping that i will be lucky enough to get an interview eventually. Ive interviewed with Mississauga before and feel totally confident going into it again....but im not holding my breath. I know the cutoff was 82 and feel pretty confident that within the next 6-12 months i will be sitting infront of the panel of 7 again.

Newb on Fire

01-08-2005, 09:32 AM

I know for myself, I was hesitant in posting that I got an interview because it would almost seem like I'm bragging which I am not. Perhaps this is the case with others aswell. It could also be that people are worried that they might have to tell people that they didn't get the job which may further frustrate them. I really don't know. I'm only guessing.

TomC

01-08-2005, 10:11 AM

thats understandable newb, but were all in the same boat...its not bragging to say you got an interview, thats the goal right. I have no problem telling people i made it to the second interview and didnt get on...there are hundreds of guys like me out there and this is a great way to get pointers, learn more and be a better candidate for next time. going on year three now of the dream, takes time and energy and a few rounds through to learn the tricks of the game. Good luck on your interview, any questions let me know, id be happy to share some thoughts and advise.

H2OH

01-08-2005, 12:32 PM

i'm glad you said that tomc, like newb, i didn't want to say anything about being called for the interview, because quite frankly, given that i have no fire related qualifications - i'm stunned i got one and feel rather undeserving. that having been said, i don't expect much to come of it, but it IS a great opportunity to get some first hand interview experience. you mentioned you'd interviewed with Miss. before...care to share any pointers?
thanks and good luck :)

scoop422

01-08-2005, 01:02 PM

H2OH don't feel undeserving, you were chosen for the interview because you have something they want. Do your best in the interview it may turn out to be your career not just experience. Congratulations and good luck to all of you!

FrAnToS

01-09-2005, 04:20 PM

just a note to everyone who were lucky enough to get a call ..... good luck on the interviews.

DoubleHelix

01-09-2005, 04:29 PM

Frantos you knew Ryan got one right?
That would be awesome if he got on there.

FrAnToS

01-09-2005, 10:06 PM

hey DH, yeah i knew Ryan got one ... on thursday actually .... he'll be the guinea pig .... hope he does well and whatever he did ... we should hope to learn from (lol)

TomC

01-10-2005, 06:14 AM

congrats to all who are going to the interview stage. The first interview should be with a DC and a rep from HR. My first bit of advise is to relax. I was nervous going in but if your confident and have prepared yourself its really a piece of cake. dress appropriately, wear a suit if you have one, look clean cut and well put together..make sure you shave. If they offer you water, take it, you'll be dying halfway through from talking and being nervous. remember that the HR person proably knows little about firefighting techniques, epuipment etc. so on specific questions elaborate your answers, dont just assume they know what your talking about. Make eye contact frequently with both and answer the person who asked the question. The majority of the questions are HR related, how you work in a team, examples of leadership etc. they also asked what my fitness curriculum was like and wanted specifics...ie. 1 hour in the gym 4 days a week etc. be honest, dont b.s them. in the second interview, if you make it through, they will ask you some of the same questions as in the first to see if youve changed your answer..be consistant. Know why you want to work in mississauga and be passionate about it. make sure to tell them as much about you and your experience as you can and dont give short brief answers...that was one of my downfalls in the second interview. go in confident but dont be cocky. I gurantee when you walk out of there your going to realize that it wasnt bad at all and that you'll be ready for every interview you attend from then on... good luck everyone. I'll try to remember some more questions for you all and post them shortly....

mikeeps

01-10-2005, 05:19 PM

Any word on if Mississauga favors in province applicants over out of province applicants. Just curious if they prefer people ontario fire school quals. Also hear anything on how many classes going through this year? Frustrating to hear people getting called and still no call here. Damn waiting game. Trying to figure out why no call yet because it can't be me. J/K can't wait to hear the replys.

DoubleHelix

01-10-2005, 05:38 PM

How'd you do on the test? I don't think they take preference since they still hire guys with no fire school at all.

Red_Devil

01-10-2005, 06:34 PM

Mississauga is like any other city dept, and that is they are really really taking a chance if they hire someone from out of province. They have lost a fair amount of guys to smaller depts over the years. why you ask? cause the were doing a lot of hiring from guys way out of town, most of these guys do a few years then go apply back home where they are orginally from. To deter this, i hear they are making rrecruits post a bond of like 8,000 dollars that they get back after so many years, i believe.

DoubleHelix

01-10-2005, 07:03 PM

thats a really good thing to do forsure. I wrote for midland on thursday and one of the guys writing starts with Sarnia or Sudbury or something today. And he's trying hard to get into Midland. I could see trying it for a while and for whatever reason not liking the department or the area but if youre going to apply you atleast gotta give it a chance.

FrAnToS

01-10-2005, 09:40 PM

a simple but maybe stupid question .... with regards to the mississauga interviews, i know the cut off for them were about 82%. out of about 1600 applicants who wrote, does anyone know if the interviews goin on now are just specifically for the spring session or are they interviewing for the whole year (spring and fall) and offer jobs from the interviewed applicants as they come free.

i've seen int he past threads that they may like lower the cut off again for later on but i was just wondering. this may sound stupid or may not even make sense but it's late and it's gotten me thinkin ......

any ideas?

mikeeps

01-11-2005, 06:20 AM

I ask because I got a 90 on the test and I have 2 year military firefighting experience, currently EMR medically trained with previous jobs in construction, hospital environment ect ect pretty solid resume i think and I am 27 years old. Thought that would give me a pretty good chance at a interview but who knows? oh well just have to continue to wait. getting the rest of my training in the summer so more to add to the resume.

Jurassic

01-11-2005, 06:48 AM

mikeeps, are you serious?? GET ON THE PHONE NOW!!! Since you were not called, you won't be getting an interview as they started yesterday! SOMEHOW, you were overlooked and SHOULD have been called...people were called with 82% and over with fire or no fire qual's! This is a mistake on HR's part. Call Eric Krowles ASAP. That's what I would do anyway. There must be a glitch somehow.

DoubleHelix

01-11-2005, 07:17 AM

Frantos I believe they are interviewing seperatly for each class.

Red_Devil

01-11-2005, 09:39 AM

HR doesnt make mistakes, they saw something they didnt like thats all

DoubleHelix

01-11-2005, 09:53 AM

Yeah who knows maybe theyve had problems with hiring guys from the military and have decided to not go that route this time.

mikeeps

01-11-2005, 12:52 PM

Who knows. I think I will give them a call anyways and feel around for an answer. Can't really see a problem they saw with me but maybe they had trouble with military guys in the past. Not that I think I deserve one but from my info I can't really see a reason why I wouldn't get a interview. I will post what I find out, if I find anything out.

Red_Devil

01-11-2005, 06:18 PM

There it goes again...I have said this in previous posts, my pet peeves is guys who think they deserve a job just cause they have taken a prep course and built a resume around firefighting. It certainly helps but HR looks at a lot of other things too and they also can tell when guys "feel" they are owed a job.

Jurassic

01-12-2005, 05:23 AM

Red Devil, I think I know what you are saying. But in his defence I know what he means too. I mean, if you receive a certain score, and have what they are essentially looking for then I would be upset and questioning it too. I mean, especially in that stage. He said he knows he doesn't deserve it but I think he deserves at least an interview. If he doesn't get the job, then what you say holds and he can understand.

Furthermore, 'Sauga had those 2 pages...so I mean if he had it filled all out then that's what they are looking for. Or are you saying that maybe he was TOO qualified? Since they do offer a 14 week training program maybe they want him trained their way? But how do you explain most of the last class (26 guys) having either volunteer or fire school?

I'm really looking forward to hearing what HR says. Those bastards!

rescue65

01-12-2005, 06:53 AM

Hey guys,
This is to some of the guys who had scored 90s on the CPS and didnt get an interview. Could it be that you had 1 too many spelling mistakes on your application? sloppy hand writing? used red or green ink to fill out your app? coffee rings on your app? sloppy package? poor cover letter and or resume? Did you address your cover letter to the correct people? Did you spell their name right?
It might appear that HR made a mistake, but probably not.

Jurassic

01-12-2005, 07:17 AM

Hey Rescue, do you know of more than this guy who scored higher than 82% but didn't receive an interview? I only know of this one particular guy from this thread.

Furthermore, i'm pretty sure that at their level their application in flawless, but i suppose you never know.

I guess we'll know shortly.

dentedhead

01-12-2005, 08:15 AM

I think I am now truly a crusty, I agree totally with the devil again.

I deserve a job cause I have(insert qualification, school, course,test score etc. here)The bottom line that the people sitting in front of you are thinking is, we are going to give and spend a huge sum of money on this guy/gal over the next 25-30 years. Are they a liability or an asset?

Another comment was that HR screwed up.Maybe, but highly unlikely. Given the aggressiveness of some applicants,you can be damn sure CYA will be in full effect.No phone calls really does mean no phone calls, believe it or not that is a test in itself.

I am not trying to be a harda@#, only an objective contributor.I wish everyone all the success in achieving your goal.Sour grapes will get you nowhere.

dentedhead

DoubleHelix

01-12-2005, 11:50 AM

I know someone that got 83, has pre service, DZ, First Responder, O2 thereapy/Defib, Confined Space, Auto Ex Ops and a bunch of other things and he never got one.

TomC

01-12-2005, 05:05 PM

dont forget guys that their only going to interview 70 or 80 for this round of hiring. there were hundreds that scored over 82. not everyone is going to get the call.

rescue65

01-12-2005, 07:35 PM

This is for the pro-experience people saying that buying courses and getting a fire background isnt as good as life experience or whatever.

There is something to be said about life experience. BUT at 20 or so how much life experience can you possibly get compared to someone in their 30's or higher? How can you obtain that level of life experience at that age?

What benefit is it to a fire department to see that a guy drove a standard six speed truck for so many years? Does that mean if a guy drove a 12 speed truck for longer, he would be the better fire candidate cause he has more experience driving a truck? and how do you rate "life experience"? If doing manual labour jobs, or mediocre careers constitues life experience then the job market is flooded with great candidates.

I understand it is relevant for the fire department to hire an experienced truck driver for obvious reasons. However, part time/volly firefighters can get that same experience PLUS have a fire back ground.

In almost every job in the world you require some sort of training to perform the duties of the job. Most require you to have some sort of schooling BEFORE you get the job. Can't get a truck licence with out truck training school (or some sort of training). So why should firefighting be any different than every other job in world?

I would hate to see doctors get into med school because they have done a bunch of life experience jobs and want a change of pace.

If a fire department wants life experience sure I dont care. But couldnt the process of obtaining a fire background be considered in some parts of life experience? Saving money/budgeting for courses, or living on your own in a new city for college. Trying to get by at college with a limited budget and eating canned ham daily to save some cash. Taking the resposibility of having large tuition debts, and making sure you pay them back! People over look this life experience.

I dont think you should ever expect a fire interivew either. Sometimes I think its honesltly just a flip of coin.
Dotn get me wrong. I personally think a mix of experience and education is the ideal choice for a fire candidate. Not one or the other.

DoubleHelix

01-12-2005, 08:18 PM

Do you honestly think the guys working these "life experience" jobs like being a manual labourer chose the job because he wanted the life exerpeince? No most likely because he knocked up some girl or moved out and needed the money and got in a rut and couldn't quit because he needed the money. I could do that too and go and get a factory job. But I havent put myself in the position to have to work a job like that so shouldn't that be considered life experiences because ive made better choices in my life than be stuck at some factory?

I think theyre both really important but I hate the extremists that go either total school or total life experience. Balance is key and ive been told that time and again from full time guys.

Red_Devil

01-13-2005, 04:15 AM

I think you do need life experience, as well with a good education, and i think depts are starting to realize with. The age of guys getting hired is usually around late 20's. for a bit there we were seeing guys getting hired as young as 23, i think that bit HR in the butt and now want people with a little more life experience

Jurassic

01-13-2005, 04:20 AM

What about being a great student, completing university, and then working a factory job because there simply isn't anything else out there? I gave up a high level career to pursue this dream and i'm not that far off from living on the street. Jobs that pay more than $12/hr are not exactly easy to get. And how can you support yourself on that anyway? Geez, talk about sacrifice! I went from riches to rags because I had to. I HAD to quit to get my NFPA...no leave of absences were allowed.

Regarding fire education. Yes, I think it should be mandatory like it is for most cities outside of ontario. Ontario is waaay behind the times! If you want the career, sure life experience is expected; as the average age of recruits is 27.5 they likely possess the experience. Even if you are a vollie...you should still have the basic NFPA or PreService.

Have you guys looked at St. John's process? That's what it should be like. REQUIRED NFPA, write a knowledge test (see what you really know!), and did you see the job performance tasks? I dunno, I think that's how a recruitment should be done. Vancouver and Calgary have similar recruitments which speak nothing but class to me.

Keep working harder. Harder you work, the luckier you'll get.

peace.

Jurassic

01-13-2005, 04:24 AM

Red Devil, I think you're right. Out of all the guys in my class and other guys I know that were hired (and girls!), their ages were mostly 30-31. Two of them were 25 and 23. This is encouraging for a lot since i think alot (most?) applicants are early to mid 20's? Also I think most of these hires have already HAD a career so they know what they do not want to do for the rest of their lives.

scoop422

01-13-2005, 05:04 AM

I think DoubleHelix is right balance is the key. I have been told numerous times of young guys getting hired and then not realizing how good they have got it because they have never worked a tough job. These guys then don't appreciate the department. By hiring guys with "life experience" you are gettting guys who have families and mortgages who are dealing with life's pressures and who have gained a bit of common sense. If you couple this with the courses and stuff you have a good chance. Some of the attitudes seem like guys feel they are owed a job though. Nothing is owed though, it is earned.

mikeeps

01-13-2005, 06:41 AM

Please Red Devil! Read the post. I never said I deserved one and I an not a fool trying for the first time to get into a place and can't spell my own name. I was just saying it is frustrating to hear others getting the call with alot less experience and qualifications and lower test scores than me. Seriously not everyone on here is a uneducated idiot that doesn't know how the process works. But thanks for your enlightning posts!

Michael

Some people love the sound of their own voice

mikeeps

01-13-2005, 06:49 AM

Also I never said it was a HR mistake, someone else said I should call and find out. Which I am going to do. I would like to hear information from someone that can look at my file and not make assumptions.

Michael

dentedhead

01-13-2005, 07:14 AM

For us "pro life experience guys" I guess some clarification is needed.I fully agree that schooling of any type can only benifit a person.However as I have stated before it is not the be all end all for ANY job.You mentioned DRs being accepted solely on life experience,check out the MacMaster University medical program. It is being copied throughout the world,sorry to digress.

Life experience does not relate only to work skills.It should take in all facets of the way you conduct yourself in a recruitment.Yeah college /university can make you tighten your belt a little,does that show someone that you can get up at 0500 every day and go and put an honest days work in? will it show a possible employer you can work and get along with others? That experience does not mean a dead end job because you need money, it could be a trade or career.On the job, I have met former teachers ,paramedics which I am,tradesmen of all sorts to name a few. Just as many had no previous career or schooling but they are good firefighters regardless.

I consider myself very lucky I have only applied to the job twice.Once many years ago. I would have got on then,after passing all the tests,interviews and finishing very well with old Toronto,I failed the eye test.Two years ago with my eyes lasered I did it and have never been happier in any job I have held.The constant in both of these attempts were a well rounded resume with a consistant employment history and tangible life/work skills.

Again, I really believe some of the fellas I have come to know in this forum will become successful in getting the job they are so determined to get.There are some pretty impressive credentials I have seen posted here. So keep at it you will win!

Sorry about the ramble, nights will do that to you.

dentedhead

mtlienz

01-13-2005, 11:30 AM

I hope they don't make it mandatory for someone to have pre-service fire qualifications just to apply. It should come down to what you can offer the fire service and how well you would represent them. I've been hanging around these forums for more than 2 months now, and I'm sick of people complaining that they don't get interviews even though they have 100 certificates. Maybe you just don't have what they're looking for. Maybe you're a clone of hundreds of other people that applied.
I remember when Toronto Fire visited my school, L.B. Pearson Collegiate Institute, in Malvern, I asked them what kind of education I need to be a firefighter. One of them said, gas+fire=NO! NO!. We all had a good laugh. They told me to follow whatever I wanted to study and that if I did get on, they'd train me, and teach me whatever I needed to know. Isn't that how the fire department has been run in Toronto for a long time now? Like the saying goes, "if it ain't broke, dont fix it".

eZz

mikeeps

01-13-2005, 12:21 PM

This thread is getting very old. How many time is someone going to reply that they think it is crap that I guy believes he deserves to get a interview because he has a certificate or life experience or whatever. I don't think anyone disagrees that this is a wrong attitude to have. But expecting a interview and feeling like you deserve an interview are two different things. Why would you apply if you didn't believe that you were somewhat competitive. If I honestly believed that I didn't have what it takes to pass the stages, I would never have applied. But I did the same research as the rest of you and took courses or jobs to set myself apart from other guys. I guess my point is don't be so quick to jump all over a guy for asking a question. I don't think i deserve a interview but I believe that any fire department would benefit from having me as a part of their team. I am a full time firefighter right now and I know what it takes to get into the trade. Getting annoyed with guys talking like they know more than everyone. Thanks for your two cents though!

Jurassic

01-13-2005, 10:25 PM

let's kill this thread once and far all!

mikeeps

01-18-2005, 01:56 PM

Just a update to the previous posts. HR does make mistakes, so the phone call was definitely worth it. Problem with the info in the database and my file did not get forwarded to this stage of interviews. Problem corrected and file now forwarded for the next stage of interviews that are expected to happen around May for the class in the fall. They are looking for around 20 guys for the new truck the are getting.

Michael