I'm going back to work after 6 months of unemployment. I will be working for a company that makes almost every component in the electrical grid with the exception of the poles. Business is booming do to: Refurbishing a grid that was built in the 50's and 60's that is well overdue for replacement The need to connect new wind farms to city centers Stimulus money to do both. It is a new industry for me but looks to be very interesting and more importantly growing. Now I just have to get the entire honey-do list done within the next week!
Jsh, that is fantastic. Hope you enjoy your new job. There is always a 'to do' list, don't worry about it. 'Don't Worry Be Happy'
True, but I'm in the middle of a big item on the list; painting the house. I'm about 2/3 rd done with the trim. I got sidetracked when I found water damage from incorrectly installed flashing around the chimney. I ended up having to take 2 sides of the chimney down to the studs, install new sheathing, water barrier, and replace all the trim. I also cut out a section of the eve, replaced the studs, and added bracing. The repair work took a week.
Isn't it always the way. You start on one job and it leads to 10 others. Good luck with getting it finished.
Yes. I'll be a Product Engineer in the Transmission and Substation Connectors Division. That is the segment of the electrical grid from the generation source to the substation that steps down the voltage to be distributed. The plant where the job is located is a make-to-order foundry. As a product engineer I will: Receive an order from a utility Specify what components they will need for that section of transmission line. Design any new parts needed for special applications Oversee the testing of those new parts Design the patterns needed to make the parts Manage the production of those parts in the foundry Make sure the parts get sent to the distribution center to be kitted and sent to the customer. For an order with no new parts, the turn around time from order to delivery is ~10 days
Congratulations. I applied for a job with the local utility (SMUD) just a couple of days ago. I'm hoping they will call me for an interview, but I don't have much hope - on the supplemental application questionnaire, I had to state that I didn't have any direct experience in the field (biomass generation). I would like to work in some of the "green" energy fields - but I don't have the specific experience that those job listings call for since I worked for the last 13 years in electronics manufacturing.
I have my fingers crossed for you Dogfriend. Have you thought of doing a course in the field you are interested in?
I did a course in my field but it rained and the lecturer told us to go inside. sorry. Congrats JSH, and all the best in this new leg of your career. Don't sweat too much over the to do list, if you knock too many jobs off the list the "better half" will just find some more jobs to tack on the end. I hope you finish the painting in good time before you start the new job.
You never know what the future holds. I was contacted by a recruiter for this company 2 years ago about the same position. It seems that the search engine hit on key words like transmission and power in my resume and the recruiter thought I would be a perfect fit. I had to explain to her that power transmission (electrical grid) and power transmission (mechanical component of a vehicle) were very different things but I was still interested in the job. Product Engineering is Product Engineering even if the product is different. I never heard from her again. Now 2 years later I was the perfect candidate. (I got a call from the HR manager ~ 1 hour after I submitted my resume) Of course this time the company was handling recruiting themselves instead of relying on headhunters. That is key, getting in contact with the actually people you will be working for. I've never found headhunters to be helpful. At best they won't screw things up for you too badly. I've never had much knowledge of the particular product before I started working for a company. This will be the 3rd distinctive industry I've worked in over a span of 10 years.
I have taken a couple of classes at the local community college, to update some skills, but most of the job listings will specify experience that you would only obtain by working in that field. So, its a chicken vs. egg thing. BTW, I have about 8 years of engineering school already. If my degree was in Civil Engineering, I would have more opportunities, but my degree is Mechanical Engineering.
I've had similar experience here in Birmingham, AL. The manufacturing sector is way down because most manufacturing companies in the area supply Honda, Mercedes, or Hyundai. The majority of engineering job postings are in power generation, mining, or pipelines. Most of those are looking for civil engineers while my degree is Mechanical. However, I've also found that the hiring managers usually don't care about degrees and certifications. They understand that most relevant experience is learned on the job not in a classroom. The problem is getting past the headhunters that don't know anything about the actual job but have a list of qualifications with check boxes next to them. Again the key is to try to go around the headhunters. Most jobs on Monster and CareerBuilders are posted by headhunters. Try to use the information in the posting to find out what company is hiring, and then approach the company directly. Many are happy to take your application directly because they don't have to pay the headhunter 30-40% of your base salary in a commission. It is always better to apply directly.
Congratulations JSH, I hope your new job will not necessitate a move since you just worked part way through your honey do list. As I get older my philosophy changes. It used to be 'why hire someone else if I have the skills'. Now it's 'I make the money doing what I'm good at and hire someone else to do what they are good at'. The trick is that I must make more than anyone I hire so as to avoid the negative cash flow. I'm happier doing what I LIKE to do instead of saving a few pesos and plowing through 'do it yourself jobs'.
that sounds like a great job- and i bet it feels great to have a job again after 6 months of unemployment! i am balancing my time between job searching and finishing my degree, and am finding a TON of chicken-egg situations in private industry myself. the glut of available workers/job seekers makes for higher hiring standards. this is why i'm also looking at academic and government jobs! the wider the net, the better...
Yes, I agree. I've never gotten a job offer through a headhunter. Basically a headhunter is another layer between you and the person who has the authority to hire you. Plus, some headhunters will ask questions that are illegal for employers to ask and use the answer(s) to screen you out.
