Honest critique

[Another C10]

I'm looking for honest critique. I placed an ad on Craigslist looking for help for a few days, and someone emailed me saying I should have my wife write my ads because it comes off like I'm an a-hole. I can't see it. Here's the exact ad. What do you think?
****************

I need help for 3 days this coming week.
From Johnson County to Platte City.

New construction and remodel
All residential

Please - if you're a maintenance man, handyman, commercial or industrial electrician, please don't inquire. If you've never had a full time job as a new construction residential electrician, please don't inquire.

You must have your own transportation
If you can't be on time, please no.

Good pay for good help

Paid cash on Wednesday

****************

No subs

If this is serious then maybe try this approach ...

Looking for assistance on a 3 day project this coming week.
From Johnson County to Platte City.

New construction and remodel experience needed
All residential work.

Please - Only apply if you have 3-5 years of new construction as a residential electrician.
No other applicant will be considered for this position, period.

You must have your own transportation and hand tools.
If you can't be on time, then stay home.

Good pay for a good days help.

Pay will be based on experience.

Thank you.

 

[MiamiValleyelec]

If this is serious then maybe try this approach ...

Looking for assistance on a 3 day project this coming week.
From Johnson County to Platte City.

New construction and remodel experience needed
All residential work.

Please - Only apply if you have 3-5 years of new construction as a residential electrician.
No other applicant will be considered for this position, period.

You must have your own transportation and hand tools.
If you can't be on time, then stay home.

Good pay for a good days help.

Pay will be based on experience.

Thank you.

I'm looking for honest critique. I placed an ad on Craigslist looking for help for a few days, and someone emailed me saying I should have my wife write my ads because it comes off like I'm an a-hole. I can't see it. Here's the exact ad. What do you think?
****************

I need help for 3 days this coming week.
From Johnson County to Platte City.

New construction and remodel
All residential

Please - if you're a maintenance man, handyman, commercial or industrial electrician, please don't inquire. If you've never had a full time job as a new construction residential electrician, please don't inquire.

You must have your own transportation
If you can't be on time, please no.

Good pay for good help

Paid cash on Wednesday

****************

No subs

Why would you disqualify commercial and industrial electricians?

 

[LarryFine]

Why would you disqualify commercial and industrial electricians?

Because when it comes to residential work, they're basically helpers who know how to make joints.

 

[MiamiValleyelec]

Because when it comes to residential work, they're basically helpers who know how to make joints.

My career as an electrician is all commercial/industrial but I’m thinking of going out on my own. I do a lot of residential work on the side that I feel has been pretty easy to transition to so I’m not understanding why you would want to disqualify that much of a potential work force? When I’m doing a basement remodel and I need help I get a friend that knows how to use a drill, layout where I want my holes and boxes let him go to town while keeping an eye on him and doing other things. It’s the same as running a commercial job you have to keep an eye on everyone know matter how much experience they have. Just curious on what type of employee you think you’ll be able to get that you don’t have to watch?

 

[ptonsparky]

My career as an electrician is all commercial/industrial but I’m thinking of going out on my own. I do a lot of residential work on the side that I feel has been pretty easy to transition to so I’m not understanding why you would want to disqualify that much of a potential work force? When I’m doing a basement remodel and I need help I get a friend that knows how to use a drill, layout where I want my holes and boxes let him go to town while keeping an eye on him and doing other things. It’s the same as running a commercial job you have to keep an eye on everyone know matter how much experience they have. Just curious on what type of employee you think you’ll be able to get that you don’t have to watch?

For cash, off the street, you're lucky if they don't walk off with half the materials.

 

[James L]

For cash, off the street, you're lucky if they don't walk off with half the materials.

Hey, they aren't off the street. They're off Craigslist

 

[James L]

My career as an electrician is all commercial/industrial but I’m thinking of going out on my own. I do a lot of residential work on the side that I feel has been pretty easy to transition to so I’m not understanding why you would want to disqualify that much of a potential work force? When I’m doing a basement remodel and I need help I get a friend that knows how to use a drill, layout where I want my holes and boxes let him go to town while keeping an eye on him and doing other things. It’s the same as running a commercial job you have to keep an eye on everyone know matter how much experience they have. Just curious on what type of employee you think you’ll be able to get that you don’t have to watch?

Resi-comm-indust
It's very rare to meet someone who does all 3
There are a number of reasons to throw a blanket over industrial and commercial guys:

The pace is different. Residential work needs to be done like assembly line work in otder to be efficient. Less tools, focus on one task (like nailing up wall boxes) until that task is done, then move on to the next task. It allows for minimizing tools and moving much faster. Not every resi guy gets it, either. But they're much more likely. And it takes so much longer to hobble through a job in patchwork style. I just can't have a 5 day job by myself turn into a 4 day job with someone "helping" who's out of his element. And most people want to be paid for time spent rather than productive input.

Circuit selection is really a curve ball for commercial and industrial guys. I've heard enough of them say it. Add all the rules for kitchens, baths, etc and most are lost.

Materials are different. And with a wider selection that will do the job. And many can be improvised. And the names are unfamiliar to those guys. It's a different paradigm. And it works the other way, too. I remember back in '05 I took a job supposedly as a residential electrician. It turned out the guy took 3 jobs from a commercial builder who decided to dabble in home building. And that was all the resi work he had. So I had to learn commercial work or look for a different job.

The first time a lead man told me to go get some bat wings out of the truck, I refused. I thought he was yanking my chain. There wasn't any way in hell I was gonna go on a wild goose chase so he could laugh at me the rest of the week. It literally took him an hour (and a phone call to the boss) to convince me it's a real trade name. It's funny now but I don't have the time for it on a 3-day gig.

 

[ptonsparky]

I did residential for a good number of years and have no idea what a batwing is.

 

[MiamiValleyelec]

Resi-comm-indust
It's very rare to meet someone who does all 3
There are a number of reasons to throw a blanket over industrial and commercial guys:

The pace is different. Residential work needs to be done like assembly line work in otder to be efficient. Less tools, focus on one task (like nailing up wall boxes) until that task is done, then move on to the next task. It allows for minimizing tools and moving much faster. Not every resi guy gets it, either. But they're much more likely. And it takes so much longer to hobble through a job in patchwork style. I just can't have a 5 day job by myself turn into a 4 day job with someone "helping" who's out of his element. And most people want to be paid for time spent rather than productive input.

Circuit selection is really a curve ball for commercial and industrial guys. I've heard enough of them say it. Add all the rules for kitchens, baths, etc and most are lost.

Materials are different. And with a wider selection that will do the job. And many can be improvised. And the names are unfamiliar to those guys. It's a different paradigm. And it works the other way, too. I remember back in '05 I took a job supposedly as a residential electrician. It turned out the guy took 3 jobs from a commercial builder who decided to dabble in home building. And that was all the resi work he had. So I had to learn commercial work or look for a different job.

The first time a lead man told me to go get some bat wings out of the truck, I refused. I thought he was yanking my chain. There wasn't any way in hell I was gonna go on a wild goose chase so he could laugh at me the rest of the week. It literally took him an hour (and a phone call to the boss) to convince me it's a real trade name. It's funny now but I don't have the time for it on a 3-day gig.

Understandable. From what I have heard about residential new construction those guys don’t get a minute to eat lunch. I will say when I work for myself I don’t eat, too expensive.

A lot of guys do stand around or take 45 minutes bathroom breaks at work. I sometimes wonder how you make money on a commercial job. The owner of the company I work for asked how a job was going, I said the productivity of the guys wasn’t very good, he just shrugged his shoulders. I thought that was pretty nuts.

one time I was at a hardware store looking for buttholes. I couldn’t find them on the shelf. The person working the electrical isle was a woman, no way was gonna ask her where the buttholes were. Luckily, I found them. They’re called “ plastic push in bushings”. I’ll never forget the name of those.

 

[MiamiValleyelec]

I did residential for a good number of years and have no idea what a batwing is.

Bx clip

 

[ptonsparky]

Bx clip

Never used one for nmcable

 

[MiamiValleyelec]

Never used one for nmcable

You use them for bx or mc. He was on a commercial job

 

[ptonsparky]

You use them for bx or mc. He was on a commercial job

I missed that. Thought we were on residential.

 

[James L]

I missed that. Thought we were on residential.

I was just explaining how guys can be out of their element, as I once was when I was on a commercial job

 

[Another C10]

I was just explaining how guys can be out of their element

I understand that mindset although there are many facets of electricity, I've worked on new and remodel .. residential and commercial and very little Industrial which for me was basically running rigid or ocal all day. Fun work but a whole different animal then the world of TI Commercial or deck work, then there's residential, another fast paced environment although very physical but a whole different kind of fun. Point is Electricians should do as much as they can of the various directions within our industry, a guy that does motor control for a life time is great but chances are they wont know were to begin to wire a house and visa versa. there were days I'd be setting switch gear, pulling in parallel feeders and another year running Data cable punching down a port panel, lately I've been troubleshooting a flickering light for Mrs. jones or adding that EV receptacle for Mr smith.

Its all good, 100k a year is the same 100K regardless what type of electrical work one does. besides there are many more homes and businesses across the state then industries.

 

[James L]

Understandable. From what I have heard about residential new construction those guys don’t get a minute to eat lunch.

Really it depends on the guy. When I did new construction everyday, I took plenty of breaks. But I was so much more efficient than most of my counterparts. I remember once I was wiring a 4500 square foot house and I finished the rough-in with 44 hours. One of my co-workers was wiring the exact same house next door, and he started on the same day as me. The boss sent me next door to help him get finished. I was horrified at how little work was done. I told him I was there to help and he was completely stunned that I was already done with my rough-in. I asked him how many hours he typically takes on that house and he said about 120. I told him I would have fired him a long time ago if I was the boss. Now he was an extreme example, but most guys in our shop spent 65-70 hours wiring that same house that I wired in 44

The thing is, they all worked all day. Always complained that they never had time for a break I never had time to take lunch. If I worked non-stop like them, I probably would have done that house in 35 hours

A lot of guys do stand around or take 45 minutes bathroom breaks at work. I sometimes wonder how you make money on a commercial job. The owner of the company I work for asked how a job was going, I said the productivity of the guys wasn’t very good, he just shrugged his shoulders. I thought that was pretty nuts.

Well, in general you have people who are fast and efficient and you also have people who are slow, inefficient, and lazy. Most bosses are content to take the good and the bad together and as long as they make money they're okay.

Honestly, you sound like the right kind of guy to be out on your own

one time I was at a hardware store looking for buttholes. I couldn’t find them on the shelf. The person working the electrical isle was a woman, no way was gonna ask her where the buttholes were. Luckily, I found them. They’re called “ plastic push in bushings”. I’ll never forget the name of those.

I've never heard them called buttholes.
I wouldn't have asked for them either

 

[petersonra]

There are a lot of people who have been trained by supervisors and management to look busy rather than actually accomplish things. It's kind of sad because people who actually can get things done efficiently are often looked at as lazy by management and supervision because they don't look like they're working all that hard.

 

[Fred B]

There are a lot of people who have been trained by supervisors and management to look busy rather than actually accomplish things. It's kind of sad because people who actually can get things done efficiently are often looked at as lazy by management and supervision because they don't look like they're working all that hard.

I've only had a couple of young guys that will "work", after giving enough instruction could leave them to do the tasks, many times they finished faster than I expected. But I didn't find them just sitting around waiting on me, when I got back to the area they had moved on to the next thing or was busy doing housekeeping getting things cleaned up and in order that made moving on easier.

 

[ptonsparky]

I've only had a couple of young guys that will "work", after giving enough instruction could leave them to do the tasks, many times they finished faster than I expected. But I didn't find them just sitting around waiting on me, when I got back to the area they had moved on to the next thing or was busy doing housekeeping getting things cleaned up and in order that made moving on easier.

My first apprentice job, the journeyman left me on the job site with a small list of things to do while he went for parts with "I'll be right back."
Yea, we all know how that goes.
I had helped the carpenters set a wall, swept the floors, and was wondering if there was something I could do to help the plumbers by the time he got back.

 

[Fred B]

My first apprentice job, the journeyman left me on the job site with a small list of things to do while he went for parts with "I'll be right back."
Yea, we all know how that goes.
I had helped the carpenters set a wall, swept the floors, and was wondering if there was something I could do to help the plumbers by the time he got back.

Way better than one I had that when he couldn't figure out what to do with the one thing so he just sat down and did nothing else that could have been done around that one point until I got back.This is someone that claimed to be "all that" and worth a high wage. So I can appreciate the tone of the OP help want request. Having done both residential and commercial I agree a different skill set between the 2 particularly with regards to code compliance, if all the applicant has done is commercial or industrial. Been in behind a guy who was strictly industrial experience and was a "good" industrial electrician that had failed really bad doing their own home wiring with the different code requirements for residential. But his terminations were real pretty and a real neatly assembled panel inside, lots of labels that you never see by most residential guys.