Its me the jobless apprentice

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if you do that dont give them a card!

if you do that dont give them a card!

HaskinsElectric said:
You're better off advertising on Craigslist claiming that you've been a Journeyman for 10 years and are doing side jobs. Nobody will know the difference and you'll learn as you go. You'll make more money than if you worked for an EC and be able to make your own hours. Get the "Basic Wiring" book from Home Depot and some business cards.
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read some books,go in there say you know the basics and have tools and want to learn.
 
Experienced?

Experienced?

Put what you want on our application....
We have a 10 question "questionaire" regarding simple electrical, basic code questions that goes with the application.

We advertise "Qualified". The result determine your hiring level.

Plain and simple.

No BSing us...

We've been around for a while.

Tell the truth, It says alot about your character.
 
jrannis said:
A true 90 day wonder. Sorry, thats 120 days.
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Not really since I had a a lot of experience with electrical and electronics. Wiring is wiring when it comes to trouble shooting just installed in a different fashion in a different place, it was a simple move from aircraft electronics and electrical to residential and comercial buildings. The point of my story is I told the man the truth he hired me because I told him I would show up and not make excuses, He first hired an "experienced" guy over my "inexperience".
 
bikeindy said:
Not really since I had a a lot of experience with electrical and electronics. Wiring is wiring when it comes to trouble shooting just installed in a different fashion in a different place, it was a simple move from aircraft electronics and electrical to residential and comercial buildings. The point of my story is I told the man the truth he hired me because I told him I would show up and not make excuses, He first hired an "experienced" guy over my "inexperience".
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I know, I was an AE (Avation Electrician MOS 6332)in the Marine Corps, the only job I could get when I got out was working in an avaition rebuild shop rebuilding oil pumps and air starters.
I got into the trade, second generation electrician, and realized that most of what electricians did was construction work and really needed to study and have good knowledge of every other trade as well as master the electrical trade to have skills worth something to an employer.
Of course, coming from a military background is a huge plus due to the fact that you are used to having to be somewhere at a specific time and know wasting time on excuses is not acceptable. And, that do or die attitude.
 
JONATHAN20 said:
This one dude told me ..your gonna have to lie and say you have worked in the field and make up a contractors name.
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If you're able to target only commercial / industrial-maintenance sectors, you're considering 5 years of apprenticeship, or certain death by accident, in uncertain markets.

If you pursue the Electrical trade in residential construction, housing builders were using EC laborers to ruff CA luxury-track homes for under $600 last year. The service sector competes for owner permits with the unlicensed, so repair prices & wages are going down in this economic buyers market.

Our recent hunter/gatherer ancestors had much simpler career choices. The desire you carry for a wise advocate, and other instinctive imperatives are now exploited by opportunistic surrogates. Children no longer follow their parents in predictable traditions or success; much less in a well adjusted coming of age.

If you can't leverage running the job or fake it for long, don't forget being exploitable is just as attractive. Under estimate and over perform. If help is wanted refuse the Resume, demand an interview, your time is money. The trades & small business have historically hired by handshake and paid by cash. Labor laws & enforcement could never control undocumented laborers. This exploit promises contractors their fair share of enrichment. Leverage is the only moderator
 
Last week a local plumber described to me his best help as a high school kid that worked for 7 years, who only cared about his car, and viewed days off as party time. Especially, since his other talent cost way too much money, for the same quality of work.

This contractor had just canned 10 employees after careless work caused serious losses from flooding, and warrantee repairs. As the plumber moved into a smaller shop and practically gave away some very expensive equipment to me, he said if I every need help never hire employees.

It amazed me how golden the rookie kids are among small contractors, and how much work this plumber had going all year long; more than most EC shops of equivalent size.
 
Wow...sometimes I wonder what happened to professionalism and striving to be the best. A person might fake their way into wiring a ceiling-fan or outhouse, but they won't make it into the world of PLC controls, Turbine Engine control, 480v and 4160 Motor Control. It ain't gonna happen.

We just hired a young man that is as green as a gourd, but he has the appitude and attitude, he was honest in the interview, his background looked good. He will be "a shadow" to top-notch Tech for a few years. It can happen, you just have to "make yourself wantable".

Most "fakers" that I have seen are in a setting of hundreds of workers on large construction jobs. All you have to do there is carry the same stick of conduit around all day. On small jobs, they stick out like a sore thumb. It's like the saying: "If you don't believe the dead can come back to life, you oughta be around here at quitting time".

A word to Jonathan, don't lie. I've done many interviews and caught some liers along the way. You might fake your qualifications to an HR rep or contractor that needs a ditch digger, but not to a professional in the trade.

There will be some frustration as you try to "climb the ladder" but just maintain your integrity as you build your skills. Put your TV in a garage sale, get books, study...study...study. Get on this forum as often as possible.

You are the only one that can make yourself valuable. Don't sacrafice your integrity for anything...not even a job.
 
So Jonathan, are you going to tell us if this information was helpful to you or not? Are you going to take the wise advice of the many career electricians who helped you?

Or are you just going to post another question a few months from now with another gripe about how you can't find a job?
 
hit the bricks at 7 am. go to every single EC shop in a 10+ mile radius. wear work boots and work clothes and bring tools with you in your car. dont stop until someone hires you. thats the way i did it 5 years ago and now im a journeyman electrician. just make sure your clothes are clean and not ripped or messy. tuck your shirt in and look presentable. image is a big thing to some customers.
 
I'm having a hard time beliving that a person who wants to work, can't find a job in the trade.

Job interviews - did you look the part?

That's a haircut, clean clothes, work boots on, tools out in the rig.

Tell the truth, it's the easiest lie to remember. Just because something is also true, does not require you to volunteer information.

Are there jobs actually available in your area?

First word in a journeyman's ticket is journey - you don't have a root attached to your heal if you can't chase up work where your at.

Analyze where you've been, and think about the responses of the places you've hit up for work, and see if there's an obvious reason you didn't get a job from them.

Old Chinese saying - "A ton of work will get you a pound of luck".

I just can't believe that there's not a job for you in America.
 
Clothes a little stained or worn out aren't bad actually. Most EC's want someone who's not afraid to get dirty. You just have to go in with a good attitude and keep applying. And if you get a hint of work call them every week and ask if something is available. Economy is tight right now but to be honest shops sometimes want a helper instead of a journeyman. Can pay them less for a few years and if it's a service company they don't really need two journeyman in a van going to every job. Helper gets materials, grabs ladders, tools while lead plans the job and talks to customer.
 
Trust, reliability, and attitude. These are characteristics that can and will set you apart. A good employer will keep these in thought when hiring an entry level employee. You should try to show (not sell) that these are qualities you possess. Historically in our company people we have hired that show these qualities have worked out very well.
 
jrannis said:
I know, I was an AE (Avation Electrician MOS 6332)in the Marine Corps, the only job I could get when I got out was working in an avaition rebuild shop rebuilding oil pumps and air starters.
I got into the trade, second generation electrician, and realized that most of what electricians did was construction work and really needed to study and have good knowledge of every other trade as well as master the electrical trade to have skills worth something to an employer.
Of course, coming from a military background is a huge plus due to the fact that you are used to having to be somewhere at a specific time and know wasting time on excuses is not acceptable. And, that do or die attitude.
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Yeah what i did in the USAF had to be done right, there was no wondering why, peoples lives depended on it. So when you go to work in the civilian sector and your employer sees that you care about what you do it is easy to get ahead. The guy I worked for sent me to classes and paid for them I really took advantage of that and thanked him, He said it was no problem I made him plenty of money to cover it. In one year I had received $5.25 hr in raises never asking for one. Truth is I would still be working for him had he not sold the company to some dipsh--.
 
ramsy said:
If you're able to target only commercial / industrial-maintenance sectors, you're considering 5 years of apprenticeship, or certain death by accident, in uncertain markets.

If you pursue the Electrical trade in residential construction, housing builders were using EC laborers to ruff CA luxury-track homes for under $600 last year. The service sector competes for owner permits with the unlicensed, so repair prices & wages are going down in this economic buyers market.

Our recent hunter/gatherer ancestors had much simpler career choices. The desire you carry for a wise advocate, and other instinctive imperatives are now exploited by opportunistic surrogates. Children no longer follow their parents in predictable traditions or success; much less in a well adjusted coming of age.

If you can't leverage running the job or fake it for long, don't forget being exploitable is just as attractive. Under estimate and over perform. If help is wanted refuse the Resume, demand an interview, your time is money. The trades & small business have historically hired by handshake and paid by cash. Labor laws & enforcement could never control undocumented laborers. This exploit promises contractors their fair share of enrichment. Leverage is the only moderator
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Sounds like Meth
 
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