same guy at every company (yes i'm complaining again)

[wolfstrike]

every company i apply at , the same guy is there.

he's name is always different , his hair is a little different , his face is a little different , but he's there , ...leaning against the wall.

when i walk in , he jumps up , runs over , firm handshake, serious attitude ...all that BS.

"i saw the ad in the paper you are hiring technicians?"

"yes , yes we are, how long have you been working in the feild?"

"well , actually , i just graduated trade school"

that's when the attitude changes , the professionalism flys out the window, and the smirk enters his face.
"go fill out an application"


they NEVER say , 'sorry, we're not hiring new techs' , i'm ALWAYS invited in for the lightning round.

"what's your driving record like?" (always first question)
"where did you go to school?"
"what kind of grades did you get?"
"did you ever get a chance to work with any systems?"
"are you EPA certified?"

...i always have good answers.

...i also solved world hunger , ended war , and won the Nobel Peace Prize, it really does freaking matter does it?

this guy always takes a position in the room where i can't see him while i'm answering questions , he's in the background making gestures , hand signals, anything he can do to try to get people to laugh during my interview.

...shaking his head, "no , no way , uh-uh, no new techs , forget it , out of the question, nope!"

he's NEVER in charge of hiring , but ALWAYS feels he should insert his opinion that i would never be a good tech, based on ...nothing.






he's been with the company a few years , has everyone in aw over his great knowledge and his value towards the company,
...the anceint art and hidden secrets of changing out a capacitor.
every day of every year he comes to work with a new strategy.

doesn't like the idea of a new tech upsetting the gravey train.

[frigetater]

I'm sorry I treated you that way....now go fill out the application

[coolwhip]

Wolf, I think you are going to these interviews with an attitude, which is bad juju. Just be happy and eager and ask to fill out an application for employmemt.

[markettech]

From the context of your OP it sounds like you don't have a problem stereotyping a company - but damn the world if they stereotype you.

The chair you were sitting in isn't bolted to the floor is it? Pivot it so you can view both of the people in the interview.

Get over the pity party and go find a job:D

[tech_in_kc]

When I was looking for a service job I had no experience. I went through the phonebook and called a bunch of A/C companies and got the name of the service manager. The I sent out resumes and cover letters to those companies marked ATTN: Service Manager. I sent out about 15 of those and about 4 or 5 days later received about 4 calls from companies. I had a job the next week. That sure did beat driving around town all day filling out apps.

[bootlen]

My son-in-law once said, "Damn, do I have to prove myself everywhere I go?"

My answer was, "Yes. You do. Get used to it."

The questions they asked you are asked of every candidate where I work...of 20 year olds or 50 year olds. You think that just because you have a piece of paper from a tech school you should get a free pass? Would you want someone with a free pass driving your vehicles? Or coming into your home? Or using your name all over town? Think about that.

[Carnak]

Sounds like everytime you go for an interview you bring the same loser with the loser attitude with you. Leave him at home.

[rsmith46]

You may not be right for a service based industry like HVAC.

[greenm&m]

You would make a damn good wife. :D

[hillbilly tech]

Wolf you will get a job if ya want one bad enuff,but you can't make the big dollars until you have proven your able to do the work and make the company money.I cant say what ide do if i was in your shoes for I'm not but i know what i did when i worked for a company where i didnt feel i was getting paid what i was worth,,i went and got a nother job.After you've done this stuff for about 10 year you might be a pretty good tech,unless you are semi-genius,which you may be,but there few and far between.I feel you'll stay in the hvac and refrig.field for you have a desire for it and that is the main thing in making it in this field,desire,hard work in the field,study,16 hr.days and so on.I'm not sayen these fellows are right for acting the way they do but if your being a bit cocky at how good ya are without much of a background in installation and service these guys think your full of crap,for they have seen many greenhorns and know these fellows for the most part may have 2 or 4 yrs of schooling but my ole buddy its much different than 4 year out in the field,but the 2 will go hand in hand later down the road.Not being nosey is there any other things that may be hurting you employment chances such as not washing properly,bad body odor is a big turn of,especially if ya got to work right beside of somebody all day,and sometimes if your a little overweight effects employement.I know its not always right but some folks look at fat guys as lazy,sometimes they are and sometimes there not but being overweihgt does not put a check in your box if ya know what i mean.I think ya need to eat a piece of good ole humble pie and take what you can get for now and when something better comes along tackle it,isnt that the american way?

[markettech]

sometimes if your a little overweight effects employement.I know its not always right but some folks look at fat guys as lazy,sometimes they are and sometimes there not but being overweihgt does not put a check in your box if ya know what i mean

Hey now........careful with the fat guy stuff:D :D

[hillbilly tech]

Ah heck I'm what ya call overweight,not fat,but i could lose 30 pounds and it wouldnt hurt me a bit,I'm at 225 and 6 ft tall but 10 year ago i was at 185,that stuff creeps up on ya in a hurry.Back when the wife and i couldnt leave each other alone i could eat what ever i wanted and not gain a pound,ah heck cant be like bunny rabbits all your life,it'd be fun thow,wouldnt ya say.

[markettech]

Ah heck I'm what ya call overweight,not fat,but i could lose 30 pounds and it wouldnt hurt me a bit,I'm at 225 and 6 ft tall but 10 year ago i was at 185,that stuff creeps up on ya in a hurry.Back when the wife and i couldnt leave each other alone i could eat what ever i wanted and not gain a pound,ah heck cant be like bunny rabbits all your life,it'd be fun thow,wouldnt ya say.

Yeah I hear ya - I'm 6'2" and pushing 3 bills (I carry it well though:D ). 34" waist at 250 lbs. only 6 years ago - Man........I gotta get back to the gym:(

[x-wrenchturner]

Wolf,
any idea how many of "us" have been green techs in the past?

I'm afraid there are no easy answers for you on this one.

My only suggestion for you would be to show some humility during the interview.
This would be a way to set yourself apart from your competition, as most green techs seem to have a chip on their shoulder now a days and go around forums like this complaining about how unfair their interviews were.

just my .02

[smokin68]

Everytime you b!tch on here, it makes it real easy to see why noone's hired you. If it's the same old story everytime, turn the page. Try to start as a helper for the millionth time, you WILL get a job if you SHUT YOUR MOUTH long enough for them to hire you. You sound extremely whiney, and no senior tech wants to put up with a whiner. JMO.

[marvin]

look in todays rj classifieds co. called con am needs help
know some of thier people & they dont seem to unhappy working there

[bob brown]

Hello,
If you don't look the part, you won't get the job. I have worked in many situations, where I was insulted time after time by ignorant as$es that thought they knew everything, and they didnt. I gave up trying to find a job, and started my own service company. I am overweight, and have been so all of my life. I overcompensated with superiour knowledge and tried to do the job better than other companies. I was in business for over 10 years, where every year, I added a new service. The customers loved the one stop shopping, but because I did not have superiour credentials in every service, I had to charge less. This is a hard way to grow. The down side to this story is anyone can start a business, but to grow the business, you need 30 hour days, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You need to develop a few good paying customers quickly.

[hillbilly tech]

:eek:

[Carnak]

look in todays rj classifieds co. called con am needs help
know some of thier people & they dont seem to unhappy working there

You can lead him to the roll of toilet paper marvin, but he has to learn to wipe it himself

[spotts]

You would make a damn good wife. :D

That aaaaand you could fix the stuff when it broke. Sounds like a bargain for somebody.....;)

[markettech]

Hello,
you need 30 hour days, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You need to develop a few good paying customers quickly.

Superior knowledge huh?:D :D

[markettech]

That aaaaand you could fix the stuff when it broke. Sounds like a bargain for somebody.....;)

Don't know about you spotts but I'd rather be on the giving end than the receiving end - if you know what I mean:eek: :D

[Shophound]

The T.O. of tech school grads "strikes" again...

[spotts]

The T.O. of tech school grads "strikes" again...


Ha! I always thought of Randy Moss.......

[spotts]

Don't know about you spotts but I'd rather be on the giving end than the receiving end - if you know what I mean:eek: :D


Not me bud, if my bride could change a dishwasher, I'd be like "You change it out, then come over here and I'll wash ya up when yer done".............http://www.ukhairdressers.com/carol/woman_in_bath.jpg

[hillbilly tech]

I just'd like for my dogs to be able to get a little dental work done,how do ya like my signature pic.I didnt know how to get the thing on there but the wife did,she gottme up a minute ago and said hey i seed that there on the hvac talk where you was talken about bunnies,it ard a b agaist the law a women getten on here and see en what a man writes about.Be careful fellows of what ya write,in my case i got in no trouble but you now how it is.And Wolfy go get it bud,you'll make it.

[markettech]

Not me bud, if my bride could change a dishwasher, I'd be like "You change it out, then come over here and I'll wash ya up when yer done".............http://www.ukhairdressers.com/carol/woman_in_bath.jpg

.................................................. ........................:rolleyes:

[spotts]

[QUOTE=hillbilly tech
it ard a b agaist the law.[/QUOTE]

That took a second to read, and yea, it arda B Clem, my bride finds trashy stuff here ever time too. I like yer dawgs..... Their real job is...... http://data1.blog.de/blog/w/whynot/img/alarm_redneck.jpg

[hillbilly tech]

Don't let hillbilly kid ya :D He is as spry as a spring chicken. I have to admit he aint as good as he once was, But he's good once as he ever was:eek:
He can work on anything but a computer and then I have to help a little with that. Just let this be a warning to all you Techs on here your wife knows more than you think and As a famous singer wrote

"what I don't know might not hurt me
If I stay dumb and no one tells
but what I don't know might get you killed"

Be good guys, and have a great and prosperous NEW YEAR!

Mrs. Hillbilly!:p

[markettech]

Don't let hillbilly kid ya :D He is as spry as a spring chicken. I have to admit he aint as good as he once was, But he's good once as he ever was:eek:
He can work on anything but a computer and then I have to help a little with that. Just let this be a warning to all you Techs on here your wife knows more than you think and As a famous singer wrote

"what I don't know might not hurt me
If I stay dumb and no one tells
but what I don't know might get you killed"

Be good guys, and have a great and prosperous NEW YEAR!

Mrs. Hillbilly!:p

Have a good New Year yourself and tell that husband of yours to get off the computer and get somethin done!!:D

[jon davis]

Congratulations, Wolfstrike, you have finally pushed enough buttons to make me post. 1st, I see that you have discovered the little secret that all HVAC companies try to hide, that we are all so enormously profitable that we have to hire a full time employee to make fun of applicants. I do it myself at my company, because as service manager, I obviously have nothing else to occupy my time. As far as the companies in Las Vegas being so "immature" that they want to check your references, I guess that they should just take it on faith that you are a bona-fide genius. After all, it's only their license that you are jeopardizing. If you apply with me, you will fill out an application, you will be interviewed(twice), your driving record will be verified with DMV, and prior to being hired you will be drug tested and background checked. Welcome to 2007. After hire, you will be held responsible for your own actions.
Now for some constuctive advice.
As others have told you, lose the attitude. The fact that you have a 3.7 GPA is a selling point, but not a free ticket to the wage you want. One of the most important things any instructor told my class, the first night of a 50 week school 27 years ago was that if we graduated, we would not be journeymen, but enlightened apprentices. Most of the guys interviewing you not only know what you know, but more importantly, what you don't know. Very few of them started at the top, or even the middle.
Don't walk in and ask if they are hiring techs, ask about entry level up front. You may find that that is exactly what they need.
This is the slowest time of year in this area. Keep your face in front of the companies you are interested in until things pick up in the spring.
Dress like you are going to a job interview, not a grunge concert.
Bathe.
If you are handed an application, fill it out completely. Don't just attach a resume to it. First, an entry level resume just isn't that impressive. Second, some of us look at the way you fill out an application to get an idea of how you will fill out an invoice.
Continue your education. This is a dynamic industry, and you didn't learn it all in school.
Lose the idea that changing capacitors and parts is what this industry is about. Those are the easy calls.
If none of this appeals to you, ask around any of the wholesalers, most of them know me. I can give you the names of several companies in the Las Vegas area who actually frown on experience.

[jon davis]

.

[The Penguin]

Holy shoot wolfie I recomend you print out Jon Davis'post and memorise it - every word of it.

I also suggest that you put your oversized brain to work and follow every piece of advice in the above post- it truly is ecactly waht you need to do to get hired.

drop the attitude too.


If you do not follow Jon Davis'advice to the letter and do not get hired STOP WHINING

if you do follow the above posters advice and still don't get hired - I suggest you look into the mirror closely to figure out what the problem is. My feeling is the problem is your problem

[markj]

Just to echo a few commments. At you level you will not make a company any money for between 6 month and 2 years. Trade schools are not the real world and you have a lot of learning to do. I recently hired a grad with about 1 years experience. I fiqure that if I spend the time to further his education in real life he may by and assest to the company in about a year. Right no he will slow eveything up and cost us money. Is it worth it? If he stays yes. If he leaves in less than a year then we will have wasted out time. He will benefit, we will not.
I would suggest to you that the only common person in your interviews has been you. It may be a good time for some honest self evaluation. This trade is in need of good people. If you choose to be one of them it is up to you. From the attitude that you have here I suggest you look deep inside yourself and find and correct that problem. Not only do you have 1 guy at an interview laughing at you, you have the largest HVAC talk forum suspecting your attitude.
I'm sure that we are all wrong.
Hope you find your problem and good luck with your future.

Nice picture Spotts

[too tall terry]

Wolf,
any idea how many of "us" have been green techs in the past?

I'm afraid there are no easy answers for you on this one.

My only suggestion for you would be to show some humility during the interview.
This would be a way to set yourself apart from your competition, as most green techs seem to have a chip on their shoulder now a days and go around forums like this complaining about how unfair their interviews were.

just my .02i agree with what you say 100% ;)

[wolfstrike]

____________________
I can give you the names of several companies in the Las Vegas area who actually frown on experience
____________________



please do

[1972torino]

:eek: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_complex

[otto]

Here's an idea. I was 17 years old and couldn't hold a job for more than 2 weeks. It was always some reason other than I was a slouch. I joined the Navy and got assigned to be a Boiler Technician. Did that for almost 5 years. Saw the world, learned teamwork, got tons of mechanical experience and caught some fun diseases in the PI;) . But, it made me an employable and useful technician who learned this trade from the ground up. It wasn't the mechanical experience, I worked on 400# steam boilers as big as a house and rebuilt turbine-driven auxiliaries on a ship commissioned in 1944. It was the teamwork and knowing how to be a team player that has helped me. I learned all this HVAC stuff after I got out.

Maybe go down to a Navy recruiter. Be sure to tell them you want to be a Snipe!!! But just an HT, you might not cut it in the fireroom.

[busted knuckles]

Here's an idea. I was 17 years old and couldn't hold a job for more than 2 weeks. It was always some reason other than I was a slouch. I joined the Navy and got assigned to be a Boiler Technician. Did that for almost 5 years. Saw the world, learned teamwork, got tons of mechanical experience and caught some fun diseases in the PI;) . But, it made me an employable and useful technician who learned this trade from the ground up. It wasn't the mechanical experience, I worked on 400# steam boilers as big as a house and rebuilt turbine-driven auxiliaries on a ship commissioned in 1944. It was the teamwork and knowing how to be a team player that has helped me. I learned all this HVAC stuff after I got out.

Maybe go down to a Navy recruiter. Be sure to tell them you want to be a Snipe!!! But just an HT, you might not cut it in the fireroom.

My Pop was in the Old Navy ('57-'61).
He was on a wooden minesweeper. I got much respect for you guys.
Salute.

[2hot2coolme]

...........

[riderman]

Maybe go down to a Navy recruiter. Be sure to tell them you want to be a Snipe!!! But just an HT, you might not cut it in the fireroom.[/QUOTE]


Hey OTTO, how long ya been out? HT's have been gone for a while. They are now called DC's. gatta love snipes keeping the engines running, pushing the boat around while twidgets sit in the AC fighting the battle..LOL

My brother and I were stationed on a old DDG together, he was an HT. You BT's and such, forget that. TOOO HOT! Remember circle Xray\william? No way. That makes an attic seem cool. I've seen you guy's soaked from head to tow in sweat, soaked. I was at the top of the boat, in AC:))))

I think most of your type rates have merged to MM's.

[oroy54]

get a grip on yourself. When you become a man you will realize that there are liars on every job. This is what happens to a boy when there is no father around.

[ksscq]

I myself am in the same situation. I contacted my instructor where I obtained my certification and he gave me leads to companies that contacted him looking for new graduates. I am currently working as an intern/apprentice along side a tech. four days a week who has over 20yrs experience in the HVAC field. I am hoping this experience will brighten my resume in hopes of landing a good paying job. In this area starting out is around 8-10 an hour. I am wanting to start out @ $15 in about a year from now. Anyways, It can't hurt. Remain positive :)

[bittan]

Our company hired 2 guys fresh out of tech school 7 months ago. Both started as helpers with senior installers. These aren't kids, both fellas in mid thirties. One is doing great but the other isn't. Bad attitude. Been reassigned to recently "promoted" lead installer. Green and greener we call them. Doens't learn proper techniques with a 2 year vet. Learns hackery. Green and greener brag how they "get er done" faster. And always have exuses for call-backs. Some of the older guys have spoken to the new guy; do it right-don't hack. But it's not getting through. Combine lack of experience with a poor attitude AND you will not last long. Part of the problem is management of course. Lots of business and no time to train. God bless the owners who promote from within. Kinda a Catch-22.

[wolfstrike]

Doens't learn proper techniques with a 2 year vet. Learns hackery

whew! good thing i'm not like that

[2hot2coolme]

You think not having much experience is a problem...try getting hired here.





HVAC -SERVICE TECH -SHEET METAL TECH FT Positions. Minimum experience 15 yrs. service or 5 yrs. metal for non union shop in Lake Forest. Competitive wages based on experience with full benefits. All work in North Shore Area. Call Alan 773-454-0606 , posted 12/24/2006

[otto]

Maybe go down to a Navy recruiter. Be sure to tell them you want to be a Snipe!!! But just an HT, you might not cut it in the fireroom.


Hey OTTO, how long ya been out? HT's have been gone for a while. They are now called DC's. gatta love snipes keeping the engines running, pushing the boat around while twidgets sit in the AC fighting the battle..LOL

My brother and I were stationed on a old DDG together, he was an HT. You BT's and such, forget that. TOOO HOT! Remember circle Xray\william? No way. That makes an attic seem cool. I've seen you guy's soaked from head to tow in sweat, soaked. I was at the top of the boat, in AC:))))

I think most of your type rates have merged to MM's.[/QUOTE]

I have been out since '83. It was real, it was fun, but it wasn't real fun!

[The Penguin]

C#mcast - screwing the public because they can swap out the o for a u they did

[Milk man]

You got out when I went to Basic. I didn't know you where that old.

I remember when I got out of basic, Grampa said if he had to do it all over again he would have joined the Navy. So he would have a bed every night.
I thought he should have told me six months ago.

Spotts, please remove my sister's picture from your post. :D

Wolf, are you working anywhere now. Maybe you can tell a company you would "ride along" for free for a week. Tell them if they think you will fit in after a week they can hire you and pay you for that week. If not, they don't owe you anything.