Don't stand around !

[XcelTech]

When I hire a new guy out of school I hire him knowing for the first few months he isn't going to be fast enough and I am not going to be able to let him out on his own in the first 6 months.

As such, the new guys start out with the PM guys. I pick my PM guys by who has the best diagnostic skills. My philosophy is contract work gets the best of my employees. If I have the best guys doing the PM's they find the problems before they are problems (usually). My PM guys only do PM's and repairs on my contract work. This means they are best suited for training the new guys.

A new guy always gets the same speech.

You are coming straight out of trade school. If I put you in front of 5 different pieces of equipment you will not be able to tell me how 4 of them work or what they should do.

I can't make money from your work right now and have to train you. So you will be my PM muscle for a few month. Your job will be to follow the instructions of the PM guys. You will do all the heavy lifting for them, you will do all the dirty work; haul the tools, clean up the equipment, clean the work trucks, run in and out with parts, or any other grunt work they ask to be done. For this I will pay to have one of my best Techs teach you about the HVAC industry, equipment, sequences of operation, how parts should work, how to troubleshoot, how to fix them, how talk to the customers, and how we want our work done.

Should you do the dirty work without complaint, learn, show progress, and gain the confidence of my PM department I will give you a raise and promote you to installation where you will learn again more about the equipment and you should be armed with your knowledge of how other bad installs made equipment difficult to do PM's or how equipment didn't work well because of a bad install.

I have two major rules that I cut in stone. If you show up late 3 times or leave early without getting approval I show you the door. If you call in more then two week in a year, I show you the door.

I understand you will make mistakes, I understand you will break things, I understand you will cost me money before you make me money. I want you to work knowing that I know this and have prepared for it. I will forgive you and not hold you responsible. It is important that you get into it and work on the parts. You need to learn how to take a piece of equipment you don't understand, get your hands on it, and start figuring it out. Confidence that you can figure out how it works is the most important skill that I cannot teach you and you can't learn it being scared.

Last I know you will make those mistakes, don't try to hide them. If you admit what you did and tell me how you did it we can fix the problem faster and you learn. There is nothing that irks me more then having to diagnose a problem someone else created and they wont tell me what happened. It takes twice as long to fix when I don't know the beginning and middle.

Then they either put in the effort and know they are ding the grunt work cause they are costing the company money or they complain, don't try to learn, wont do the work, and get canned.

[2sac]

The only thing worse than the new guy standing around, is the new guy standing around with his hands in his pockets.

[Joehvac25]

The only thing worse than the new guy standing around, is the new guy standing around with his hands in his pockets.

Or thumbs on his phone


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[bmwruss]

Well, I'm in the same boat. Except, I've yet to work for an HVAC company. I'm in Florida, which is a right to work state. So, no unions here. I'm currently in HVAC school learning a new trade. I know it's going to be hard work to get started and prove myself. I think it may be a little more difficult proving myself because I'm 50 years old. (young). I've worked hard my whole life, and there's no doubt I can easily keep up with someone half my age. I would love the opportunity to work for someone with the attitude like XcelTech. I'm in a dead end job now. I think I'll continue school and stay with this company and seek employment in the HVAC field come this spring.

[FixItRight]

Well, I'm in the same boat. Except, I've yet to work for an HVAC company. I'm in Florida, which is a right to work state. So, no unions here. I'm currently in HVAC school learning a new trade. I know it's going to be hard work to get started and prove myself. I think it may be a little more difficult proving myself because I'm 50 years old. (young). I've worked hard my whole life, and there's no doubt I can easily keep up with someone half my age. I would love the opportunity to work for someone with the attitude like XcelTech. I'm in a dead end job now. I think I'll continue school and stay with this company and seek employment in the HVAC field come this spring.

Just so you know unions are in Florida. Where in FL are you?

[drkglass01]

XcelTech , thank you for your input ! I have come to the conclusion that the guy I worked for (the HR person hired me) resented the fact that I was hired. He might have been under the impression that I had more experience than I do. I really don't care at this point, I did learn a lot on the job and while I felt I kept up in the physical dept. (There was one furnace and a narrow stairwell that still makes me curse) it was not my favorite part of the job. I did everything asked of me to the best of my ability.
Now that the busy season is over, I think he wanted to can me before my probation was up. Their loss I will just try to get a survival job until the next quarter of school starts. I do think I will enjoy this business, it will just take a little more time than I thought.

[drkglass01]

Well, I'm in the same boat. Except, I've yet to work for an HVAC company. I'm in Florida, which is a right to work state. So, no unions here. I'm currently in HVAC school learning a new trade. I know it's going to be hard work to get started and prove myself. I think it may be a little more difficult proving myself because I'm 50 years old. (young). I've worked hard my whole life, and there's no doubt I can easily keep up with someone half my age. I would love the opportunity to work for someone with the attitude like XcelTech. I'm in a dead end job now. I think I'll continue school and stay with this company and seek employment in the HVAC field come this spring.

Welcome to the same boat! Now grab a pail, this boat is starting to take on water

[XcelTech]

I don't suggest getting a first job with a direct company. Go through a temp agency like Aerotek. If the company doesn't want a permanent employee they wont pay the money to use a staffing agency. If they try to can you for a really bad reason the staffing company wont work with them anymore. It allows you to get a job and if you don't like the company you can go to Aerotek and find another company while staying with the same company.

[bmwruss]

Just so you know unions are in Florida. Where in FL are you?

I live in Palm Coast. It's on the east coast, between Daytona and St. Augustine.

[toocoolforschool]

Politics are everywhere it's just a fact of life. I hired on a company and lasted one day after relocating to New Orleans over three years ago. I had a job at the time but wanted to get back into HVAC. I was doing an install with three other guys, two of whom were already there a few months and another who was a buddy of the youger one. Well the young guy shuts the attic door on my face cutting my eye as I was getting ready to climb up the latter, OUCH, no big deal just a little blood, I keep on working. Then the guy starts taking the electric supply apart without shutting off the power arcing 240 to ground, then knoocks some lights out of the ceiling, all the while treating me like I am some kind of idiot, and treating his buddy like gold. Next day boss says I hear you were having some problems int he attic-- And you cut your eye I dont think you are very experienced we don't need you anymore!!!!!
What???? So I started on my own and have only fallen through one ceiling in my career, not braging, when the whole ceiling collapsed under my wight from a faulty repair on the ceiling studs. Anyways my point is just hang in there people will always try to hold you down. It is up to us to strive for success.

[mydogsnameisbob]

I'm in the controls side of the business and sometimes we hire guys with no real idea what we're doing. It's not rocket science, and I have no problem trying to help people understand, but when I've told you everything I'm asking of you five times it gets disconcerting. When you tell me you "don't want to do ______." I'm instantly done with you, go home.

I typically get put with people that cannot teach to save their lives, so I'm used to having to grind through and find my own understanding, I did that when I worked as an inside sales guy, and I've done a fair amount of that on the controls side as well. In the end I think you wind up with a better understanding from trial and error anyway, just hopefully you don't error so badly that it isn't fixable.

Good luck in your future endeavors, hopefully they all don't leave a bitter taste.

[drkglass01]

I don't suggest getting a first job with a direct company. Go through a temp agency like Aerotek. If the company doesn't want a permanent employee they wont pay the money to use a staffing agency. If they try to can you for a really bad reason the staffing company wont work with them anymore. It allows you to get a job and if you don't like the company you can go to Aerotek and find another company while staying with the same company.

I will try this, thanks XcelTech.

[drkglass01]

Politics are everywhere it's just a fact of life. I hired on a company and lasted one day after relocating to New Orleans over three years ago. I had a job at the time but wanted to get back into HVAC. I was doing an install with three other guys, two of whom were already there a few months and another who was a buddy of the youger one. Well the young guy shuts the attic door on my face cutting my eye as I was getting ready to climb up the latter, OUCH, no big deal just a little blood, I keep on working. Then the guy starts taking the electric supply apart without shutting off the power arcing 240 to ground, then knoocks some lights out of the ceiling, all the while treating me like I am some kind of idiot, and treating his buddy like gold. Next day boss says I hear you were having some problems int he attic-- And you cut your eye I dont think you are very experienced we don't need you anymore!!!!!
What???? So I started on my own and have only fallen through one ceiling in my career, not braging, when the whole ceiling collapsed under my wight from a faulty repair on the ceiling studs. Anyways my point is just hang in there people will always try to hold you down. It is up to us to strive for success.

Wow, that is quite a story. I guess we all have a few bumps in the road to success.

[toocoolforschool]

I have plenty more, thanks.

[HVAC-matt]

A new guy always gets the same speech.

You are coming straight out of trade school. If I put you in front of 5 different pieces of equipment you will not be able to tell me how 4 of them work or what they should do.

I can't make money from your work right now and have to train you. So you will be my PM muscle for a few month. Your job will be to follow the instructions of the PM guys. You will do all the heavy lifting for them, you will do all the dirty work; haul the tools, clean up the equipment, clean the work trucks, run in and out with parts, or any other grunt work they ask to be done. For this I will pay to have one of my best Techs teach you about the HVAC industry, equipment, sequences of operation, how parts should work, how to troubleshoot, how to fix them, how talk to the customers, and how we want our work done.

Should you do the dirty work without complaint, learn, show progress, and gain the confidence of my PM department I will give you a raise and promote you to installation where you will learn again more about the equipment and you should be armed with your knowledge of how other bad installs made equipment difficult to do PM's or how equipment didn't work well because of a bad install.

I have two major rules that I cut in stone. If you show up late 3 times or leave early without getting approval I show you the door. If you call in more then two week in a year, I show you the door.
I understand you will make mistakes, I understand you will break things, I understand you will cost me money before you make me money. I want you to work knowing that I know this and have prepared for it. I will forgive you and not hold you responsible. It is important that you get into it and work on the parts. You need to learn how to take a piece of equipment you don't understand, get your hands on it, and start figuring it out. Confidence that you can figure out how it works is the most important skill that I cannot teach you and you can't learn it being scared.

Last I know you will make those mistakes, don't try to hide them. If you admit what you did and tell me how you did it we can fix the problem faster and you learn. There is nothing that irks me more then having to diagnose a problem someone else created and they wont tell me what happened. It takes twice as long to fix when I don't know the beginning and middle.

Then they either put in the effort and know they are ding the grunt work cause they are costing the company money or they complain, don't try to learn, wont do the work, and get canned.

My boss always says "some times you gotta break things all the way before you can fix them right" I like this philosophy. Damn I cant believe you are so lax with the calling in, two weeks in a year that is pretty forgiving as far as I am concerned. But you sound like a good guy to work for.

[drkglass01]

I'm in the controls side of the business and sometimes we hire guys with no real idea what we're doing. It's not rocket science, and I have no problem trying to help people understand, but when I've told you everything I'm asking of you five times it gets disconcerting. When you tell me you "don't want to do ______." I'm instantly done with you, go home.

I typically get put with people that cannot teach to save their lives, so I'm used to having to grind through and find my own understanding, I did that when I worked as an inside sales guy, and I've done a fair amount of that on the controls side as well. In the end I think you wind up with a better understanding from trial and error anyway, just hopefully you don't error so badly that it isn't fixable.

Good luck in your future endeavors, hopefully they all don't leave a bitter taste.

This reminds of the boss and a couple of the lead guys asking me "you're not afraid of heights are you?" I would just say, "I guess we will find out today". We had to do a couple of rooftop installs where rigging was required. I did not let on that as a kid I used to climb radio towers for fun.

[RayD8630]

Now that the busy season is over, I think he wanted to can me before my probation was up.

Happened to me twice. Happens a lot in this trade when you are starting out. Now in the place Im at I go solo more than most guys my level. I have done more service than most guys my level. I also get to take the work truck home which is a good 45 minute drive from the shop. Not bad for a guy who isnt even a journeyman yet.

Xcel's mentality is what you want from a boss. My boss is the exact same way. This is how a lot of the old school guys are. Ive seen that quite a few companies that expect perfection from new guys generally have management that have never been in the truck before. Not all of them are useless but some don't seem to know that this job has a skill set. The only way that skill set will ever improve is by repetition and instruction from the senior guys on the ladder.

Im at a small shop. I generally get the PM stuff. Trick to surviving there (sorry Xcel I probably should let him figure this out for himself, but Im feeling nice today haha) is finding the money hidden in the unit. Check around the heat exchanger. If its slow and you find yourself on belt and filter duty FIND stuff that is wrong. Don't make a problem, but find something that might be a problem. Check the heat exchanger for cracks. Jump out the cooling. Any condenser fans not start? Is there a pressure control keeping it off? That might be a repair right there. Look at the contactor-its got a lot of carbon on it. Better change it before it causes problems on a hot day. Pulleys wear out. If you can feel a grove on it-its toast. Better break out the allen keys and change it before it chews up belts in the middle of a heat wave. Crack in the heat exchanger? If that unit is older than the hills your boss might be able to sell them a new one. Those are the guys the boss likes to keep working.

[mattt787]

up in New England when i first started my boss was the other guy but he wanted a person who did not know any thing so he could have things done how he wanted it done i learned a lot from him now i am the head guy and teach the guys under me how to solve the problem but i can understand the outer side. and i am non union and i like it that way but i can under stand the job thing.

[FixItRight]

I live in Palm Coast. It's on the east coast, between Daytona and St. Augustine.

The closest local to you is in jacksonville.

[bmwruss]

The closest local to you is in jacksonville.

That's what I figured. A bit of a drive for me. I will check out what they're all about and what they have to offer. If they had something to offer worth a move, I would consider a relocation. No rush, I'm still in the beginning stages of HVAC school. I got a crumby job now, but I have an income.