How to find a good company

[numbawunfela]

Most Companies are looking for good techs, and reasonably so. But what of a good tech looking for a decent company? Companies do not post resumes, you can try to find out about them before the interview but it is not always easy to get a good read on them.

What have you guys done to narrow down the field of prospective companies you apply with?

I am looking for suggestions because I may be needing to use them in the future, but things I have done are:

1) Look for the names of companies that are awarded industry awards like CB's Contractor of the year. Unfortunately, CB records for the Contractor of the year only go back about 2 years (hey H-talk genies, a little help with that??? )

2) Apply for work on Sites like mepjobs.com and hvacagent.com. Good companies recognize the inherent problems with a craigslist applicant.

3) Visit the website of the company - do they have one? is it professional looking?

4) Good companies want to weed out hackers - that means they will make you jump through a few hoops to get to an interview. if they don't that is a bad sign. Some hoops include online aptitude or assessment tests that they require before an interview. A pain in the neck - yes, but a positive sign as to the functionality of the entire organization.

5) Ask them at the interview about annual sales, size of the company, if they have regular training, and if the support you going to classes or getting NATE Certified. If you are a good tech, they will have a vested interest in keeping you and improving your value to them.

6) Tell them that you are interviewing them, as much as they are interviewing you. They should understand this. If not then you may wish to pass on them.

[Baja500]

How do you define a good company? out of 100 how many show respect for your skills and experience ? be carefull when you accept low wages out of desperation,, you loose all respect as a Tech , yeah the company will treat you like a dog ,, start low you will always be low,

[Joe Harper]

Talk to the parts house guys. They will tell you all the dirt on any company.

[numbawunfela]

Talk to the parts house guys. They will tell you all the dirt on any company.

Oh yeah I forgot to add that idea to the list. I actually had that thought a few months back and since I make it a habit to enter the company names and numbers of AC companies whose vans I see into my phone, I have a list of better than 60 HVAC companies... So I would ask the Supply House counter guys about them, scrolling through my list, adding a + to the name for a good company. Most of what I got was whether the companies were able to pay their bills on time. The counter guys notice when the constantly have to call the accounting department to get an order released.

This is a pretty good measure of the health of the organization since the recession is hitting all the companies pretty hard right now. If you can pay your suppliers, you are doing pretty good.

Of course they could be doing ok financially because they laid off all the techs and are running with Chinese labor, figuring that by the time the hack jobs go south, they will be able to cover the losses with the profits of a new economy, so just being able to pay your bills is not the only measure of a good company.

[numbawunfela]

How do you define a good company? out of 100 how many show respect for your skills and experience ?

This is the idea Baja, many guys who are considering jumping ship are faced with choosing between the devil you know with the devil you don't know. I may know my company is crappy, but is the new one slightly less crappy AND dangerous? (just as an example)

Not only respect of skills - a good company fosters teamwork (not allowing one of the techs to take the manuals off of EVERY unit he works on so that other techs are forced to call him for help - he has a stack over 14" thick in his van of manuals. And when you tell the boss instead of addressing the problem, suggests that everyone take time everyday to print new manuals to leave on the units when they do maintenance ' We have the model numbers on file ' - GENIUS!!)

-It invests in their workers with training and classes (not criticizing good talent by calling them a primadonna because they fix units that have been problems for YEARS - 'you think you know sooooooooo much' - no I did what I was sent to do, fix the problem)

-It pays a good wage and makes clear how to raise that figure - not automatic time based raises, but performance based ones. If I work hard and kick tail, I better make more than bobby sleeps-a-lot who has been around for 15 years.

-It tries new and innovative installations - allowing for a collective learning experience (solar, Geo, and so on.)

-It is possible to do an entire day of service without having to worry about saying something to a hostile customer that might expose the failings of the last several years of service calls and installations. Every company messes up once in a while, but it should be the exception not the rule.

There may be a few more I am missing - but you get the idea.

[Joe Harper]

-It pays a good wage and makes clear how to raise that figure - not automatic time based raises, but performance based ones. If I work hard and kick tail, I better make more than bobby sleeps-a-lot who has been around for 15 years.

Thats a profound statement. Too bad it is not that in reality.

[michigan1]

Silly question and silly answers. A good company is subjective to what a person wants.

To me, i could care less about being treated well or having company christmas parties etc...The boss you hated could be a potential best friend to me and so on.

Give me the most money and steady work and i'm in!

[numbawunfela]

I'm surprised there are not too many posts from guys that say "My company is great, this is how I found them."

I heard a stat this morning that 60% of survey respondents are dissatisfied with their work, could it be that people are sticking with the devil they know because there may not be any other prospects out there?

A good company is subjective, that is true. I saw two of the techs sleeping for a 2+ hour lunch a few weeks back, and then heard about how there is not enough money for raises.... Or when the one tin knocker pulled out a knife he made in the sheet metal shop (instead of making duct) and in 'self defense' the other tin knocker beat him across the face with a piece of angle iron - while on the roof of a customer's warehouse.

Money is good too...

[Tech Rob]

Thats a profound statement. Too bad it is not that in reality.

Bobby has a cousin named Billy Sucks-a-lot. He's very successful at every place he's ever worked.

[Baja500]

This is the idea Baja, many guys who are considering jumping ship are faced with choosing between the devil you know with the devil you don't know. I may know my company is crappy, but is the new one slightly less crappy AND dangerous? (just as an example)

Not only respect of skills - a good company fosters teamwork (not allowing one of the techs to take the manuals off of EVERY unit he works on so that other techs are forced to call him for help - he has a stack over 14" thick in his van of manuals. And when you tell the boss instead of addressing the problem, suggests that everyone take time everyday to print new manuals to leave on the units when they do maintenance ' We have the model numbers on file ' - GENIUS!!)

-It invests in their workers with training and classes (not criticizing good talent by calling them a primadonna because they fix units that have been problems for YEARS - 'you think you know sooooooooo much' - no I did what I was sent to do, fix the problem)

-It pays a good wage and makes clear how to raise that figure - not automatic time based raises, but performance based ones. If I work hard and kick tail, I better make more than bobby sleeps-a-lot who has been around for 15 years.

-It tries new and innovative installations - allowing for a collective learning experience (solar, Geo, and so on.)

-It is possible to do an entire day of service without having to worry about saying something to a hostile customer that might expose the failings of the last several years of service calls and installations. Every company messes up once in a while, but it should be the exception not the rule.

There may be a few more I am missing - but you get the idea.

Numbawunfela

I suppose it goes by region or state, AZ like most states was hit horribly and hard by this economy,many good techs were not given the chance to jump ship, they were simply thrown overboard without any life savers and are now drowing, cause most local contractors , the few that are hiring are only offering 12 to 14 an hr, demanding that techs do instals in the morning and service call in the afternoons plus sales in between and ohh yeah do estimates and jobs takes offs, the only thing missing is! wash the company vans which is next, Contractors lame excuse is!! I got over 60 guys applying for this position we don't need you UUU need US,my former service teck went to this crappy campany Arizona Eagle Air as an install foreman for $14 an hr, this lame contractor demanded a full day installing crawling in old attics , do service call afterwards, take home plans for estimating and job take offs. I mean, how low can some companies go in how they treat their employees, this guy only lasted 2 weeks with ******* ,crappy company won't even provide truck for this guy. but then again its only Arizona,, amen I F&^5$ing forgot !!!this Guy is still fighting **** for his last paycheck . they sent him his W2,, missing wages for the last week worked,

[numbawunfela]

Bobby has a cousin named Billy Sucks-a-lot. He's very successful at every place he's ever worked.

Hmmmmm........

a co-worker maybe?

[numbawunfela]

This Guy is still fighting **** for his last paycheck . they sent him his W2,, missing wages for the last week worked,

SUCKY!!!

I guess it may strike some as premature to ask what seems to be about jumping from one job to another, as if jobs are rolling down the street waiting to be had. Actually my idea is to do 2 things -
1)Prevent a situation where a good guy is facing the choice of accepting a job he has been offered, only to find that he gets sucka punched like your buddy there. If a guy limits his job search at least initially using some suggestions you may all have, by the time he winds down to postings on Craigslist, he already knows that there is simply nothing better out there. If he then gets sucka punched, at least he knows he at least he truly knows the alternative was unemployment for that time - small consolation perhaps, but it is something.

2) This trade is always slower in winter, and a little worse in spring, but in late spring there will be hiring - like every year. Even though the DOW says the recession is over, we know we are all still hurting. But there are a number of guys that say that they are just now starting to land large construction again - and that it looks like there may be light at the end of the tunnel. When hiring hits in spring, It would be nice to be able to leverage it for a spot in a decent company.

I may not be moving then, but I may. Either way I know that the H-talk community - myself included - would like to know if somebody works for a company they like, and how did they found them.

[jtel]

You know when you are at the same place with Billy because you get all his repeats. They dodge every bad call also. I love it when Billy hands you are part to install somewhere because they have something more important to do and it turns out to be a clusterf#ck.

Bobby has a cousin named Billy Sucks-a-lot. He's very successful at every place he's ever worked.

[timebuilder]

What have you guys done to narrow down the field of prospective companies you apply with?

Ok.

I have had close to a lifetime of experience in diverse fields, and the type of company, product or service, is not germaine to this question.

Here is the dynamic.

If a company is known to always be hiring, that is the LAST company for whom you want to work.

So, who should you be tracking?

You should zero in on the companies that never seem to hire.

I'm not kidding.

The companies that never seem to hire have happy people who almost never leave, sue their employer, or have disputes that lead to hard feelings and poor productivity.

This means that you want to start to generate friendly contacts within those companies. That means finding people who will vouch for you, recommend you, and work to get you hired, when the "time" comes.

Until that opportunity arrives, you must be ready to eat your "ration," so to speak, unless you step in a pile of gold that day on the sidewalk.

Luck is defined as that place where preparation meets opportunity.

[Tech Rob]

Ok.

I have had close to a lifetime of experience in diverse fields, and the type of company, product or service, is not germaine to this question.

Here is the dynamic.

If a company is known to always be hiring, that is the LAST company for whom you want to work.

So, who should you be tracking?

You should zero in on the companies that never seem to hire.

I'm not kidding.

The companies that never seem to hire have happy people who almost never leave, sue their employer, or have disputes that lead to hard feelings and poor productivity.

This means that you want to start to generate friendly contacts within those companies. That means finding people who will vouch for you, recommend you, and work to get you hired, when the "time" comes.

Until that opportunity arrives, you must be ready to eat your "ration," so to speak, unless you step in a pile of gold that day on the sidewalk.

Luck is defined as that place where preparation meets opportunity.

I could not have said that better myself. The best shops in this town are very exclusive, and having friends on the inside or some kind of positive experience with them is what develops a good reputation and creates opportunities.

[hvac248]

Ok.

I have had close to a lifetime of experience in diverse fields, and the type of company, product or service, is not germaine to this question.

Here is the dynamic.

If a company is known to always be hiring, that is the LAST company for whom you want to work.

So, who should you be tracking?

You should zero in on the companies that never seem to hire.

I'm not kidding.

The companies that never seem to hire have happy people who almost never leave, sue their employer, or have disputes that lead to hard feelings and poor productivity.

This means that you want to start to generate friendly contacts within those companies. That means finding people who will vouch for you, recommend you, and work to get you hired, when the "time" comes.

Until that opportunity arrives, you must be ready to eat your "ration," so to speak, unless you step in a pile of gold that day on the sidewalk.

Luck is defined as that place where preparation meets opportunity.

SOOOO true!

[osufan76]

I have been with the same company for many years now and have always wondered if the grass is greener on the other side. The company that I work for is all sales based and that is the only way that you can make more money. I on the other hand, want to be a good technician. We have guys that can sell anything to anybody at anytime, but fall short in the technical side. These guys make almost double what I make. Some of these guys have been known to do some shady stuff also. I want to be completely honest and knowledgeable, but this makes me a target for loosing my job.

[crab master]

Some very good points have been made, especially about talking to parts guys, parts house not getting paid then likely the employees aren't that far behind.

A key point that I believe in is to talk to current employees that have no overall incentive to get you hired. Make sure you talk to guys doing your same type of work. Also if you can find ex-employees and talk to them. I know a few guys that got fired and said their ex-employer was a good place to work. Try to find out who you would be working under and talk to guys that have worked for that individual. I left a good overall company due to a bad manager. I had worked for numerous other managers in the company without an issue but couldn't get around this one manager and believe me I tried.

Also ask equivalent employees about the reimbursement policy. Not sure where you are or company policies but many times I need something and vs driving .5 hr one way to go to a place where we have an account I can pick up what I need a lot closer. I had one company that didn't pay me for almost two months. It wasn't a lot of money but the principle. Had another that scrutinizes everything you buy, even if you write on your receipt what it was for. I understand checks and balances but come on, some screws and a bit for less than $10 that the company just going to pass on to the customer? Or here's another stupid managerial mistake, I turn in 2 receipts for some electronic equipment needed and one of the receipts is the rebate receipt, in which I am 'crediting' the company money and yet I am asked about $10? I could've pocketed the $50 in rebates and they would've never known.

The other thing is find out whatever you can about the owner(s) and major managers. Reason is if the overall feel is not good then you will likely do yourself a big favor of not working there.

[timebuilder]

I have been with the same company for many years now and have always wondered if the grass is greener on the other side. The company that I work for is all sales based and that is the only way that you can make more money. I on the other hand, want to be a good technician. We have guys that can sell anything to anybody at anytime, but fall short in the technical side. These guys make almost double what I make. Some of these guys have been known to do some shady stuff also. I want to be completely honest and knowledgeable, but this makes me a target for loosing my job.

That, my friend, is why I am doing commercial.

[numbawunfela]

Thanks a lot for the posts guys.

It seems having a mole on the inside is a good strategy. Timebuilder - it is a really good point about getting in with a company that does not ever hire - there is a contractor of the year award that was given to AAA refrigeration here in the Bronx. They said in their interview that they never have an open 'help wanted' period - they always hire referrals from techs, and they keep techs that move away by setting up satellite offices where they go and then finding new customers in those areas - WOW!!

But you gotta know somebody.....Good thing I am Friendly!!

That is a really good point about knowing the environment of the company Crabmaster - you need to talk to a guy in the crew for that. There are honesty issues at my company now. What a mess!!

Thanks for the tips guys.