Interviewing During Hunting Season

[Deleted member 18333]

Are wages where are you from really that low? Holy cow. You can get a job on the warehouse floor at the local canning company by my house with starting pay at $24 an hour. We are paying fresh out of college engineering students about $42/hour

This is consistent with my neck of the woods. We pay a shop laborer(sweeps floor, gets parts, etc.) $26/hr. Our starting eng pay is same as yours, however we cant get them to make the move. We have a 4 person eng department. Not one of them has an eng. degree. All were craft employees that showed ambition, desire, character and smarts. They were lab techs, backhoe operators, survey techs and former stay at home mom. Training a person to be an engineer is far easier than training a person to have ambition.

 

[seeth07]

This is consistent with my neck of the woods. We pay a shop laborer(sweeps floor, gets parts, etc.) $26/hr. Our starting eng pay is same as yours, however we cant get them to make the move. We have a 4 person eng department. Not one of them has an eng. degree. All were craft employees that showed ambition, desire, character and smarts. They were lab techs, backhoe operators, survey techs and former stay at home mom. Training a person to be an engineer is far easier than training a person to have ambition.

Well I know where you live and I'd gladly make that move hahaha Unfortunately there is no way I'm walking from my current job.

 

[2rocky]

This is consistent with my neck of the woods. We pay a shop laborer(sweeps floor, gets parts, etc.) $26/hr. Our starting eng pay is same as yours, however we cant get them to make the move. We have a 4 person eng department. Not one of them has an eng. degree. All were craft employees that showed ambition, desire, character and smarts. They were lab techs, backhoe operators, survey techs and former stay at home mom. Training a person to be an engineer is far easier than training a person to have ambition.

I truly believe that Engineering degrees should have a prerequisite of 4 years in the trades that have to assemble/service what that engineer will design.

 

[seeth07]

I truly believe that Engineering degrees should have a prerequisite of 4 years in the trades that have to assemble/service what that engineer will design.

I'm on board! Or maybe I'm just bias because I worked in the the construction field since I was 12 so by the time I took an engineering job at 23 I had quite a bit of the in the field experience including multiple projects utilizing cold-formed steel of which is now exactly what I design and detail.

If only I could hire 10 of me...

 

[Deleted member 18333]

I truly believe that Engineering degrees should have a prerequisite of 4 years in the trades that have to assemble/service what that engineer will design.

Early in my career, having to execute one of my own plans was a humbling experience. Hardest part of engineering is translating your vision into a workable, easily understood, plan.

 

[seeth07]

Early in my career, having to execute one of my own plans was a humbling experience. Hardest part of engineering is translating your vision into a workable, easily understood, plan.

You missed: And being able to convince the stubborn old timer that has been doing this forever that your vision is the correct way

 

[sccritterkiller]

The number one quality missing in young candidates these days it seems is ambition. So many 40 hours in and checked out type of people.

With the way the corporate world treats folks these days do you blame them?...I was forced to take the jab to keep my Corp job had reaction had to go to the hospital...3 weeks ago I got an email saying layoffs were coming and we would get an email from BS dept., Business Support/HR, if we were affected by this Friday....I been with company for 16 yrs...after being treated like a number not person the last 3 yrs your damn skippy I am 40hrs in and out from now on...Hell I went back to flip phone for work so I am not bother by email and instant messages..

OP live your life...if the job is meant to be it will work out...if it doesn't your will probably be better off in the long run.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

You missed: And being able to convince the stubborn old timer that has been doing this forever that your vision is the correct way

You've obviously met Ron as well.

 

[2rocky]

OP live your life...if the job is meant to be it will work out...if it doesn't your will probably be better off in the long run.

That has been my approach. I'm 25 years with this company, playing 4 different roles. I never changed roles, just added new ones. I figured if i wanted to move into a larger role with a big company I'd better put myself out there.

 

[RobG]

That has been my approach. I'm 25 years with this company, playing 4 different roles. I never changed roles, just added new ones. I figured if i wanted to move into a larger role with a big company I'd better put myself out there.

If I had known you had 25 years experience I would have told you to tell them you have a conflict that they will just have to deal with if they want you .

 

[Gerald Martin]

Early in my career, having to execute one of my own plans was a humbling experience. Hardest part of engineering is translating your vision into a workable, easily understood, plan.

Every architect and engineer should have to hire on with the contractor they give a design or a plan to and execute what they draw before they are given full credentials. I bet a lot of foo-foo designs would be simplified.

 

[Gerald Martin]

That has been my approach. I'm 25 years with this company, playing 4 different roles. I never changed roles, just added new ones. I figured if i wanted to move into a larger role with a big company I'd better put myself out there.

I’d mention your life plans that you are bringing to the job along with your experience and expertise.
Any company that doesn’t respect all of them isn’t a place you want to work long term anyway.

That’s assuming this is an upward mobility transition and not a survival situation.

 

[mtmuley]

Every architect and engineer should have to hire on with the contractor they give a design or a plan to and execute what they draw before they are given full credentials. I bet a lot of foo-foo designs would be simplified.

Nothing like hands on to actually learn. mtmuley

 

[Gerald Martin]

Nothing like hands on to actually learn. mtmuley

“Oh, we overlooked how that’s going to integrate into the house. How am I going to fix it?”

Instead of, “ Send me your design changes for approval.”

 

[seeth07]

“Oh, we overlooked how that’s going to integrate into the house. How am I going to fix it?”

Instead of, “ Send me your design changes for approval.”

Engineers and architects like to call it "means and methods". I designed it now you figure out how the heck your going to get it done!

 

[Gerald Martin]

Engineers and architects like to call it "means and methods". I designed it now you figure out how the heck your going to get it done!

If my mouth said what my mind calls it I would probably have the lingering taste of soap in my mouth most days at work…

 

[mtmuley]

If my mouth said what my mind calls it I would probably have the lingering taste of soap in my mouth most days at work…

I just say it. We are working with an architectural firm out of Bozeman right now. Lots of cuss words. mtmuley

 

[Deleted member 18333]

Every architect and engineer should have to hire on with the contractor they give a design or a plan to and execute what they draw before they are given full credentials. I bet a lot of foo-foo designs would be simplified.

I suspect both parties would benefit greatly from walking a few miles in the others shoes.

 

[shannerdrake]

So I'm still gainfully employed but I've started applying. Two potential employers have given me call backs.

One company I've had 3 Zoom meetings with a Fourth later today , and the other I'll be having my 3rd with next week.

What is the best way to phrase that I have hunts scheduled during what may be the final interview process? and potentially during the first 4 months of the job?

I haven’t had time to read all the responses but the ones I read seem to have drifted a bit from the OP and on to waxing poetically about the better times when workers weren’t soft, snowflakes only came in the winter, and crossbows weren’t legal no where. But even I digress.

I hire folks for a living so I’ll start with that. I gather that since you are in contact with a couple companies and that they are utilizing video calls and multiple interviews that you are in a more technical field, you are beyond journeyman (so more senior), and there is a higher demand for folks who do what you do.

That all being said, the job world has and is changing. Blind loyalty to a company that is likely to chit on you is out and workplace and work/life flexibility is in.

First, you owe them nothing until you are an employee. That includes information and permission. So your scheduled time off doesn’t matter until you are their employee. If they extend an offer and a start date, you have the option to request they honor time off you already scheduled and/or negotiate your start date. I think you will find most good employers are fine with that.

Just today I was contacted about taking on a project from an outside company that HAD to be done in Q4. I said that in so many words I wasn’t interested because Q4 is an extremely busy time for me with work and family. Two hours later they came back and said they can wait until January if I’m still interested.

Good luck!

 

[44hunter45]

Wait, WHAT? your boss told you to interview somewhere else? Can't the boss just tell his boss that 44hunter45 is thinking about looking elsewhere and that be enough to motivate management? If I had a boss that told me to jump through hoops in order to get my fair value, I would probably start looking for real.

To clarify - this was for an internal corporate job change. Not for a different company. I was interviewing with my second line. To stay on the "promotable" list, you can't say no to an interview.