WHY IS IT HARD FOR ME TO GET A JOB AS AN ENTRY LEVEL INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN?
Asked by another unemployed veteran
Hello maintenance guru's.Can anyone enlighten me on why I am having a hard time finding a job as an Industrial Maintenance Technician in DFW Texas of all places where industry is pretty healthy. I have been here less than a month and I have applied for like every suitable job on ALL the websites as soon as they post. Even the so called "Veterans Only" jobs on the state employment site. Im beginning to realize that alot of them are posted by temps and is not a surprise that I have no luck with them. Well here are a few of my qualifications: 1) I recently graduated with a COLLEGE DIPLOMA for GOD's SAKE in Industrial Maintenance Technology from a community college and I am for damn sure alot of the technicians especially the old guys out here never had college. A college diploma is the same amount of credit hours as an Associates Degree. 2) Army Veteran 8yrs. The only thing working against me is my lack of on the job experience. But I had to do what I had to do and adjust my resume accordingly which has got me responses and a few interviews and thats all I will say about that. I feel I obtained state of the art hands on training in college to be a qualified technician as well as engineering level study of the technology. Any of you old technicians who are lucky to have their foot in the door please reply because I am highly frustrated and I do have student loans to be paid back for actually going to college I do not have problems with working starting off with staffing agencies however I prefer not to if I dont have to. They are misleading, and in my case being more entry level its better off selling myself to the ACTUAL employer whereas staffing agencies look for the best qualified, EXPERIENCED candidate for the postition especially in this job.

Best Answer:
You need to work at the temp places at a lower wage to get some experience. If an employer does not know if you know which end of a crescent wrench to use to hammer in a nail, then they will be reluctant to hire you. You would be amazed how many electronic engineer candidates I have interviewed who have never picked up a soldering iron. Or used an actual oscilloscope. They do everything in school now as simulations on a PC.

So let me see. First you knock the old guys for not having college and then you ask for their help. Am I the only one getting a mixed message here? Congratulations on your diploma, I am sure you earned it. All other things being equal, it's a plus. However, other things are not equal. It alone won't get you a job. Sitting at the keyboard and responding to everything that's posted is a good thing, but it's not enough. What separates the "keyboard potatoes" from the serious job seekers is hitting the pavement and making contacts. Do you have an issue with temp agencies? Temp assignments may lead to permanent assignments while paying money for daily expenses. At least the assignments may get your foot in the door with companies that have the kind of jobs you want even if you aren't working those jobs as a temp. What did you do when you were in the Army? Usually, there is something in military experience that translates into something usable in the civilian world. You don't have experience in the field. There's nothing you can do about that. So you wil start out further back in the pack along with everyone else who has no experience. At least you got the diploma so that puts you in a better pole position back in the pack. You need to come up with a strategy that makes you different from the pack. It's tough to do that in person; it's impossible while sitting a keyboard.
Answered by Dan