OT: ? about a job interview

In the local newspaper there appeared the following Classified Ad: ELECTRICAIAN / TECHNICIAN

Electrician with experience in Medium voltage motor control (440) PLC, Distributed Control Networking, and HMI etc.

Now my question…In the included requirements they stated that in addition to having to pass a battery of tests to assure the applicants’ knowledge of the fields required to perform the job, that the successful applicant would be subjected to a multi layered interviewing process and would be required to present a 20 min presentation (PowerPoint preferred.)


S THIS THE NEW NORM?

Butch,

I would question this ad totally. First, if they think "440" qualifies as Medium Voltage, then you don't want to work there. They probably also think that electricians would enjoy putting on a Powerpoint slide show.

Butch said:

In the local newspaper there appeared the following Classified Ad: ELECTRICAIAN / TECHNICIAN

Electrician with experience in Medium voltage motor control (440) PLC, Distributed Control Networking, and HMI etc.

Now my question…In the included requirements they stated that in addition to having to pass a battery of tests to assure the applicants’ knowledge of the fields required to perform the job, that the successful applicant would be subjected to a multi layered interviewing process and would be required to present a 20 min presentation (PowerPoint preferred.)


S THIS THE NEW NORM?

Click to expand...

Sounds pretty excessive to me.

And when did 440/480 become "Medium Voltage"?
That term is normally used for 2.4-34.5 kV systems.

Voltages are usually defined as
Low Voltage - Under 600 Volts
Medium Voltage - 600 V to 6000 V
High Voltage - above 6000

I would be cautious about what they would require of you if/when you got the job. Developing a presentation seems excessive. I would also check to see what licensure is required for the various voltages and if the specific State and City requirements match with what they think they can get.

In general their seeming naivity regarding these topics should raise flags.

There is a large food processor that expects their floor maintenance people to come up with cost savings as part of their job and many are very good at it. Some of those guys even run an excel spread sheet to justify savings and use power point to make their presentation to the corporate folks.
For all that they get some pretty good bonus bucks.

gas said:

There is a large food processor that expects their floor maintenance people to come up with cost savings as part of their job and many are very good at it. Some of those guys even run an excel spread sheet to justify savings and use power point to make their presentation to the corporate folks.
For all that they get some pretty good bonus bucks.

Click to expand...

i cant imagine they wont require a degree and for all that they had better be paying out the butt for the employee

Fred Raud

That can be new model of advertisement, but does not have any clue with profession-electrician. Nomero uno 440V is not a medium voltage but low voltage by USA industry standard (up to 600 is low ).But deffinitely you may have a fun on interview becouse probably your interviewer is not going to be an electrician.
Again,whot you will present on Power Point??

Tests are normal. so is the multi-layer.

Some of the questioning could easily become a 20 minute presentation, but POWERPOINT?

Hey, it's an electrician's job, not rocket science.

But then, twenty minutes on the "Proper Methods of Releasing Resident Smoke" would be pretty cool! And should clinch the job, to boot.

I wonder if anyone giving the interview even understands electricity. Maybe a maintenance supervisor. Fresh out of college with an engineering degree. Be sure to show him your left handed crescent wrench, or your dopplar pliers, or the scootch guage. Or explain how a "WIGGY" works...

I've only had the "What was your greatest chalenge, and how did you handle it?"?, once or twice.

I responded something to the effect "Questions like this, challenges come every day, some are big, some are litle, you just handle the problems, and continue on to the next".

I have found that if the questions are too far off base, or they seem to be asking too many, or too personnal, then if there really is a position, they are probably going to interview a ton of people, and pick the first one that perfectly matches the profile.

Recently, an ad appeared for a receptionist. My daughter was going to apply, but drug her feet. I saw the guy who ran the ad a couple weeks later and asked if he found someone yet. He said he had spoke with over two dozen girls so far, and had at least 45 to go! ??????????????? WOW!

Well, god luck, and keep us posted!

Best Regards.....kc

As pointed out before, there are TWO glaring issues with the ad: 1) What electrictions know anything about PowerPoint, & 2) The "Med" voltage thing.

However keep in mind that many ads are posted by headhunters, hence the multi interview thing..and headhunters usually know squat about what they are actually looking for. Their purpose in life is to mearly narrow down maybe 200 applicants to a few. The process makes it a bit more diffucult for the applicant, but much easer for the employer.

It's sometimes diffucult to distinguish between $h*t on a shingle and lobster bisc at first sight, so try taking a wiff before jumping to conclusions. My suggestion is to answer the ad if the job description & $$ meet your criteria, and see what happens.

Ot?

Butch said:

In the local newspaper there appeared the following Classified Ad: ELECTRICAIAN / TECHNICIAN

Click to expand...

Did they really misspell electrician? If so then run. Otherwise, I would have to agree with the others, multi-layered interviews seem to be common these days. Having just been through several in the last 3 months, I found you will get used to it. It probably means they are just taking extra care to make sure they get the right candidate. Probably beacuse they 've been burned before. I would go and see what they are all about, what do you have to loose? You may be the best thing they've ever seen! Let us know how it turns out!

Butch,

I agree with the rest of the gang that warn against companies that want a floor person to do the work of salaried folks. This is a company that is cutting the management level positions and passing that responsibility onto the technicians. In some ways this can be a good thing as long as the compensation increase is passed on to the techs but most of the time it is just a feather in the cap of someone who gets his bonus padded by budget cuts. I personally don't like companies who want their cake and eat it too. The floor folks need the support of those who have the time to interact with vendors, contractors, OEM's etc...

In my corner of the cornpatch, "Electrician" means twelve hour shifts, generally alternating one week on days, one week on nights, or 6 days on, one off.

The more hours they can get a few people to work, the less people they have to pay benefits for.

Overtime and injuries are less then benefits for several others.

Whenever I here 12 hour shifts, I reply no thanks, I believe in a safe working environment.

In the last few years the larger companies have begun to develop technical positions that are somewhere between being an electrician/electronic tech and an Engineer.

It is so hard to find and keep qualified people because so many places have people, supervisors and/or managers, that do not fully understand what the tech(s) duties are...ie they think the tech(s) are there to take out the trash or any odd job they want done. To prevent issues the tech(s) are put into a semi-management type position that only has to answer to upper level management.

The duties in these type positions usually incoporate a higher level of office duties than a normal electrician would have. You may have to develop a material list for a project, develop some training procedures, the list goes on.

My last 2 positions were like this, one minute troubleshooting a machine, developing a new lighting system, rebuilding/upgrading a machine etc. I worked independently, in other words they told me what they wanted/needed and I did the rest.

In many ways these positions are great to get, so many large facilities will have different departments with numerous supervisors/managers that all think they are "THE BOSS" so it eliminates many issues.

I would look into it and try to determine if its for a "good" company and what is fully expected.

I've never met an electrician who would/could do a powerpoint presentation for a job. That ad sounds typical of today's job requirements. You have to pretty much walk on water when it comes to the "requirements". Program PLC's, HMI's, streamline automation, do cost savings analysis, talk with vendors, order parts, troubleshoot, machine stuff(mill, lathe), weld, etc. etc.

It's been my experience that NOBODY is great at all those things. Some guys are great a few and maybe OK at the others, but no man is an island.

Even if that's what employers want nowadays.

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In reply to my origional question: THANKS

An I misspelled Electrician!

The company is an international firm, It only has two plants in the US and no offices here. I posed the question to if this might have had something to do with the type of ad, or if this was the new norm. I haven't had much experience with interviewing.

I will get back to you-all if I decide to apply for the position.

Thanks again!

Oh by the way - - Do you think there might be a position for a guy like this(me) in Smoke & Mirrors???