Career Fairs FTW!

Well…tomorrow is going to be a busy day. There is a military recruitment fair in the city, and it seems that there are a TON of folks that are going to be there. I’ll be getting my stuff ready (suit/tie, resume, 30-second commercial, etc.) and hopefully I’ll be able to walk away grinning from ear to ear.

I also have a tour of the local Exxon/Mobile plant along with a possible interview later in the day. This plant seemed interested in my skills a few months ago, but they found out I was military and said “no”. Umm…isn’t that considered discrimination? Oh well…if they try it again, they’re HR department WILL be contacted along with the VA. There is NO reason for that.

Oh well…now is not the time to be doubting anything. Confidence is key, although I did get rejected from a couple of jobs for being over-qualified. lol

Guess I need to……..

Economics

Normally, I wouldn’t talk much about economics, and that includes tonight.

The job front has been going well…except for a recent issue that I’ve only now been able to relax over.

My last job, Wyle, turned out to be a no-go. I was doing good. All my coworkers were praising me for my inthusiasm, quick learning, work habits, but unfortunately for me, the boss wasn’t so impressed.

His 3 main rules that he based his employees on are: Attitude, Integrity, and Teamwork.

I had a great attitude towards the job. It included my 3 favorite things…electronics, mechanics and computers. I didnt have a problem at all with my attitude, and it took quite a bit to make me upset. Every once in a while I would get frustrated, but that only was because of my unfamiliarity with the system, and my impatience…I kept thinking that I should’ve picked it up quicker than I was…I was pushing myself too hard.

I had the intregity from my 11 years of military experience. Put me to work, and I do what was expected of me. I wouldn’t slack off, and I would act the was I was supposed to, even when noone was looking.

The teamwork was not a problem for me, nor for my coworkers. If they needed help, I would help thim without their asking. If I needed help, or didn’t understand something, I would gladly ask for their help. Here is where the boss didn’t agree, and to this day, I still have no direct answer from him.

My initial employment was meant to be a 90-day probationary period through a local temporary employment agency. Why, I have no idea. I applied directly with the company, I was interviewed by the company, and I was being hired by the company, but he decided to make me fill out the paperwork for the employment agency. I was now being hired by them, to work FOR Wyle. BS.

The next 3 months went by well. No problems other than the usual 45-day feedback where my strenghts and weakness are brought to light. No big deal. Changes made, press forward.

1 week and 1 day before my 90-days is up, I work my day, continue to learn, and I’ve already made plans to continue my work the following day. I get home from work, and I get a call from the temp agency. I’ve been released. WHAT?! How?! Why?!

They say it was because of my work performance. I call the shop. They’re stunned! I call my friend who is directly under the boss. He didn’t even know. He called the boss and was told that it was nobody’s decision but his own. Excuse me? (He told me that his production and floor supervisors are the hire/no-hire decision for him. They both liked me just fine and had already said they were saying “yes” to my hiring.) So he threw everyone out, and lets me go on his own accord. Fine.

I tried to call him. No answer. I asked my friend to find out why not? He tells my friend that it’s his decision only, and to drop it.

I called the temp agency to get more specific details. They said that it was my teamwork and not my job performance. Ok…so now they’re changing stories.

I called a few friends on the floor, and from what has happened, it seems that I had too much initiative…and that scared the boss. That was the feeling that they got from the boss on that next week.

Too much initiative? What am I, a drone? Am I supposed to blindly follow orders? Oh wait…he’s the type of manager that micromanages everything, and if he doesn’t tell you to do it, you don’t do it.

His story:

Joins the military, gets up in rank, but wants to manage things because he wants them run HIS way. So, he goes to officer school and become a low-ranking officer. Yet again, he is not in a management position. He backs down into the reserves, becomes a “Yes” man for 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks during the year, and uses his officer status to manage a civilian company. He is the type of manager that I can deal with, but I don’t like very much. He is the type of manager that has the book-smarts to know how things work theoretically, but cannot adapt the theories to follow changes in the environment.

I have been out of work for 2 weeks, and applied to the unemployment agency. They have declared me ineligible for benefits because I quit my job. WHAT?! QUIT?! They were told by the temp agency, that after I was notified, I did not call them back to see if they had work for my last week and 1 day. Therfore I quit. Umm…no. I did call them, and they said I was being released and had no further reason to contact them. My contract was terminated by Wyle, therfore I was FIRED and should be eligible for benefits. I’ve appealed it.

On a good note, I’ve got applications in with most of the aviation industry, and I’m in talks with Bell Helicopter out of Amarillo, and with a military-hire company based out of Dallas, and they have me in with a few more companies. Hopefully I’ll hear something this week.

EMPLOYED!

Well…the season has finally arrived. I’ve been waiting for it. I haven’t been sick…until now! It always happens. The sniffles, the sneezing, the crap. It’s finally gotten here. Oh well…time for more Tylenol.

Anyhoo…since I was upstairs taking a nap to relax from this gunk, I got a call…from my buddy at Wyle Labs. I’M HIRED!!!

Not asking questions, I found out that the 3rd potential hire didn’t work out. No need to ask more questions as it’s not my job. The only thing I needed to know was that i’m hired.

Not even 2 minutes later the employment agency called to let me know. I go in tomorrow to fill out the paperwork, then go to work on Monday.

What a great holiday it’s turning out to be! Now we just need to find a house.

I can has Interview?

Well…today is the day.

It could a great day…or a bad one.

It could be an uplifting day…or a depressing one.

Only time will tell…

This morning I was called and told that I have an interview at 3pm today with a military-contracted company…the company I posted about yesterday. I wasn’t expecting the call or interview so quickly, but that’s not a bad thing.

I called my friend and asked him about the hiring process. He said that it is pretty straight forward, and if my interview was on Monday and all went well, I could possibly be starting as soon as the following week. Well…my interview is today instead of next week, so I wonder if I could start next week. Nah… Considering all the changes that would happen if I were hired, I would rather start the week after next anyway. It would kind of work out too…

My last military-paid day is the 11th of Dec…next Thursday. If I start work the following week, I wouldn’t even see much of a change. Same 2-week paydays…just a different paycheck.

Hopefully things will go well, and by this time next week I’ll be employed!

(Oh, by the way… Blizz found and recovered my WoW account! Now, how do I talk the wife into letting me play again. LOL – Meh…I hate gaming addiction!)

Hoping for the best…planning for the worst.

Well, I had the opportunity to get in contact with one of my R/C friends here in OKC. He works for a company that creates/repairs robots that inspect turbine engines. On a note from him, they have a job opening for an electronics specialist!

I applied yesterday around 1 or 2pm, and at 930pm I received a notice from the HR manager for his company. THEY’RE INTERESTED! I’ve never had anyone reply to a resume submittal so quickly.

Well, today, I went to go visit him…you know…put a face to a name. I’ve known him almost a year, yet I’ve never met him. LOL Anyway, he gave me the run-down of what they do, where they go, and what position I’m applying for and I have to say, it’s not what I was expecting…it’s better. I would be in a position working with their equipment. But not just working with the equipment, but building it, repairing it…down to the COMPONENT LEVEL! Perfect! That’s what I joined the military for! Plus it has some good benefits.

Another perk of knowing this guy…he is selling his house in a few months! He just needs to finish his new place, and they’ll be out. Then he will have it appraised, and I’ll go file for a VA loan…as long as the wife likes it. Here’s a couple shots of the backyard in the meantime:

Now I just need to stop being unemployed (my current job), get this one, and get approved for the house. Well…after we get the wife’s approval first!

Updates

Well, the time is close at hand. As of tonight, I am 57 days from my final-out of the Air Force. On November 21st, I will be on my first day of terminal leave, and actively searching a job in the OKC area. For now though, I’ve just been relaxing, enjoying work, and having fun at the r/c air field on the weekends. I’ve also been working on my resume, preparing my master application list, and list of references, but I’ve got everything ready just in case.

We’ve already gone through most of our junk and packed up what was needed (DVDs, games, books, etc.) The rest can be done by the movers. I didn’t realize that we had so much crap. LOL

Oh…word to those who don’t know… A voluntary separation from the military DOES NOT grant you 20 days of house-hunting. A retirement, involuntary separation (ie. kicked out) and a medical separation do. Something about how it’s my choice to separate, why should they give me 20 days to search for a new house and job. Asses.

Anthony has been doing good in the 1st grade. Bringing home homework like counting, reading, and drawing pictures of places he could meet friends, what his mommy and daddy do, and people he likes. He’s actually writing small sentences now too. :)

Lisa has put in her notice, and will be taking 2 weeks off at the end of October/first of November to pack everything and head up to Oklahoma with Anthony. She’ll complete her transfer when she gets up there and should have money rolling quite nicely by the time I get there 2 weeks later. In the meantime, I’ll be finishing the final paperwork, supervising the packing/pick up, and paying the final bills.

The new heli is quite nice! I had a bad 3-cell battery so I was using my underpowered ones until my new one came in. I puffed one to the edge of existence and thought I’d lost it, but the next morning it was back down to normal and charging nicely. Good thing they are only my test batteries now. The could never get the crappy stock wooden blades tracking correctly because the grip ends weren’t even, so I’ve got new Rotortech 350mm blades on order. Should be here tomorrow and this weekend will be a BLAST!

What to do now?

Well…not sure what to do now. I’ve gotten an offer for an interview from General Electric.

About a week ago, I was talking with a friend at work. He had gone to a seminar for the local wind farm. More specifically, a seminar fore the technicians that go UP into the towers to work on the motors. Yeah, 300ft doesn’t sound like much, but the basic qualifications are within my grasp. Hours of being up in the air (inside an enclosed tower), working on electronics…and from what I’ve heard from some of the employees (a few live next to me) they are hell-bent on safety. If the wind is too high, or the weather too bad, they don’t send us up.

As far as vertigo, I don’t know if I have it or not. I’ve been up in towers before. I’ve heard folks say that after about the third climb, you get used to it. But honestly, if it puts dinner on the table, and allows me to provide for the family, I’m pretty much willing to do any job, so i went to their website, put my information and uploaded my résumé.

Yesterday, I got an e-mail from them saying that they have reviewed my résumé, and they were interested. They asked for times/dates to contact me for a telephone interview/screening. Today, I get another e-mail asking if I could come in for an actual interview if the telephone screening goes well.

What? I haven’t even done the telephone screening yet and thay’re already planning on having me come in?

Way to keep me optimistic GE! hehe

Um, yeahhhhh…….

Yay…another weekend worth working. Does it matter that meetings are meaningless? Is it important that your concerns are not heard? Of course not! They ask for things to fix, yet pay no attention to what is being said… Real life “Office Space” is great.

So needless to say, I’m working this weekend.

On a lighter note, my heli was dismantled today, and the main shaft is slightly bent. A slight bend it not a really big deal, but since everything connected to it tends to amplify ANY imperfections, the result was a vibrating mass of plastic and metal, with a 1.5-foot span containing rotating blades of death. Fun fun…