My name is Dave, 22, first post on this forum and I am new to the heavy equipment trade. I am seeking a job as an equipment operator in Minnesota, west of Minneapolis. I have been through the ATS training school in Wisconsin and have earned many NCCER certifications and a Class A CDL and a tanker endorsement. How do I find a job when everyone requires X amount of years prior experience? I have hit a brick wall and not getting much response. Wrong time of year? Help please.
With the economy the way it is, employers can afford to pick and choose. Given a choice between an 8 year experienced operator or a fresh out of school, who do you think they will hire? Its not your fault, Its this way in a lot of industries right now. Good luck. Oh, welcome to HEF.
What the experienced operators may not do is budge on their hourly earnings, I'll go low low low if that gets me in somewhere. I have nothing to lose. I currently am part time at carquest (since 2010) and its only paying for diesel and auto insurance and nothing else.
The only place i know that will hire someone as an equipment operator with absolutely no experience is........ The military. The Army Engineers has a bunch of different equipment.
Well the thing is, I have some experience but not 5 years worth or what ever the employer is looking for. Some of the mom'n'pop operations might not care about my certifications which is probably geared towards bigger companies. Probably doesn't help matters that I have not joined the union
I'll tell you what I did Dave, I went to the ats school in columbus a few years back. You cannot be afraid to learn how to properly use a shovel, if you get my drift. Its a totally different world out here versus there trust me been in both. You are a much better operator and employee for the company if you spend a few years laboring. Watch, learn, listen, dont be afraid to work and work hard, need to prove yourself to the experienced guys, before they trust you on that machine. I just finished being the only dozer operating on our site, moved around 100,000 yards, mid size job for us. Did my first slopes, housepads and cut the the road to within acouple tenths for our grader man. Learned a lot screwed up some but thats learning. Another tip I found espcially in a smaller company, once you get seat time, don't be afraid to get back out to pick the shovel up and help out someone else. I am only 25 and bout the 4th man on the ladder from the top. Good luck if you want it bad enough you will get it.
Keep at it, I am sure you will find a way in if you don't give up. Everything that is worth doing is hard. Persistence is important, whether you want to be a backhoe operator or a banker.
If you came to my office and applied for a job as an operator with only certifications to show I would offer you a laborer position with a plan for advancement. Then your first day on the job the super would put you in some seats doing tasks that non certified field experienced operators breeze through and let you struggle. Then I would put you to work helping them and if you truly want to work in a few years you would have a lucrative operating career which could easily evolve into a construction management career. Proving IMO is not only about showing that you are capable of hard work, but that it's in your nature, and you are capable of doing it even when you don't have anything to prove. (I know it's kind of counter intuitive but it's the way I see it.) Keep beating down those doors and you'll make it work. Also you may have to travel at first to develop experience before you can find a good gig at home. You might watch dot websites for bid results in your state as well as those neighboring and when you see that a contractor is awarded a large contract call on them immediately either before they start or in the very early stages of the project. Best of Luck !:drinkup
Dave, I have to agree with everyone here, do NOT be afraid to "operate" a shovel. If you've got some schooling it shouldn't take you long to move up the ladder from laborer. You absolutely must gain the trust of seasoned Operators, the machines we operate cost more than the average house and can if not operated skillfully reduce that house or its occupants to rubble in short order. I work on a Pipe Crew and at present we're short a Hill Man and laborer, believe it, both myself and the other Operator climb down from our lofty perches and help out all day long. One, doing so gains the admiration and respect from the guys on the ground. Two, it attracts the eye -in a positive way- of Management who'll know that not all Operators are prima donna's whose hire-on mantra is "I was hired to sit here and pull levers not get dirty". If the economy turns south again -it's slowly recovering here- who do you think Management will let go? Another benefit of working the ground, you'll get to see first hand all the different techniques and styles of various Operators and establish a sense of familiarity with how things get done. Years ago while working another Pipe Crew our Ex Operator was -still to this day- the best lever yanker I have ever laid eyes on. I would watch in utter amazement how in-tune he was with his Warner Swasey Badger, every move that machine made was productive under his control. I have forever since strived to emulate his operating style whenever I sit in an Ex, I was the crew laborer at that time and the only "powered" machine I operated was a plate compactor. Keep knocking on doors and let 'em know you are willing to start at the bottom but also let them know you have already made an investment in both time and money towards a career in Heavy Equipment Operating that alone should set you apart from other applicants. Oh yeah, always show up early and walk with the Operators while they pre-flight and warm up their machines. Good luck and welcome to HEF...
Re: what Acivil and SeaMac wrote, a lot of operators had laborer experience before they were in the seat full time. Including me. If you have to work as a laborer first-it's not the end of the world.
honestly i **** you not, the shovel will take you places, formans love people who work hard on shovels.
I was fighting the labour for his shovel the other day He was like "no no, i'm payed to do this" I need all the exercise i can get, now that i finally have a f/t operating position myself. Old habits die hard though, i have some wicked shovel skills
Fill the back of the shovel boy; the front will fill itself !!
Go to North Dakota.
Dave can you give me a call. Thanks terry-608-863-5045
Guess he didn't like the idea of operating a "shovel",never heard back from him.
Maybe he is busy?
I have no problem shoveling or doing things in the dirt and getting my hands a mess (I work side by side with mechanics and lending a hand for a moment always gains respect) I have considered a North Dakota job, I will put out some resumes in the spring when I feel ready to make the move. I applied for my towns public works facility and was shot down because I didn't have a water and waste water certificate and lack experience more then likely. Gonna contact the local gravel pit and see if they know of someone
i know frac sand is coming on hard here in my area hopeing to train and go there or a track worker on the railroads.starting wage 19.00plus with a top of 23.00 on the railways.they like you to have a cdl,heavy equipment know how and some welding.i figure i will have 2 of the request.was looking to talk to dave on ats see his thoughts on that school?north dakota is booming over around williston and you can go to work same day from what i here but there is no houseing and the man camps are getting full.i hear guys make 130,000-150,000 a year but are working 80-90 hours a week?you can figure your hourly and see if it is worth it to you. check it out on youtube(williston nd jobs).
I am sure you guys will find a way in-don't give up.
Dave, I concur completely with all of the comments regarding the eagerness to use a shovel. The fact that you have your CDL will make you much more of an asset, especially to a small company like ours that must have versatility in all of our employees. If you do find work at a larger company, try to sit next to the good operators during lunch and ask questions (about things that they do on equipment), even if they turn out to be dumb ones. Talk about your girlfriend, or the football game is entertaining, but not very usefull when it comes to operating equipment. When I was young (a long time ago) I would ask the seasoned operators about anything and everything that I did not understand. You will be surprised where the conversations go and what you can learn - this won't immediately improve your skill, but it will improve your thought process and understanding of what others are trying to accomplish. Another thing that I like to see is people that are constantly trying to make everyone else's job easier, or make the project go better. For example, if you are on a scraper and you know that you will have to wait a few seconds for the push cat, slow down and clean up little rifs of material as you approach the cut. If you are running a roller behind a blade pay close attention to what the blademan is doing and try to aid the process by not running over windrows, not being in the way when he or she is backing up, not rolling dead center down the crown, etc. On every job the most efficient process is to have balance between all the functions. In other words, have equipment on the cut end of the project producing no more than the receiving end of the project can handle. Even in the best scenario there is always a weakest link, the one area that if it were able to produce a bit more the whole job would progress faster. In whatever piece of equipment you are operating, if you can do the smallest of things to help the part of the project that is struggling a bit, it makes life better for everyone. That may be as simple as concentrating on what the excavator is working on if you are in a haul truck and trying to position yourself so that you are exactly where he wants you, when he wants you there. If a dozer is laying out material from haul trucks pay close attention to what the dozer is doing, and try to put the material exactly where he needs it. If you dump too far from the end of the lift it takes him much more time to lose the material; if you dump over the end of the lift he ends up with a hole and has to either dump another truck farther back to fill the hole, or turn around a push material back. Either will **** off a dozer operator big time. Unless asked otherwise, dump right next to the dozer instead of clear across the lift so that he can be cleaning up the last dump and knocking yours down all in the same process. The point is try to make everyone else's job easier. Back to the shovel thing, I own our little company and I never ask anyone to do something that I will not do. In my opinion everyone on the job has a purpose, and none is more important than the other. The operator is only as good as his grade checker, etc.. I have bloviated far more than I should have here, but it boils down to attitude. Approach the most miserable of tasks with a good attitude and you will do well! Good luck!
I'm going to add something here that for the life of me I can't understand why other's refuse to do it -at my company at least- KEEP YOUR WORK AREA CLEAN! I know it sounds simple but it pays dividends in the long run. If you're not busy and there's trash laying around, pick it up and dispose of it properly. Just like "operating" a shovel, when the Brass is about and they see people shoveling and keeping the jobsite clean and orderly it brings a smile to their faces. I work on a Pipe Crew where what we do will never be seen however, what is seen is a trash and garbage strewn mess if you don't tend to it. It really can be the simple little things that get you noticed and have you well on your way up the ladder of success. While I'm ranting about cleanliness -no, I'm not a clean freak per se and I don't suffer from OCD either- keep your machine clean too. Having a small wisk broom handy keeps the Operator's platform or cab nice and tidy as well. These few things I mention can surely set a new employee apart from the masses and it WILL be noticed and appreciated.
Glad to hear you are back and still trying to find work. I started out with a company when i was about 20 driving truck and moving machines. Did this before I even labored, it was a way into the field, foot in the door so to speak. Its a tough time of the year, but you might find work in spring running truck for a company, and prove yourself and hopefully move into the equipment. Good luck and keep us updated.