[dash]

Less qualified applicants today then during the boom.Not just this site, everywhere we try.


What's up,major lay off by many in 2007 and 08.Where are they now??

 

[yellowirenut]

not sure..boss was looking for a tech last spring. Not one meet his criteria.

not a sales tech
able to work on wide range of equipment
able to work alone
clean appearance
Military carrier a plus..navy ++

He put the word out the the VA about hiring a vet, but i never herd if he got leads from that. I know they have a program to help vets and former military get civilian jobs, try there.

 

[Senior Tech]

A good seasoned tech is impossible to get...even a good trainable person is nearly impossible to find.

I like to think I can train anyone, but it's getting tougher and tougher.

Retaining the techs you have now is extremely important based on the cost to hire and train a new one.

 

[KY-kid]

not sure..boss was looking for a tech last spring. Not one meet his criteria.

not a sales tech
able to work on wide range of equipment
able to work alone
clean appearance
Military carrier a plus..navy ++

He put the word out the the VA about hiring a vet, but i never herd if he got leads from that. I know they have a program to help vets and former military get civilian jobs, try there.

Probably your first requirement is why your boss is having problems...

No offense but if people are not selling as you said " not a sales tech "- weather it be PM contracts, New Units- Filters - Thermostats,,,, something , then they realy are not progressing or making money for the company or themselves....

just seems kind of backwards, I dont know anyone that calls a Doctor and expects they would not get a recomendation for something that could better them, why would they expect anything different from any other service.

But then ofcourse you prove my point when you said , he could not find anyone that meets his criteria, maybe if he looked to the local Taco Bell or Wendys or Homeless shelter...lol. They tend to hire down, anyone with talent is certainly not going to want to go to or stay at a place where they want them to be a complete illiterate idiot for sure.

 

[DeltaT]

It's called lack of intestinal fortitude. My generation, not me by any means, started it by letting kids be who they wanted to be...and that pretty much meant taking the easy way to most anything in life. They were allowed to live that life at home and taught to live that life when they walked out the door to attend school. And that is the short version.

On this board with most folks over 45 you have a mean, lean bunch of tough guys/gals who stick it out until the job/work is completed. There are certainly some exceptions to that rule however there are cases shown on here from time to time where a demanding attitude and entitled minded technicians are doing everything but taking responsibility for what they have done.

That's the way we were taught. Learn all you can, take your bumps in the road, do every job with pride and try to lean more than the next guy.

We cheated our kids out of that life by not ever letting them fall down so they could figure out how and that they could pick themselves up again.

Some rambling on of recent observations: Ask a lot of folks what the key to getting through the "recession", which it's not, and they will tell you they need to return back to school and get a masters, PHD or some such crap.

From what I see no ones talking about working their way out. They are waiting for their house value to go up or waiting for their easy well paying job to come back...or waiting for a federal job.

Washington State college administrator was on the news yesterday stating that in a few years the US will be in big trouble. Why you ask? According to him there are less and less folks getting BS & BA degrees so who is going to do the thinking, he states.

This is the crap that we have let take over this country. It's not about analytic thinking and self sufficiency anymore, and it hasn't been for quite a while. It's about looking good and having some kind of a degree...just look what's sitting in the White House.

We set this ship in motion years ago. Now we have to live with the port it ended up in.

 

[supertek65]

hi ron!!!!!!!!!!

yeah! nothing sells itself in ANY market!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nobody just says"Go ahead and fix my chiller! Don't care about the price or how long it takes or your rates!!" "don't care what parts you are using, what brand or warranty, Just go ahead and fix it!!!!!"

Probably your first requirement is why your boss is having problems...

No offense but if people are not selling as you said " not a sales tech "- weather it be PM contracts, New Units- Filters - Thermostats,,,, something , then they realy are not progressing or making money for the company or themselves....

just seems kind of backwards, I dont know anyone that calls a Doctor and expects they would not get a recomendation for something that could better them, why would they expect anything different from any other service.

But then ofcourse you prove my point when you said , he could not find anyone that meets his criteria, maybe if he looked to the local Taco Bell or Wendys...lol. They tend to hire down.

 

[KY-kid]

hi ron!!!!!!!!!!

yeah! nothing sells itself in ANY market!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nobody just says"Go ahead and fix my chiller! Don't care about the price or how long it takes or your rates!!" "don't care what parts you are using, what brand or warranty, Just go ahead and fix it!!!!!"

Hey Bro Whats Up,

My point exactly , some act as if sales is a bad word, but for goodness sake if someone has a 20 year old unit sucking money every year and I go out and just clean a pitted contactor - but then fail to mention that the caps are all over 10% out of range, the fans and compressor are all drawing a lot of amps and fail to ask how much they intend to repair it every year, then I am probably doing them more of a dis-service.

Ofcourse I made my company a few dollars for the call, but the $2000 mid-summer call may not make the customer real happy, and when they find out that I failed to tell them about rebates available, savings on units, etc,,, I dont think they will have a very high opinion of my slothfullness.

I mean there is a differnece with new units and it is profound. I know from my own home I save a bundle with a newer unit, and the last time I checked even getting a fan motor replaced once a year is going to cost a few hundred if you get a good company.


ileon:

 

[yellowirenut]

replacing contractors that are pitted and have voltage loss across them is not sales to him. Same with capacitors out of range. Not diagnosing a unit and just looking at its age and telling them u need your 30 ton RTU replaced, that is a sales tech to me. I may asked them if interested in quarterly service, but not my place to give them quotes. I don't even know how much it cost to have me there for an hour..i do know aprox to get me there to diagnose. I give no quotes on repair or replace. I am there to evaluate..diagnose..repair..and have the customer trust our work. lots of customers that tell me 'all the other co. wanted to do was sell me this and that' when the real problem was solved in 30 minuets.


we have gone off topic..sorry for that

 

[supertek65]

:hijacked:

 

[Milk man]

I'm a seasoned tech.

I'm done with the dog and pony show called looking for a better job.

I don't know what rate a job will start at until I sit through an interview. It's was usually AT LOT LOWER than I was being paid already.

I get blasted here when I have interview/looked for a job because I was wasting the new guys time.

Plus every application I've ever filled out wanted my social security number. Sorry I don't give that out on every request. YOU AS A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER DO NOT NEED MY SSN UNTIL THE SECOND INTERVIEW. PERIOD. If you like me and a serious offer is being considered I'll provide you with all the information you want. You are free to do all the background checks on me at that point. I'll protect my identity while you guys are fishing.

Also I'm comfortable in my job. I've got a routine. The customers know and like me. I've got the regular PM equipment set up the way I want to make my job easier, faster, and cheaper to maintain. I really don't want to start over.

My employer liked me and treats me with respect, why would I want to change?

I'm also not a selling tech. I'll "sell" the stuff that is needed to repair the equipment. I'll also let the customer know about better alternatives. But I won't push a thermostat just for the purpose of increasing a ticket total.

 

[Twilly]

Twilli says the answer is simple many techs have become owners and hence the shortage of techs and the over supply of owners.

 

[sw_lv2005]

Less qualified applicants today then during the boom.Not just this site, everywhere we try.


What's up,major lay off by many in 2007 and 08.Where are they now??

Its always the same cycle as stated above less qualified applicants everywhere you try ,I heard the same thing in the navy due to manning issues not enough people on older ships, the navy now is downsizing making it worse so the solution would be to hire new recruits and train them/ some will work out some will not it cost money to do that, If you have a good boss he can afford this and still stay in business/ the same thing for hvac company to hire a good tech or a new guy out of school some will work out some will not. Some of the other post on this have these guys going to school or just trying to get into the trade but companies will not give these guys a chance to get experience so be prepared to keep finding people with not enough experience, How did some of you guys get your start somebody more than likely gave you a chance or you know somebody in the trade or got a job on your skills, Its the same cycle every where you go.I heard the same BS when i got out navy trying to find a job. But some body gave me chance to learn the civilian hvac side instead of a ship ac system

 

[Jettaknight]

It's called lack of intestinal fortitude. My generation, not me by any means, started it by letting kids be who they wanted to be...and that pretty much meant taking the easy way to most anything in life. They were allowed to live that life at home and taught to live that life when they walked out the door to attend school. And that is the short version.

On this board with most folks over 45 you have a mean, lean bunch of tough guys/gals who stick it out until the job/work is completed. There are certainly some exceptions to that rule however there are cases shown on here from time to time where a demanding attitude and entitled minded technicians are doing everything but taking responsibility for what they have done.

That's the way we were taught. Learn all you can, take your bumps in the road, do every job with pride and try to lean more than the next guy.

We cheated our kids out of that life by not ever letting them fall down so they could figure out how and that they could pick themselves up again.

Some rambling on of recent observations: Ask a lot of folks what the key to getting through the "recession", which it's not, and they will tell you they need to return back to school and get a masters, PHD or some such crap.

From what I see no ones talking about working their way out. They are waiting for their house value to go up or waiting for their easy well paying job to come back...or waiting for a federal job.

Washington State college administrator was on the news yesterday stating that in a few years the US will be in big trouble. Why you ask? According to him there are less and less folks getting BS & BA degrees so who is going to do the thinking, he states.

This is the crap that we have let take over this country. It's not about analytic thinking and self sufficiency anymore, and it hasn't been for quite a while. It's about looking good and having some kind of a degree...just look what's sitting in the White House.

We set this ship in motion years ago. Now we have to live with the port it ended up in.

Bingo...

Not long ago I read an article regarding technical "snobbery" that pretty much summed it up. Blue collar vs white collar. Parents wanting there kids to be a doctor or lawyer, etc. "Trade school??!! That's for the 'remedial' children my boy! Your more intelligent than that..."

We've done it to ourselves. Our parents 'slaved' for a buck, we bust our arses to keep our homes and so we don't want our kids to do the same. We encourage them to go to university...get a nice high paying job...

When we come home what's our attitude? Are we *****in' and complaining about our day at work? Kids read into that. They are smart. So they say, "No way am I working the trades. Look at my dad!! He's always miserable."

I don't have any children to 'mentor' but I do have 4 nephews that all want to get into the trades. Our oldest is enrolled in electrical and is loving it. My B/L and I have encouraged them all from day one. Talked about our days working with a smile and had a good laugh when the day was lousy or the boss was an arse.

Once in a while we have these days where you bring your kid to work. For one or two days a year not much work gets done but the kids love it and get excited about the trade. Maybe all the do is carry your toolbag but to them that is a blast.

If we want the kids to get into the trades we have to sell them on it. It's easier to attract them with sugar than sh*t.

 

[supertek65]

this is a big discussion in our family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i usually say
go to college go white collar
stay healthy
dont kill yourself:cliff:

Bingo...

Not long ago I read an article regarding technical "snobbery" that pretty much summed it up. Blue collar vs white collar. Parents wanting there kids to be a doctor or lawyer, etc. "Trade school??!! That's for the 'remedial' children my boy! Your more intelligent than that..."

We've done it to ourselves. Our parents 'slaved' for a buck, we bust our arses to keep our homes and so we don't want our kids to do the same. We encourage them to go to university...get a nice high paying job...

When we come home what's our attitude? Are we *****in' and complaining about our day at work? Kids read into that. They are smart. So they say, "No way am I working the trades. Look at my dad!! He's always miserable."

I don't have any children to 'mentor' but I do have 4 nephews that all want to get into the trades. Our oldest is enrolled in electrical and is loving it. My B/L and I have encouraged them all from day one. Talked about our days working with a smile and had a good laugh when the day was lousy or the boss was an arse.

Once in a while we have these days where you bring your kid to work. For one or two days a year not much work gets done but the kids love it and get excited about the trade. Maybe all the do is carry your toolbag but to them that is a blast.

If we want the kids to get into the trades we have to sell them on it. It's easier to attract them with sugar than sh*t.

 

[durussel78]

Where have all the good techs gone, dum da dum da dum

Heya ALL
That is a huge problem in MICHIGAN the mitten state. We have awesome trade schools / engineering schools, when we "graduate" we are mentally prepared to move out of state becouse the whole time we are learning the fundamentals through the advanced we are brainwashed into thinking this state is no good. AND THIS STATE IS NOT. At least right now.
Look at any good union hall , plumbers, fitters, hvac, sheetmetal, electrical, or refrigeration. You have over half of the brothers on the bench. Now most of these guys are called back for a job or two, that Bull Crap aint gunna pay the bills, let alone give my family a chance to do what they want. So what are these laid off guys doing besides reaping elongated MARVIN unemployment bennies - reeducating themselves in the medical industry.
I did a furnace job for a guy last year who was a master plumber and actually well known for his work and also had some time 4 - 5 years in the navy for boilers, getting out of the trades for an ex ray tech degree at the community college. This guy told me, hey I have three kids, I make pennies after years of learning my craft, the conditions are horrid when I do work, and I am sick of tearing up my body.
Right now it is slow and what is moving is quickly picked up by a scavenger.
But I see this turning around in the next ten, at least up here, the question is who is going to fill the demand - uneducated greenies that have not had the chance to be molded by a master tradesman. THE FUTURE IS VERY FRIGHTENING. Most companies that are still hustling have employees with an average age of 55, those guys and gals are not going to be around in 10, and we need them to be or at least there apprentices to be!!
Like I said before, THE FUTURE IS GOING TO BE ONE GAMBLE

 

[Joe Harper]

Less qualified applicants today then during the boom.Not just this site, everywhere we try.


What's up,major lay off by many in 2007 and 08.Where are they now??

I think part of your issue is demographics. I can see the npr office getting a prospect every once in a while. But you have a lot of retired folks and surburbanites. Neither one is going to produce service technicians.

 

[KY-kid]

Whatever micro or macro factors you want to look at for finding good HVAC Techs - A undeniable fact is that acording to

BLS.GOV -

it is one of the fastest growing occupations in the USA and for that matter the world, and will indeed only grow faster in the coming years with newer technology , refrigerants , pushes to go green, etc...

it is rated to grow " MUCH FASTER THAN THE AVERAGE OCCUPATION "
at something like 30 % through 2018 . Faster than nursing- dentistry-finance-etc...


Time to hold on to good techs even in slow times - and even with my KY 8th grade schoolin that spells good , good , good.

 

[Joe Harper]

Ohh KY = Kentucky....ok...
I was hoping it did not mean something else you would buy in the "intimate section" of walmart...

 

[DesMech]

Ohh KY = Kentucky....ok...
I was hoping it did not mean something else you would buy in the "intimate section" of walmart...

 

[jmac055]

There are techs out there that are looking for jobs, but there is a catch. Most of these techs are green like me. Sure some of them want the easy way out but there are those like me that are willing to get down and dirty to become the best tech possible.

I know it cost allot to train new techs but if your wanting a better future for this industry then you better be willing to invest in it. Or yes this trade is in big trouble.