You have to believe in yourself and give off an attitude that you are the man for the job.
Here's some hints to get interviews.
1: Find out who the major players are in the industry. By that I mean the utilities.
2: Find out the reactors they own. When I was getting out I actually called the NRC, they sent me a list by reactor, reactor type and owner. I took this list, and made a notebook, each page of the notebook had the reactor, location, type, and any info I could get on the company. Go to your library, Standard and Poors is a GREAT source of info for corporate structure.
3: Using the above info I sent cover letters and resumes to every Reactor in the Country. By that I mean I sent it to the CEO, and VPs for the various sites (available in Standard And Poors). If I had info on the site management I sent it too.
4: While waiting for my replies I rated every reactor by location, age, reputation and other criteria that was important to me and my family. I knew what financial range I'd need for each area, and was able to determine the pros and cons of each area. Be flexible, the Reactor where I originally ended up wasn't in my top 20 until I interviewed. After I interviewed it moved up very quickly based on plant age, money, and the area was close enough to my number 1 selection for it to fit. Also there was no nUkeworker in 1990 so I had no idea about which companies were union and non union. The company I chose promoted to RO based solely on ability and not seniority. I knew based on ability I'd be a lock for a license class very quickly and did not want to wait 9 years (which was the average wait at a Union plant at the time)
5: As you get more info you might want to change your criteria. For instance initially my top list of plants was all PWRs because I was ex Navy and I thought BWRs were dose traps and somehow deficient. I ended up spending almost 15 very happy years at a BWR. My number 1 choice actually called me after I started at Fermi but I felt it non apprppriate to leave a company after only 3 weeks. My number two choice is where I currently work, they were in the middle of a massive downsize and told me most likely they wouldn't be hiring for 10 years.
I ended up at number 3 which as I said originally rated low.
6: Take ANY interview you are offered. I interviewed for 15 jobs at 13 plants and ended up with 15 job offers. This was at a time when the industry was cutting back, It can be done.
7: Once you get a contact in a plant or utility BE obstinate as heck. By that I mean every few days call them. I got an interview at Davis Besse during a HIRING FREEZE simply because I would not leave their local HR contact alone. They finally interviewed me to make me go away, then ended up giving me a job offer. (the one I got 3 weeks after starting at Fermi)
8: Do not ever accept don't call us, we'll call you after you interview, keep calling back starting the day after you interview.
9: Find the nuclear websites for the companies. If you have trouble finding the various reactors try nrc.gov. I'm not going to post a link as I believe if you are a nuke you should be able to find this info on your own.
10. I was able to get employed during a period of downsizing and without use of the internet. You should be able to.
11: In Jason YP just because the guy has completed the pipeline means nothing anymore. As I've interviewed Navy Nukes over the past few years I've found on the average the guys coming out now are nowhere near as good as those from the mid to late 90s and before. It's a Pump now, not a filter. A good nuke is a good nuke no matter what, I'm merely saying the Bell Curve for the Navy is going down. Commercial interview questions are becoming increasingly sophisticated as in many jobs, even entry level ones the philosophy is to get people you want to be in charge some day.
12: For reactorcowboy who is "everyone"? Is he/she related to He/She Said or They Told Me?
Whenever I see the word everyone my first thought is you better start looking within.
Mike