Entry Level Engineer

[Plutonius]

I recently graduated college with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I have EIT cerfication in the state of ohio and graduated with around a 3.4 GPA. My two favorite classes during college were definitely thermodynamics and heat transfer and I am downright fascinated with anything that runs on the Rankine Cycle.

Well anywho...

I applied for entry level mechanical engineering positions at Exelon, Progress Energy and PG&E (Diablo Canyon). I was wondering how long does it take for a response from those companies? I applied for Progress back in December and my status has recently changedfrom Applied to Under Consideration.

PG&E is a bit strange as their particular job opening has been open since November but I only just applied for the position on the 9th of January.

I definitely have the drive and the desire to start my engineering career in the Nuclear field (or Coal/Natural Gas).

[Hawkbill]

I was wondering how long does it take for a response from those companies?

Probably about 2-3 weeks after you've given up hope from hearing from them.

[dtucker89]

That made my day, Hawkbill.

Daniel

[Plutonius]

I did not intend for my comment to come off as anything related to defiance.
Defiant? No. Motivated? Yes!

That is about as much as I expected. I guess waiting is becoming my full time job

[Plutonius]

Perhaps I misinterpreted your use of the word 'defiantly'.

Oh darn, spelling mistakes can certainly alter the mean of a sentence. 

[HydroDave63]

Oh darn, spelling mistakes can certainly alter the mean of a sentence. 

On the other hand, it could be an innovative new interview technique...

"Duuude, I frickin' dare you to hire me into your otherwise scrub organization..." 

[Plutonius]

On the other hand, it could be an innovative new interview technique...

"Duuude, I frickin' dare you to hire me into your otherwise scrub organization..."  

I can only imagine how that particular interview technique would lead to.  


I do have a second question though. Has anyone ever experienced a job opening that has been active for 3+ months? Is that a bad sign?

[ceefroe]

I applied for an Auxiliary Op job 7/31/2010, took the POSS 10/25/2010, interviewed on 01/04/2011, and am currently waiting to hear back (they said about another week or two).  The posting was only up for about a week on Entergy's website though. If the trend stays true, I should hear back from them sometime in the beginning of April   

Remember Pluto, their timeline is never the same as yours.

[Plutonius]

I applied for an Auxiliary Op job 7/31/2010, took the POSS 10/25/2010, interviewed on 01/04/2011, and am currently waiting to hear back (they said about another week or two).  The posting was only up for about a week on Entergy's website though. If the trend stays true, I should hear back from them sometime in the beginning of April  

Remember Pluto, their timeline is never the same as yours.

Not to mention they downgraded me from Planet to Planetoid! Do you have any idea what the odds of getting an interview are when you`re simply a run of the mill Planetoid?

[Plutonius]

One last question, I promise!

How important is a EIT certificate with respect to engineering positions at a Nuclear Power Plant?

[HydroDave63]

One last question, I promise!

How important is a EIT certificate with respect to engineering positions at a Nuclear Power Plant?

Makes you more interesting for new hire. Won't get paid more or be anyone's boss for it.

[Plutonius]

Makes you more interesting for new hire. Won't get paid more or be anyone's boss for it.

That is good to hear. I certainly don`t expect a higher wage or being anyone's boss. One has to gain experience before such things. All I want to do is get my foot in the door and bust my butt.

[lionhart]

My timeline for NLO.

Applied Aug.
Interviewed Nov.
Offered in Jan.
Now I have a start date in March.

[lionhart]

Congratulations on getting a job.  How does your post relate to becoming an entry level Engineer?

In reference to Utilities hiring time tables mentioned in above post.



"I applied for entry level mechanical engineering positions at Exelon, Progress Energy and PG&E (Diablo Canyon). I was wondering how long does it take for a response from those companies? I applied for Progress back in December and my status has recently changedfrom Applied to Under Consideration."

"Probably about 2-3 weeks after you've given up hope from hearing from them."

"I applied for an Auxiliary Op job 7/31/2010, took the POSS 10/25/2010, interviewed on 01/04/2011, and am currently waiting to hear back (they said about another week or two).  The posting was only up for about a week on Entergy's website though. If the trend stays true, I should hear back from them sometime in the beginning of April   Tongue

Remember Pluto, their timeline is never the same as yours."

[Benwah033]

One last question, I promise!

How important is a EIT certificate with respect to engineering positions at a Nuclear Power Plant?

An EIT certificate is not important at all because there is nothing different between an engineer who passes his EIT and one who doesn't take it.  A PE license could potentially be worth something, but if you are working in the thermo/heat transfer area it won't be important to you either.  PEs are typically usefull in civil/structural work, with some piping-related work for mechanical engineers, but not-so-much on the thermo side.

[Smooth Operator]

An EIT certificate is not important at all because there is nothing different between an engineer who passes his EIT and one who doesn't take it.  A PE license could potentially be worth something, but if you are working in the thermo/heat transfer area it won't be important to you either.  PEs are typically usefull in civil/structural work, with some piping-related work for mechanical engineers, but not-so-much on the thermo side.

I disagree. I have read engineer job postings and many prefer EIT.
It won't hurt. If it cam down to you and someone without EIT, it could be a tipping point in your favor.
Exelon gives a small bonus to passing your EIT, so it must be somewhat significant.

[Plutonius]

Unfortunately the HR software Exelon decided to implement is a bit archaic. I have applied for other companies that used the same software and the HR status seems to never change from the "applied" status.

I recently applied for an entry level engineering position at Palo Verde and Xcel Energy. With so many applications, I am hoping for just one response in the coming months.

[tr]

Do you have access to Nuclear News?  There are often ads in the back by companies that are hiring.  Also check on Monster.com, as I know people who have gotten engineering jobs with Exelon through it (apply to hire in 1 month).  Other utilities (like mine) can take months and months.

[Plutonius]

Do you have access to Nuclear News?  There are often ads in the back by companies that are hiring.  Also check on Monster.com, as I know people who have gotten engineering jobs with Exelon through it (apply to hire in 1 month).  Other utilities (like mine) can take months and months.

I actually use Indeed.com. It is basically a giant search engine that includes practically everything, including monster. I also search for entry level positions on the each companies career section. Yes, it does take quite a while, but I am dedicated.

[Plutonius]

Is there anything else I could do to improve my chances of getting an interview?

[JustinHEMI05]

Pray.

Justin

[Plutonius]

Pray.

Justin

Been there, done that!

[JustinHEMI05]

How about know someone that can hand deliver your resume?

Justin

[Plutonius]

How about know someone that can hand deliver your resume?

Justin

Unfortunately I do not.

[Cycoticpenguin]

Unfortunately I do not.

Ask HR person to. thats what I ended up doing

FWIW my timeline..

applied october to about 15 different utilities for different types of jobs.

looked around for a while. Heard NOTHING FROM ANY ONE for months.

then in early december, I got calls from 5 different plants to take MASS, TECH, and POSS tests. Passed all of them, got interview requests from several different companies.

interviewed at my current plant, offered a job 2 HOURS after (not common of course), and started 2 weeks later.

When it rains it pours. Just keep applying to places, and keep your head up

[Plutonius]

Ask HR person to. thats what I ended up doing

FWIW my timeline..

applied october to about 15 different utilities for different types of jobs.

looked around for a while. Heard NOTHING FROM ANY ONE for months.

then in early december, I got calls from 5 different plants to take MASS, TECH, and POSS tests. Passed all of them, got interview requests from several different companies.

interviewed at my current plant, offered a job 2 HOURS after (not common of course), and started 2 weeks later.

When it rains it pours. Just keep applying to places, and keep your head up

Well that certainly makes me feel a lot better. My current utility list is as follows:

Xcel (Coal)
Dominion
Exelon
SRP (Coal)
APS
AEP
Duke
Progress
PSEG (Coal)
PPL
TVA

[Plutonius]

I have also just applied for several auxiliary operations positions. I honestly would not mind either operations or engineering.

In the immortal words of the Joker: Gentlemen! Let's broaden our minds.

[Plutonius]

Well actually that is one of the reasons I expanded to applying for operations jobs. I personally do not want to be stuck in an office for the rest of my life. I actually want a job that allows me to not just use my brain but use my hands.

Oh, yes, I did apply for the EFH position at Comanche Peak (Nuclear Equipment Operator, which I guess is a fancy name for a NLO). I believe from the job description they are POSS testing and interviewing February/March. I also have applied for a AO position at the Harris Nuclear Plant in NC.

Thanks again for the suggestions!