Question (newbie)

[justhere]

Ok I will start with some back ground info. I have never done this kind of work before. I have been a landscaper for 10 years. M father in law is the General Foreman at the job I am trying to get on. He put in a good word for me with one of his buddies. His buddy put my resume in and got my name on the list. Ok my name is on the list now what. I called and asked his buddy and he says to sit and wait for the call. I asked him if I would def get a call and he told me they call people at random from the list. Ok so that is no guarantee how do I better my chances at being one of the ones the call? Do I need to call and bug someone? If so who do I call?

This is Duke Energy by the way  (Robinson Plant in Hartsville SC)

[justhere]

Just wondering if I should call the recruiter or site coordinator? Or is it someone totally different I need to talk to now?

[Nuclear NASCAR]

The first question I have is what type of work are you going to do? 

[justhere]

I am not really sure my father in law put me in for anything so I am guessing firewatch or deconner something at the entry level

[justhere]

Would also like to know what kind of test I can expect to take?

[Ksheed]

Ok I will start with some back ground info. I have never done this kind of work before. I have been a landscaper for 10 years. M father in law is the General Foreman at the job I am trying to get on. He put in a good word for me with one of his buddies. His buddy put my resume in and got my name on the list. Ok my name is on the list now what. I called and asked his buddy and he says to sit and wait for the call. I asked him if I would def get a call and he told me they call people at random from the list. Ok so that is no guarantee how do I better my chances at being one of the ones the call? Do I need to call and bug someone? If so who do I call?

This is Duke Energy by the way  (Robinson Plant in Hartsville SC)

Have you read this:
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,25963.0.html

or this:
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,36319.0.html

and numerous others listed here:

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/board,139.0.html

Just wondering if I should call the recruiter or site coordinator? Or is it someone totally different I need to talk to now?

My advice would be to call the site recruiter once a day expressing your interest. Who has the site contract for Robinson? I am pretty sure DZ Atlantic still has the site contracts for the original Duke Plants but I am not sure about the old Progress Plants.

[justhere]

Bartlett Has the contract

[justhere]

Bartlett has the contract... but my name was given to PEM... don't know if that makes a difference or not. I was told PEM does the hiring for the firewatch and such not Bartlett. I may have been given wrong information. Either way I am not sure what is going on... The guy at PEM says my name is on the list. The head recruiter at Bartlett says he has never heard of the guy that told me this and doesn't have me hired in or on a list (I know he works there ). So maybe there is a difference in the two?

[GLW]

Bartlett has the contract... but my name was given to PEM... don't know if that makes a difference or not. I was told PEM does the hiring for the firewatch and such not Bartlett. I may have been given wrong information. Either way I am not sure what is going on... The guy at PEM says my name is on the list. The head recruiter at Bartlett says he has never heard of the guy that told me this and doesn't have me hired in or on a list (I know he works there ). So maybe there is a difference in the two?

PEM is part of BHI as id Bartlett,...

http://www.peminc.net/

check out the lower right link button of the homepage,...

it's the same link button you see advertised on the upper right corner of the nukeworker.com homepage,...

PEM's homepage sends you right back to PEM,...

the one here sends you Bartlett Nuclear,...

same big company, different smaller divisions,...

keep dealing with the contact at PEM and get an offer letter or a confirmation, and do what that tells you to do and what your contact at PEM tells you to do,...

if you keep casting around between different divisions your going to generate some confusion,...

if PEM is bringing you in then PEM is bringing you in, who you are directed to report to after getting to the site will be revealed in due time,...

don't get too wrapped around the axle, it's often like this for your first few outages, you'll get better at it with time,...

oh yeah, good luck, stay low, keep moving, when in doubt, ask for something to do,...

[justhere]

PEM is part of BHI as id Bartlett,...

http://www.peminc.net/

check out the lower right link button of the homepage,...

it's the same link button you see advertised on the upper right corner of the nukeworker.com homepage,...

PEM's homepage sends you right back to PEM,...

the one here sends you Bartlett Nuclear,...

same big company, different smaller divisions,...

keep dealing with the contact at PEM and get an offer letter or a confirmation, and do what that tells you to do and what your contact at PEM tells you to do,...

if you keep casting around between different divisions your going to generate some confusion,...

if PEM is bringing you in then PEM is bringing you in, who you are directed to report to after getting to the site will be revealed in due time,...

don't get too wrapped around the axle, it's often like this for your first few outages, you'll get better at it with time,...

oh yeah, good luck, stay low, keep moving, when in doubt, ask for something to do,...

Thank you this clears a lot of things up and makes sense now. So just sit back and wait to see if they call me in. I guess it is the roll of the dice now. I am ready for whatever is thrown at me. My contact at PEM told me they will call people in at random from the list.

[GLW]

Thank you this clears a lot of things up and makes sense now. So just sit back and wait to see if they call me in. I guess it is the roll of the dice now. I am ready for whatever is thrown at me. My contact at PEM told me they will call people in at random from the list.

well, there's a fine balancing act between reminding your contact at PEM you're still ready and willing to show up at a moment's notice and being annoying,...

you'll have to thread that needle yourself,...

glad we helped a bit, good luck,...

[justhere]

Thanks again for the info. This site did help with a lot of questions I had. I have not bugged the guy at PEM much called him a couple of times in the past couple of months. My father in law does most of the talking to him since he is friends with him. I figured it was better that way so I don't bug the s*** out of him . If I don't get the call for this one I will move on to trying to get on another on. My father in law has had a job offer in Surry, VA for long term he is going to try to get me there as well if this doesn't pan out. As far as I can tell being on "the" list doesn't mean much more than entering your name in a drawing. You sit and hope it gets pulled out and your the winner.

[Content1]

Not wish to throw water on your fire to get in the business.  The plant manager where I am at an outage at reminded us how competition is going in the coming years.  We lost 4 nuclear plants recently to competition from gas fired plants and expense of operation.  All those workers will be cut loose and added to the pool seeking jobs in the industry.  They will all have the skill and experience you lack.  This may turn into a cut-throat business if more plants drop out.  The problems is the plants that are dropped are mothballed and do not provide decommissioning jobs either.  The pay has been stagnant for years and unlikely to change anytime soon.  If you are young you may see it better to seek an industry with a growing future, like something in renewable energies.

[Ksheed]

GLW is correct. Bartlett bought PEM in 2007. PEM is/was a construction company that supplies craft type workers i.e. millwrights, scaffold builders, laborers etc. Bartlett also own Ames which was an electrical contractor. This has allowed them to provide more services to utilities. The fact that the Bartlett recruiter (HP/RP) doesn't know who you are is most likely because he/she only deals with the HP/RP side of it. The PEM recruiter handles the craft side.

Some sites will have PEM/Team One as the scaffold contractor but not necessarily have Bartlett as the HP/RP contractor or vice-versa.

Not wish to throw water on your fire to get in the business.  The plant manager where I am at an outage at reminded us how competition is going in the coming years.  We lost 4 nuclear plants recently to competition from gas fired plants and expense of operation.  All those workers will be cut loose and added to the pool seeking jobs in the industry.  They will all have the skill and experience you lack.  This may turn into a cut-throat business if more plants drop out.  The problems is the plants that are dropped are mothballed and do not provide decommissioning jobs either.  The pay has been stagnant for years and unlikely to change anytime soon.  If you are young you may see it better to seek an industry with a growing future, like something in renewable energies.

IMHO, H=Humble, this may only be a partial truth. I see part of these soon to be unemployed nukeworkers to retire early, some will land in house jobs elsewhere, some will chose to go on the road for outages, and some will leave the industry. So, for the sake of argument, only 25% will be competing for positions in the area that the OP is trying to get into. Those former in house guys/gals will be way overqualified for entry level outage help. All that aside, yes it will be somewhat difficult to break into an industry that you have no experience in. Luckily you do have help. I have always stood by the statement that if you know someone at the plant it helps tremendously.

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,33756.msg155807.html#msg155807
"Since you are starting at an entry level position, I suggest you try to get on at a local Nuke if there is one close to you.  If you know someone who works there it can be very helpful. Once you are "in" it is easier to make contacts."

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,34778.msg162212.html#msg162212
"If that 6 years of factory work included maintenance on equipment you have some experience worth mentioning on your resume. You may want to look into applying for a helper position for the maintenance side of things. It is usually broke down to mechanical, electrical, or instrument and controls. Every plant brings in "bucket toters" to help their maintenance shops. The pay is good, and you will gain experience. Most of the companies that supply the HP/RP techs also supply these workers to the plants. Make sure to list any mechanical/electrical experience you have on your resume. Of course, if you have your heart set on being a Rad Tech, deconner is the way to get started. There are other jobs in the nuclear industry that pay as well. It helps if you are doing something that you will enjoy. If there is a plant close to you and you know someone that works there, that can help you out a lot. Ask to use them as a reference. If you know them well, they may be willing to speak to the on-site recruiter on your behalf. Good luck."

[justhere]

Unfortunately the only person I actually know in nuclear work is my father in law. He knows a lot of people and has helped get a lot more jobs. I am just getting worried since it is so close to the outage starting that I may not get "the call". The outage starts Sept 13th or Sept 17th.. that is the 2 dates that I have heard. I just wanted to get a better idea what "being on the list" actually meant. I know it means I am on the list. And I am finding out that it also means that I will not necessarily be called in. So I will keep my fingers (and whatever else I have to) crossed and pray that the wheel (so to speak) lands on my name. If not this one I will go on to trying to get on the next on. Waiting is not on of my strong suits (I will work on that one because it seems to be a big virtue in this field)

[Fermi2]

Not wish to throw water on your fire to get in the business.  The plant manager where I am at an outage at reminded us how competition is going in the coming years.  We lost 4 nuclear plants recently to competition from gas fired plants and expense of operation.  All those workers will be cut loose and added to the pool seeking jobs in the industry.  They will all have the skill and experience you lack.  This may turn into a cut-throat business if more plants drop out.  The problems is the plants that are dropped are mothballed and do not provide decommissioning jobs either.  The pay has been stagnant for years and unlikely to change anytime soon.  If you are young you may see it better to seek an industry with a growing future, like something in renewable energies.

That is not entirely correct.

Look at the 4 plants lost:

1: Crystal River. Bad technical decision making and bad management of the issue led to high cost. Without this that plant would have been just fine.

2: SONGS same deal.

The others that closed were smaller plants under merchant contracts, One had low regulatory margin and the other had to fight every inch of the way for relicensing. These types of items eat up money. The sad thing is the natural gas glut isn't going to last forever and both those utilities may very well wish they had those plants.

[Content1]

It doesn't matter the reason, the salient facts we have workers who formerly employed will add to the pool of workers and they are experienced.  If they are building more gas plants and more solar and wind projects, that may be the place to go with a future verses an industry in decline.  Compared to the past, all the jobs have said "filled taking back up names only."  If he did not get the call by now unless he has an in, it is unlikely an opening will occur.  Years ago, when I entered the business as an ex navy nuke it still took a year to get my first outage.  My step-son's fiance' had a  full rad con degree and it still took her a year to get in.  These are some of the toughest times I have seen the business in and unless new plants are built we will see more of the same.

[Kepley]

Trying to find out how to get my foot in the door for nuclear power plant shut downs preferably Brunswick NC but would take NC, SC, GA to start and willing to travel most anywhere. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks