NLO application advice

[njstehr]

Hello to all,

This is my first post, but as I assume is common, I have been lurking for quite some time.  As a little background for any advisors, I graduated from NCSU with a degree in Nuclear Engineering in 2012.  During my time in school,  I was a traveling team member for their track team, interned with Progress Energy at Shaeron Harris, and had another nuclear (though none power generating related) internship.  Upon graduation, I accepted a job at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and I have now begun the qualification process for becoming a Shift Test Engineer(STE).  This is really similar to an RO position, it takes about 2.5 years and includes 8 months of school and government issued testing.  I will be going to school for my qualification in January, if I am not offered an NLO position sooner. 

With all of the said, I do feel like I have a pretty solid background for this position, my questions are as follows:

The company I am applying with does not require a degree, but I have heard several times that they have a filter for sub-3.0 gpa candidates and they are to not even be considered.  Any truth from any experience?  This job doesn't even require it, so I would hate to be filtered out for no good reason.  My gut actually tells me I could be filtered by the application software, my brain tells me this is silly.

Secondly, my current position as an STE Candidate is a support role for shutdown conditions with naval nuclear power ships.  I am training to qualify as an STE on the aircraft carrier A4W platform and will take exams given by NAVSEA for my qual.  Once qualified, the agreement between shipyard, navsea, and the aircraft carrier is that the STE and the propulsion plant watch officer are to have "equal and concurrent responsibilities."  I am really unsure as to how I should phrase this or indicate this.  I understand that HR is the first group of people to see my resume, so that doesn't make it any easier.  Also, one of the check boxes in the application asks what experience you have in naval nuclear power.  If any box is checked, it asks to elaborate.  Should I check PPWO and elaborate on the "equal and concurrent" idiom?

Thirdly, and this may seem silly, but what do readers of this see as my odds of getting, at the least, an interview?  To be honest, my gpa was 2.76 at NCSU ( top 10 NE school), and my experience both commercial and naval nuclear seem right on track.  This position is offered very closely to where I want to settle down with the fiancee, so being offered this, or more importantly, ensuring my resume is as good as it can be, is really important to me.

Thanks for any help or advice, all is welcome.


Sincerely,
Nolan

[Fermi2]

No it is not similar to an RO position. You are not operating the controls of a reactor.
No you are not a PPWO so do not put it down. Ex Navy guys are gonna review your resume and cry BS and chunk it.

[Higgs]

No it is not similar to an RO position. You are not operating the controls of a reactor.
No you are not a PPWO so do not put it down. Ex Navy guys are gonna review your resume and cry BS and chunk it.

Quoted for truth.


Do not try to make equivalent, what you're doing, to what a Navy or Commercial Operator does. We (ex Navy, ex KAPL), know exactly what your job is.

Your education is going to be your best bet. Open with, and focus on that. Your experience thus far will also be good, but talk about what you've actually achieved..., not what you "might" do if you stay in your current position.

I don't know about the screening based on GPA thing..., for ops at least. I do know that my company screens engineers out starting at 2.5..., but ops..., a degree is a degree. YMMV

Good luck and keep us posted!

Justin

[HydroDave63]

This is really similar to an RO position, it takes about 2.5 years and includes 8 months of school and government issued testing.  I will be going to school for my qualification in January, if I am not offered an NLO position sooner. 

  Should I check PPWO and elaborate on the "equal and concurrent" idiom?

[njstehr]

Well I probably should have better understood my audience!   But it's actually great that you guys know what an STE is, it's never been easy to explain to none-nukes!  So now that that is out of the way, is it worth anything to interviewers at a plant?  I have basically been through all of the plant experience and have all but completed the initial qual card, but haven't been to the formal classroom portion.  My guess is it isn't gonna be worth as much as I think. 

I'm only 23, I have my degree and my ~ 10 months as an intern at Shaeron Harris as my commercial experience.  To the comment that I should emphasize my education, is having a 4 year engineering degree a big boost, or just one of the only things I have worth mentioning?

Thanks again all!

[GLW]

...Thanks for any help or advice, all is welcome....

Spell Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant correctly on your resume,...

....I'm only 23, I have my degree and my ~ 10 months as an intern at Shaeron Harris as my commercial experience....

[Fermi2]

Don't kid yourself. STE isn't much but I guess it is something.

[Tyson812]

Awesome, I just left Norfolk naval shipyard. A lot of good ste, sts up there. I was on the mts-626 in dry dock up there. I'm sure you have heard what a mess that 2.5 year project ended up being. As an ste you are engineer qualified on that specific platform which is greater than Eoow/ppwo. The problem is that is just a knowledge thing. You will never give an order and no matter what ends up going wrong the Eoow is ultimately responsible because he's qualified to stand watch and you're not. It would probably be on par with a degree, you have knowledge and understanding, however no actually experience, you just get to concur with everything the Edo says. You guys also only see steam 1% of the time if that. I'm sure you would rock in a shutdown maintenance type job. Good luck

[Marlin]

Awesome, I just left Norfolk naval shipyard. A lot of good ste, sts up there. I was on the mts-626 in dry dock up there. I'm sure you have heard what a mess that 2.5 year project ended up being. As an ste you are engineer qualified on that specific platform which is greater than Eoow/ppwo. The problem is that is just a knowledge thing. You will never give an order and no matter what ends up going wrong the Eoow is ultimately responsible because he's qualified to stand watch and you're not. It would probably be on par with a degree, you have knowledge and understanding, however no actually experience, you just get to concur with everything the Edo says. You guys also only see steam 1% of the time if that. I'm sure you would rock in a shutdown maintenance type job. Good luck

   Norfolk Naval was the worst 10 months on my time in the Navy. Ships force did all maintenance for valves 2" and under, we ELTs qualified shipyard monitors and took all of the radiological controls on the boat, in the drydock, and the maintenance barge supporting us Friday afternoon to Monday morning every week. I hated all the bottle checks in hull and down in the dydock. Much of our time was port and starboard duty days. There was still a Marine detachment there for base security who were shot at a couple of times. I had my car broken into a couple of times and the battery ripped right out of the car. Not a lot of fond memories of that time, going to sea was a relief.

   As for STE way back then they were more like project managers/test engineers with no operational responsibilities our MM E-9 Chief retired and went to work there as an STE.

[Tyson812]

Haha Portsmouth hasn't changed much I assure you. We lived in the hotel on base for a year. We did have a live in barge for the duty section which was nice. Bad place but still had a pretty good time.

[Marlin]

Haha Portsmouth hasn't changed much I assure you. We lived in the hotel on base for a year. We did have a live in barge for the duty section which was nice. Bad place but still had a pretty good time.

   Those without an off base residence had to live on the barge I don't remember an on base hotel, I wonder if that is the old marine barracks? It did not take too long for everyone to get an off base residence.

[Tyson812]

Marine barracks is still there and e5 and below stay there depending on openings, I use the term hotel loosely, it's a gateway inn. Basically a power school barracks with shared bathrooms and a maid who washes your sheets and makes beds everyday. We all geobached up there with a free room so if you lived off base you had to pay for it out of pocket. But at $63 a day per diem some did.

[njstehr]

So I am submitting my application for the NLO position tomorrow, would anyone be willing to give my resume and cover letter a once over?

Thanks!