Dresden 2016 Auxiliary Operator Class

[JMM]

Does anyone here happen to know if they are still interviewing for the June 2016 class, and if they even hire from outside of the state?  I recently applied on a whim, even though the job posting was open since January or February.  I wasn't really planning on going back into the nuclear industry, or I would have been looking for the position and applied sooner.  The job posting did not state anything about relocation.  Most jobs I see explicitly state yes or no regarding relocation.


I currently live in NC but I am from Illinois and have worked a couple of outages at Dresden.  I applied a little over a week ago, and noticed they took the job listing down two or three days ago.  Does that normally mean they have all the slots filled, or only that they are done taking applications and they are now going to start interviewing?  I know at another plant, they interview and hire fairly quickly, and the new joins work around the plant until class officially starts. 


I know it is a long shot asking, but maybe someone is familiar with Dresden's process.  Thanks.

[bart2567]

yes they do hire from out of state and from what my SOS told me they have already chosen their 6 people the class is starting soon from what i have been told.

Source: I am an NLO at Dresden that was hired from out of state.

[Rerun]

Relocation does not mean they hire in or out of state. It simply means are they going to pay for your move

[bart2567]

maybe i misread the post they did not offer me a relocation allowance

[JMM]

yes they do hire from out of state and from what my SOS told me they have already chosen their 6 people the class is starting soon from what i have been told.

Source: I am an NLO at Dresden that was hired from out of state.

Thanks for the clarification.  At this point, I figured as much since the class started yesterday, according to the job posting.  When I wrote the original post, I was wondering if they were all hired up since they took the job posting down.  A few days after asking here, I received an e-mail letting me know Exelon transitioned to a new hiring website, and it stated for me to re-apply for the position on the new website.

[JMM]

Relocation does not mean they hire in or out of state. It simply means are they going to pay for your move

Relocation assistance is usually used as a tool to increase the applicant pool, that usually means in and out of the state.  When they don't offer relocation, that usually means they are confident they can find local applicants to fill the positions.

[JMM]

maybe i misread the post they did not offer me a relocation allowance

Many times, you have to ask for it.  Even though it may not be stated in the job posting, it is usually written in their hiring policies, as to who can apply for it.  As long as it is done within a certain time period, and your move was over a certain distance, they should pay it.


I know someone that was hired at another plant.  When they made him the offer, the letter did not include relocation allowance.  He told HR he accepted the position with relocation assistance.  At first, they tried telling him the policy was being rewritten and he couldn't get it.  He told them if the policy was in effect at the time he was hired, he rated it.  They then said they would look into it, and wound up sending him a new letter including relocation assistance.


The Operator position posting at Exelon did not state that it was included, but there was a position for mechanical maintenance where it was pretty clear they would not review long distance applications.  It stated something about, the applicant must be ready and able to drive to the plant on a daily basis for work.

[Rerun]

Sorry if HR says no then the answer is no and it doesnt matter what the applicant says or thinks

[JMM]

Sorry if HR says no then the answer is no and it doesnt matter what the applicant says or thinks

Sorry, but I know an applicant that stood his ground and they gave it to him.  I already stated that.

[Rerun]

Wouldnt have happened in any of the utilities in which I have worked. They would have said NEXT

[JMM]

Wouldnt have happened in any of the utilities in which I have worked. They would have said NEXT

It sounds like you have never been sought after. 

[bart2567]

When i hired into Dresden 3 years ago they had over 3000 applicants for my job I asked they said no there was no way i was going to push it. Exelon in Illinois is the highest paying employer for NLO in the country from what I have seen so if a few thousand dollars for a movement allowance is your hangup  i dont know what to tell you...

[JMM]

When i hired into Dresden 3 years ago they had over 3000 applicants for my job I asked they said no there was no way i was going to push it. Exelon in Illinois is the highest paying employer for NLO in the country from what I have seen so if a few thousand dollars for a movement allowance is your hangup  i dont know what to tell you...

Who stated it was a hangup?  I only mentioned it because it usually indicates whether a company is hiring out of state.


But it actually can make or break the decision depending on where you live, how bad the housing market is in your area, and the amount of stuff you have to move. 

[ddickey]

When i hired into Dresden 3 years ago they had over 3000 applicants for my job I asked they said no there was no way i was going to push it. Exelon in Illinois is the highest paying employer for NLO in the country from what I have seen so if a few thousand dollars for a movement allowance is your hangup  i dont know what to tell you...

Wow, I think my plant had 12 to chose seven from the last class.

[JMM]

Wow, I think my plant had 12 to chose seven from the last class.

12 total or 12 finalist?  In my first nuke job, there were thousands of applicants.  Of those thousands, about 65 of us were invited to take the mechanical aptitude test and a manual dexterity test.    Of those, I think about 20 of us took the first interview.  15 were forwarded to the panel interview, and only 9 of us were hired.  It was actually 10, but one guy failed the drug screen. 


In this economy, most jobs get thousands of applicants.  The thing is, most are unqualified and they are just people sending out their resumes like confetti hoping it gets picked up somewhere.  The computer screens most of those people out.  So saying the position had thousands of applicants doesn't mean very much.  It doesn't necessarily mean the competition is stiffer than usual.

[hamsamich]

I read this whole thing and there was one item that really stands out.  It can't hurt to ask for it after you have already been picked.  Especially if you could find out what the policy is and where it is stated.  In the navy information and knowledge was king and some blueshirts who knew exactly where to find information and what it said ruled the engine room with a smirk and a wink.

[ddickey]

12 that had passed the EEI so qualified. I could be wrong on the number but it was ridiculously low, <20.

[therogue]

I'm an RO at Quad Cities.  15 years.  Exelon will not pay for relocation for union people.  (All Exelon nukes in Illinois are IBEW local 15).  They do pay for management relocation.  The amount varies by paygrade.

[Red Gold]

(All Exelon nukes in Illinois are IBEW local 15).

Aren't the Clinton folks in a different local? Not that it really matters anymore, unfortunately. (Anyone from Clinton with first hand knowledge feel free to correct.)

Also, commiserations on the plant closure. I think Quad is the Exelon Midwest plant in the best location, and I considered going there myself a few years ago. Shame to see all these long serving folks staring down the barrel of losing their jobs.

[therogue]

Yes, my mistake.  Clinton station is IBEW 51.  LaSalle, Byron, Braidwood, Dresden and Quad are all IBEW 15.