Educated, Experienced and Rejected 6 times by nuc plant

[Vidya]

I've applied with an energy company who has three nuclear plants in and around my state, no less than six times in the last six years and every time I get the standardized rejection email from them after weeks of waiting.

At this point I have no idea who or what they are looking for in their hiring process.

• I work as a regulator in my state in the field of radiation
• had at least nine courses taught by the NRC and passed with flying colors  
• participated in their monthly nuc drills doing plume modeling, air monitoring and other roles
• have a degree in Physics, soon to have a masters in Health Physics  
• HAZWOPER certified
• incident command system training from Dept. of Homeland Security
• FEMA's radiological emergency response training
• lots of other radiation-related experience and certifications such as source retrieval

But with every single job I apply for with them I'm rejected.  This last time was for an intro Instrumentation and Control (I&C) Technician job.  They had NINE openings.  I was not asked to take the MASS test.  This requires a high school diploma or GED and still I'm not good enough for a chance at this job with all of my education, training and experience.  I don't understand why they couldn't at least ask me to sit for the test.  And I'd study the crap out of it before I took it.

Examples of what I've tried for:

• Entry level instrumentation and control (I&C) technician
• Temporary radiation supervisor leading to management role in radiation after training
• Entry level radiation protection tech     
• Supervisor Radiation Protection    
• Auxiliary Operator    

I've never been asked to interview, where they would have found out I've had an electronics course as an elective for my physics degree.  That might come in handy for I&C.  I have a strong foundation to learn anything they'd want to teach or train me to do.  

I've gone to job fairs and given them my card and spoken with recruiters.  I've applied through the website.  

My resume has been refined and polished by a professional health physicist who personally knows me and my abilities.

I am female and not a veteran (navy nuc).  Could this be the issue?  Because these are two things I cannot change through hard work and education.

What am I doing wrong?  I've been trying for years to get into this business wherever I can get a break and a chance.

[retired nuke]

You appear to be looking at technical jobs, but your resume is professional. The CHP that is polishing your resume is looking at it from the wrong viewpoint, on 2 directions. He is not in commerical nuclear power (life IS different here) and not technically based. Most utilities screen their resumes based upon matching the keywords in the training and experience to the requirements on the job posting. If you write a glowing resume about how you work for the State, and have a Physics degree, when the utility is looking for a technician that has 3 years commercial power or Navy Nuke experience, your resume gets filed. Sorry, you didn't answer the question properly.
You are IN government beauracracy. You have a few NRC courses, a physics degree, and participate (as a State Regulator) in site emergency drills. Those drills are about as close to day to day work reality as Honey Boo Boo is to a real family. Look at openings that you would be good at, and are challenging. Don't just "want to get into nuke power"
I'm not sure what else you have been applying for, but an (1) electronics course doesn't meet the minimum standards for entry level I&C tech.
From your post, the thing I see you being qualified to apply for is a junior engineer / specialist in Licensing, or Emergency Planning. You don't seem to meet the requirements for any technical position (no actual hands on experience) that would make you stand out above an experienced nukeworker.
It's not your gender - my site has several competent, respected females in engineering, operations, management, and technical jobs. Somehow, you need to focus your resume / application on the openings that you can stand out in, and not expect that having a degree and a few NRC courses (which are generally not considered real in the commercial industry) make you qualified for every position.
Good Luck, I hope you find an opportunity.

[Vidya]

I'm not sure what else you have been applying for, but an (1) electronics course doesn't meet the minimum standards for entry level I&C tech.
From your post, the thing I see you being qualified to apply for is a junior engineer / specialist in Licensing, or Emergency Planning. You don't seem to meet the requirements for any technical position (no actual hands on experience) that would make you stand out above an experienced nukeworker.
It's not your gender - my site has several competent, respected females in engineering, operations, management, and technical jobs. Somehow, you need to focus your resume / application on the openings that you can stand out in, and not expect that having a degree and a few NRC courses (which are generally not considered real in the commercial industry) make you qualified for every position.
Good Luck, I hope you find an opportunity.

The only requirements they had posted for entry level I&C tech were high school diploma or GED.  I felt as if I way overshot that mark.

The only way I can get actual hands on experience is if I am given a chance to get that experience. 

I feel that because I have a solid foundation and background in math, physics and particularly radiation physics I would be a stand-out candidate to train for a lot of different tasks in a nuc plant.  I thought I was being ambitious but not illogical in my aspirations.  My application did make it to the hiring manager but then went wherever resumes go to die after that. 

Thanks for your advice.  I am going to keep trying for those professional positions.

[Old HP]

Sometimes you can have too much education. It seems that the people reviewing your applications have felt you had too much classroom experience and not enough workplace experience. When that happens most employers are concerned that you will not stay in the position you were hired for, but rather just use that job as a stepping stone to move on as soon as another opportunity arises.  One of the problems in the nuke world is there are too many chiefs with not enough experience and not enough Indians with experience that are willing to keep the chiefs out of trouble.
In this economy there are more people, with years of experience, reluctantly returning to the nuclear world because of other failed opportunities or failed retirement plans.
There is no easy answer for where you are and what you should do. I would suggest trying to get into FEMA if you have spent time with them in the past.

[Vidya]

Thank you Old HP.  I am content to bide my time.  I am employed in a field relevant to my degree and what I want to do in my career and am racking up experience the longer I stay in my current job.  

Periodically I will remind those guys I'm still around by shooting off a resume into cyberspace, and though it may be bound for the recycle bin, you never get anything if you don't try.

I am just feeling frustrated after the sixth standard "you're not what we want" email.  I think I'm very capable and willing.  They just don't give me the chance to show that. 

[ddickey]

Most of those jobs probably ended up being internal hires.

[Content1]

First, let's rule out being female as a problem. There is only one place in my career I've seen intentional exclusion of females, not because they were females, but because at the NIF Project (Lawrence Livermore National Lab) program lead tech seemed to only hire ex-nuke Navy people. They did have one female working there, but she was a chemical technician who had previously worked at the lab. If someone ever grabs their hiring records they may have a lot of explaining to do. Everywhere else I worked female techs were an accepted part of the workforce.

Next, you have a degree in physics and nearly a Masters in health physics. You will eventually prevail. It would seem if you have a good stable job now to keep pursuing the professional route. Why go back in time to being a tech when you should be the boss or the engineer. You complain after six resumes over a six-year period with no results.  I would submit six resumes at a time and have talked to key hiring people for everyplace I was submitting a resume to. It would be good to get to know the places you are trying to get a job at and talk to people who do the hiring and asked for honesty.  Ask them, "What you really need?" What jobs go unfilled?

I am currently a senior HP technician.  Back in my career life when I was newly credentialed schoolteacher, I thought with my age and experience I would be a shoo-in. Instead, every interview I went to I was always competing with someone between 10 to 20 years of experience.  I finally got my first teaching job by going everywhere at once with a resume' blitz.   I finally found areas that were expanding and desperately needed teachers. I eventually left the field because it didn't pay enough.
I might suggest a research blitz to first find out what educational background people have in the job you are seeking.  I would then open my search to every area you would be willing to work and find who is either hiring or has openings.  In this research blitz find out who the recruiters are at the places you wish to work.  The last step, do a resume' blitz of at least 20 places and wait to see what type responses you get.  If you had done step two of knowing who the recruiters are and what they were looking for, if for some reason, you got 20 rejections you need ask them what did they find in you that is not a match to the job.  You do it in a way asking for help in what to do to make yourself more of a match.  It is like the old saying "persistence overcomes resistance."

Six resumes and six rejections I have had one day between my submittal and breakfast and before sitting down for lunch on the same day. I simply submitted 10 more and followed up on why I was not chosen for the previous six and try to learn from the rejections.
You will someday prevail if you maintain a positive attitude and keep trying.

[Vidya]

Thank you very much!

I realize six isn't a lot but I was very selective in only applying for the positions I thought I could do/was qualified or MORE than qualified for, coupled with the fact that this company is very stingy in its job postings.  

And thanks for letting me know being female isn't the issue because I cannot afford to start dressing like a man.  I already have too many shoes and clothes and there is nowhere to put another wardrobe.

Each time I try for one of their jobs I have more experience and training and each time I get the consolation email that says, "as you know, your background has to exactly match our needs and we don't want you but here's some bogus website we've helped found where you can launch your resume into cyberspace (to make you feel better about the rejection even though nothing will ever come of it) because we believe the skills you have are in demand (for someone, somewhere, but not by us...not really ever...by us...so move along kid and good luck in your search...you'll need it)."

I'm paraphrasing, of course.  

Thanks to those who have offered to help with my resume from an industry insider's perspective!  

[HousePuke]

I have to agree with Housedad. I am a hiring manager in RP and if the resume doesn't address the specific posting requirements I'm not allowed to consider it (by HR).
Even once I have a field of candidates to interview I must clearly document each interview and the specific reasons I chose the candidate I chose.
I also agree that based on your posts your education is great, but with little or no hands on it hurts you. I know, a catch 22.
Being a woman is somewhat of an advantage in my opinion. In my case I only have one female tech. This gets challenging when dealing with a contaminated female worker and only male techs on shift. Additionally, in my 30 + years in this business experience tells me women typically make very good techs.
I wish you the best, something good will come your way.

[Dave Warren]

First Energy is the same way. I have sent resumes for several different positions within their company. The only interview I ever got was due to working at one of their plants for so long. I always got the CUE CARD response. So, in real-world situations, it is "who you know" more often than not.

[Vidya]

I do get the feeling it is very much a "who you know" situation.

I spoke to one of the radiation guys at their plant while I was there for routine inspection as part of my job duties and remarked to him that the industry was very difficult to get into.  

He reaction was genuine incredulity and he said, "no it's not hard to get into this business at all!"  I told him I'd tried for HP Tech for awhile back in 07/08 and no one wanted to even interview me despite my physics degree and (then) two semesters of graduate study in radiation physics/nuc engineering.  I wasn't planning to finish my masters and just wanted to get to work and make money.

So...yeah easy for him.  He probably knew someone or started during a time when things were not as competitive as they are now.

[Fermi2]

You also have to look at what I call "buried" requirements. Here is an example. Two years ago I posted a job for procedure writer. The posting stated:

High School Education Or GED.
2 Years Nuclear Experience.
Ability to support the Outage control Center if required.
Required to revise Surveillance and safety related procedures
Member may be required to support revisions to EOP and AOP Procedures.

Seems pretty simple eh? Note this was an internal bid. I had 38 people apply some were degreed engineers with 10 years experience, I had at least one Work Week Manager Bid and One Non Licensed Operator.

Of all that here are the people who finally met MINIMUM qualifications.

2 Reactor Operators, One individual who at one time had been SRO licensed at 2 different facilities and was working as an instructor. 2 Individuals who had made it through systems on our SRO course but were subsequently dropped from the program. One of these had a degree, the other had been licensed at a DOE facility.

So what killed the other candidates?

Ability to perform AOP/EOP Revisions and Surveillances. Taken literally the individual would need to be able to become 50.59  and 72.78 qualified (For ISFSI)
By procedure to be 50.59 qualified one has to have 4 years responsible engineering experience which is interpreted to mean at that facility, OR to hold or have held an RO or SRO license at the facility or a similar one OR have the Engineering Manager sign off that the individual can be qualified. Keep in mind this person will not sign off on an unknown person no matter how qualified they may seem. Poor 50.59s can get you in trouble REAL quick.  To be 72.78 qualified you need to be 50.59 qualified.

So of the above:

The RO/SRO/Former SRO are real easy as they literally meet the quals.
The first individual who passed SRO systems and had a degree was signed off by the Engineering manager as he was a well known around the site for his quality of work, his work in the Outage Control Center after being dropped from SRO training was outstanding.
The second individual was signed off by the Engineering Manager based on passing SRO systems and having held a License ar a DOE plant ie a similar facility.
I had worked with both these people over the course of 18 months and was able to vouch for their performance and abilities. I also told the EM I would perform an independent review in addition to the required review for their first 50 50.59/72.78's.

I know other plants have dedicated reviewers for procedure changes, mine doesn't as I feel the group should be self sufficient.

So at times it's the unseen qualifications that get you. I'm certain many of the other 38 would have been ok as procedure writers but they didn't meet the quals and I was not about to have the Engineering Manager write waivers for people who didn't work at the site, the WWM was a tough decision but in the end no formal training on the plant combined with no degree hurt him.

I know the person starting this thread has applied for quite a few jobs, the I and C job may have been taken by former Navy Nukes. They meet the minimum requirement plus have a lot of training and experience.

[johnnyhqle]

Hey I know exactly how you feel. I just graduated from college with a BS in Chemical Eng and minor in Nuclear Eng. I have been applying since October to entry positions (Non Licensed Op, Nuclear Equipment Op, Aux Op, I&C Tech) and after the interviews and exams (I passed the Tech test and POSS test) I was told I didn't have enough experience compared to the other candidates. Like you said, it's tough to get experience in the field if you're not willing to join the Navy. Plus this is an entry level position so you'd expect that not having a lot of experience is not as important.

All we can do is apply to these positions and hope for the best. Keep your head up if you really want to be in the field!

[GLW]

I do get the feeling,....

check your PM's,...

[Vidya]

Hey I know exactly how you feel. I just graduated from college with a BS in Chemical Eng and minor in Nuclear Eng.

You could also try oil companies such as Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, etc.
Schlumberger in Houston hired a friend of mine with a Chem eng degree and only six months experience.  Plus they use AmBe neutron sources for well logging so your nuc eng would be an asset for understanding that part of their logging and drilling procedures.

Good luck to you too!