Heading to Illinois

[s1wlightning@msn.com]

I just have a couple of questions for the experienced nukes.  I going to be getting out of the Navy in about six months after six years in.  I moving back to Illinois for two reasons, one it looks like the best oppurtunity for ex-navy nukes and two I'm from Yorkville which is pretty much right in the middle of all the Exelon plants.  I am a MM2 qualified Chief Reactor Watch, six 8 months early, and have done jobs like Work Center Supervisor, Reactor Training Staff, and Propulsion Plant Drill Team.  Some of the questions I have, and any answer would be greatly appreciated, are:

-What type of things should I do to prepare for interviews?

-What is it like to work at any of the exelon plants in IL(work enviroment/overtime)specifically from Braidwood and north?

-what is the starting pay for qualifying and after qualifying?

-How should I prepare my resume or is there anyone out there that is very good writing resumes for ex-navy nukes?

-What is the best way to get in touch with Exelon or at least let them know I am interested in being a operator?

Alright, a little more than a couple of questions, but just trying to get a much info as I can and jump into the civilian sector head first with little down time.  Thanks for your time and help.

[Fermi2]

Wanna bet EVERYONE of these questions has already been answered many times over here and if you would apply the research skills that hopefully you learned in the Navy that you'd be able to find them?

Mike

[Samabby]

" EVERYONE "

every one   

[hamsamich]

dude you will be fine.  just go to the exelon website and apply for jobs.  do an internet search.  just make a resume out with word wizard and the one cardinal sin is DO NOT USE terms like "ELT, ERS, EWS" without writing out what they are first (ews means engineering watch supervisor, what did I do as one that is important to people at a commercial nuke plant?). anyway, these plants are always looking for exnavynukes because they always need operators.  for me, i don't think exelon is all that great, but they are probably just as good as the next nuclear company.

if you can, try to get a name or contact of someone to actually talk to at a plant anyway you can. it isn't always easy. ask friends if they know anyone, use the inet creatively, stuff like that.

don't forget to use your unemployment benefits (go to PA or MASS via interstate claim) and take a couple months off free of charge to find the right job for you. also, I believe you get free tuition in the state of illinois for college as a vet so look into that as well.

[JustinHEMI05]

Here you go, I did some work for ya.

www.exeloncorp.com

and their job site

https://sjobs.brassring.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_home.asp?partnerid=25031&siteid=5128

Get a resume (Go to taps, they actually have good tips for this) and start submitting to jobs that are open at plants you want to work at. All the nuke companies have sites like this so if you want more google google google.

Goodluck!

Justin

[Fermi2]

" EVERYONE "

every one   

I was testing everyone. Yeah that's it

Mike

[Dave Warren]

After living there for a long time, and working at Dresden, Braidwood, and Lasalle extensively, I can offer you this:

The work at the plants will offer plenty of overtime.
The money you will make is very decent, compared with the other utilities.
You have alot of union presence in the plants.
You will work with alot of folks who are miserable and hate their jobs and can't wait to retire.

I guess you could say that about alot of places, but that is my experience with the Exelon sites. Outage and non-outage.

[ranger2]

pm me some time, when things slow down I think I can set you up.

Rich

[s1wlightning@msn.com]

Thanks for all the help guys, especially Ranger2.  The lady you set me up with was a huge help. 

I have another question now, and broadzilla I looked on the forums and couldn't find anything.  So, I am interviewing and the Lasalle plant owned by Exelon for a Mechanical Maintenance First Line Supervisor in a couple of weeks.  The first thing I am doing is going to what is called a MICA assessment, which is 5 hours long.  I have no idea of what to expect from this but I am told it's done for any type of supervisor position.  I was wondering what I should be expecting and what I can do to prepare for this, I.E. what to wear and any paperwork I should bring.  The following day I am doing two interviews, one being with the Plant Maintenance Manager and the other with an HR rep.  I really not to concerned with the interviews and there is plenty on this site about interviewing that I have already found.  Just more interested in finding out more about this MICA assessment.  Any help you guys provide would be appreciated, and Broadzilla, if there is a forum on here about this MICA assessment may I be stuck down by a bolt of lightning or thrown in a pool to drown with fire on top so I can't surface without being severely burned.

Adam

[hamsamich]

ha ha ha ha, if no one else can help you I will ask a friend for you. that's funny about the broadzilla stuff! he's a big lovable teddybear isn't he folks!

[ddklbl]

From what I hear, It's a leadership style evaluation.  Think of NavLead roleplay.  You'll assume responsibility as the "supervisor"  and be given a short history of your "team" and an itenerary for the day.  Bob has trouble showing up to work. Counsel Bob.  Oh, you're late for your nine oclock meeting because Susie gets injured on the job.  What are you going to do?  I think I'll send a message to the Bossman and tell him I won't make it to the morning meeting because I am going to see that Susie gets to medical right away.  I'll make sure I'll followup on the meetings minutes with the bossman after I send out the mishap report.  Steve is bummed.  Steve, I've noticed your job performance has started to slip recently.  Is everything OK?

Roleplay... NavLTC style.

[Fermi2]

I hear from a Exelite that it's some sort of leadership assessment.

Mike

[ranger2]

Was sworn to secrecy after mine, so I could tell you but I'd have to kill you.

You got the jist from other replies. If you need specific prep help, google 'assessment center interviews' or get a good job search book like "knock 'em dead 2007".

Also take a look at behavioral interviews.

Good luck.

[s1wlightning@msn.com]

I went and picked up "Knock'em dead 2007" yesterday and started reading it.  Come to realize, all an interview appears to be is an extended checkout on a watch station.  Like an Reactor Officer board for Chief Reactor Watch.  Where as your trying to sell you knowledge to the RO to be qualified to stand the watch to selling youself to being qualified to do the job.  If that's the case I have plenty of experience in that, so I was wondering if I should buy a Coke for the interviewer just like everyone use to do for check outs on the ship.  That was just a joke, but I am still concerned about the assessment since I don't think being a work center supervisor in the navy is a real good judgement of being a supervisor at a commercial plant.  I'll certianly look it up on google, and thank you all for the help. 

[hamsamich]

I talk to a friend quite a bit who has been interviewing for operators, these guys will be fast-tracked to RO or may even be eligible for SRO after a year or 2 if they pan out.  He has the final say, and what I gather from some funny conversations from him, what he is looking for mainly are people who are just "good people."  If they are real good people and he gets a good vibe from them about honesty, commitment to job and ability to get along with others, the resume isn't THAT important.  They are going to hire a couple guys who normally wouldn't get hired, because they seem to have good technical ability in general, and they have been recommended highly from other non-jacka$$e$ and just seem like great people.

One of his stories was about an ex-navy nuke who came in there and during a group talk to a few of the interviewees, he kept answering the questions, without letting anybody else get a word in edgewise; always bringing the answer back to his superior technical ability and his awesome work ethic.  Which once or twice, if done in the right way in the right company might be good, but he went so far as to try to bring the questions always back to his huge amount of technical knowledge concerning his reactivity expertise and other RO crap from the navy.  This guy was not hired, while other guys with maybe 1/50th of his ability and knowledge will be, all because he would probably end up as one of the guys everybody dreads to work with, NO THANK YOU!  ya jacka$$. 

[ranger2]

With behavioral interviews, they will not ask questions like "tell me your strengths and/or weaknesses" or "where do you see yourself in 5 yrs?". Instead they will have you tell them stories from your work/life experience. They might ask "give me a specific example of a time you had to enforce a directive from a supervisor with which you did not agree, and tell me how you handled it" or "tell me about a time you had a subordinate who was a dirtbag [paraphrased] and how you handled it".

The idea being, how you handled a situation in the past is a better predictor of what you will do in the future than what you might say you would do in a hypothetical situation. Most people know what interviewers want to hear and will just say the right thing. It's harder to make up a specific story when put on the spot, and followup questions will probe the specifics with sufficient detail to tell if you are lying.

If you google a list of typical behavioral interview questions, you can probably come up with a half-dozen stories from your experience that can be made to apply to over a hundred questions.

As for the assessment center, as long as you work briskly, prioritize well, have attention to detail, follow directions, and are neither a pushover nor an overbearing jerk...you'll do fine. Not much you can do to prepare ahead of time.

[s1wlightning@msn.com]

I kinda figured that there really isn't a whole lot I can do to prepare.  I figure that I will go in and be honest and be who I always am.  I've work pretty hard to this point so I don't think I need to lie to make myself look better.  Except for the fact that I hate working for douche bags and I let them know what they are.  That keep me from making first over a year ago, so I guess in the end I learned my lesson of the Hierarchy.  Thanks for the info.