How much does rank affect employment?

[jromano091]

I understand that rank is a factor, but I'm trying to gauge its weight. I'm a JSI who retreaded to ELT, and am on the fence for star reenlisting- mostly because the E4 to E5 advancement via test is a fairly low percentage, and I want to be sure to find a decent job when I get out to support my family. What are your thoughts?

[MMM]

As a JSI you're required to reenlist, so it's largely irrelevant.

[TVA]

It doesnt at all.

[jromano091]

As a JSI you're required to reenlist, so it's largely irrelevant.

Normally, yes. The plant I'm at is going into a roh, so they shortened the JSI term to a year instead of two. They decided to not make reenlistment mandatory for the ten of us or so.


I'm surprised rank doesn't matter at all- I figured it would have at least some sway

[hamsamich]

Not so much rank, but quals do matter.  Quals and what you actually did matters and how you frame those things and how your interviewer perceives it.  Time in seems to matter....2 of the interviews I was in Navy people were part of them, and they were keen to know if I was a 6 and out.  I stayed in 8 and that seemed to put them at ease for whatever reason, I didn't expect that.  If you have plenty to talk about and have certain quals...that was what seemed to matter...how much I'm not sure.  I know I received a job offer almost entirely based on the fact that I had commercial experience as an operator AND they wanted an ex-ELT.  Depends on what you want to do also obviously.  Also depends if ex-navy will be on your hiring board.  It really has to do with who is hiring you and what they put stock in.  But certain quals are an absolute minimum for certain things unless you get really lucky.  I would say being an exELT gives you a much better chance of being hired as a chem tech, but won't help as much trying to get on as an operator.  Rank may have some sway depending on the person...but many people in powerful positions today WERE enlisted guys, and they know there were plenty of POS officers and E-7s and well as POS E-4s.  Nobody wants a POS working for them or with them even if they were the exCO of a sub.  We had a LCDR exXO hired for the SRO track...the worst POS ever.  He eventually was fired.  So did being a XO help him get a job?  I'm not sure but there were plenty of ex JOs and EWS guys in the same position who kept their jobs and were good.  People who hire usually know these things or get screwed when they hire a guy based on rank.  Maybe a guy could come in and dazzle with BS because they were a MCPO or whatever but I haven't seen much of that.  IF the MCPO has alot of time as a supervisor and comes off as a good guy might help him....but that is due to his time supervising people not really rank...see what I'm saying?

[GLW]

re-enlist,....


FENOC (Davis Besse/Perry/Beaver Valley?) is putting NLOs, chem techs, RP/HP, I&C, maintenance, etc,... on the streets in the hundreds within the next two/three years,....


Entergy (Indian Point/Pilgrim/Palisades),...same thing,....


everybody knows they're coming on the marketplace,....


it is not a target rich environment for nub Navy nukes entering the civilian job market,...


maybe in ten years,....for lots of reasons,....


but not in the next 2 to 3 years,...

[hamsamich]

Yep...actually right this minute would be a good time to get a job for some people but you would probably lose it fairly soon...people are leaving certain plants and creating vacancies...but nobody really wants those vacancies, and they want people with experience who can pitch in right away.  As far as RP goes I'm seeing more job ops right now for contractors...not exactly sure why but I think more plants doing decom/fuel, low unemployment rate,  people getting older, people moving out of RP, plants shutting down needing temp RPs for awhile, DOE seeming to need more people, nobody wanting to work a 3 week outage for 28/120 might have something to do with it.

[TVA]

None whatsoever.

[jromano091]

I appreciate the input everyone! Thank you