Become a Familiar Face

Transcription

1 Becme a Familiar Face Lessns learned and shared in the pursuit f a jb in HVACR By Chris Cmptn, Funder and CEO HVACRedu.net As a manager, I wuld receive muntains f jb applicatins. The Familiar Faces were the nes that gt hired! When I really needed a warm bdy, it was the persn that shwed up and bugged me that came t mind and gt the phne call fr the interview -- classic human nature. -- Dan Linthicum The fllwing advice and directin t entry level HVACR students has been develped, prvided and exercised ver the past 20+ years by myself as an HVACR educatr advising students. The jb search success fr any student that actually fllwed thrugh with the advice given has been very impressive. The main issues that I have encuntered are: A) a majrity f the students will nt fllw thrugh and B) thse that d fllw thrugh end up with mre pprtunities than ne and have a difficult time deciding where they want t g t wrk (a tugh prblem t have). Often thse that d fllw thrugh are able t begin wrking with the emplyer befre they are finished with their prgram f study. This is an ideal arrangement due t the wrkplace experience that enhances and re-enfrces the lessns learned in the prgram f study thereby accelerating the success f an entry level tech. One real danger in this arrangement is that the emplyer will ask yu t quit schl and g full time. If that is the case the emplyer is nt displaying prfessinal business sense and is inadvertently asking yu t cmprmise yur prfessinal grwth and pprtunity. My plug t the students (thse that pay attentin) is cming frm experience. My rse clred glasses have always seen pprtunity. HVACR des nt have a glass ceiling, yu can g where ever yu want t aspire t. The field is pen fr anyne that "perfrms". The steps belw fcus n gaining emplyment with a "Prfessinal" HVACR emplyer. The key term is "Prfessinal"! The HVACR industry in the United States cnsists f a number f ccupatinal paths fr entry level technicians with cntractrs r facilities. These directins culd apply t either f the paths. There are apprximately 220,000 HVACR cntractrs in the United States and an unknwn number f facilities maintenance shps. I suspect that the facilities maintenance psitins are as significant in number as the cntractr base. FET (Facilities Engineering Technicians) are typically emplyed by cmpanies r rganizatins that have a significant amunt f HVACR equipment in their wned buildings r under cntract. Think f hspitals, schl districts, htels, large cmmercial cmplexes, etc. The psitin is NOT a janitr gig, rather a cntinuus mnitring, service and maintenance prcess n the HVACR equipment that serves the facility, ften called the physical plant. The wrk is very much the same but it des nt fall under the categry f cntracting. The primary difference is that yu deal with the same equipment n a cntinuus cycle and the hurs are much mre f an 8 hur shift arrangement.

2 Because I dn't have any specific knwledge f the facilities maintenance numbers I am nly able t address the cntractr market. Statistically the Natinal cntractr base cnsists f cmpanies that are small in size averaging "5 trucks". This means that they emply 5 t 9 persns ttal. The HVACR cntracting business fllws the same rule that many ther ccupatins fllw, the 80/20 rule. This means 20% f the HVACR cntractrs generate 80% f the sales revenue and the ther 80% f the cntractrs generate the remaining 20% f the sales vlume that is attributed t the industry. These numbers have nt changed much if at all in the 33 years that I have been paying attentin. Obviusly there is a huge difference between the 20% and 80% cntractrs. The difference is prfessinalism in the business peratin and wrkplace. My cnsistent recmmendatin t any persn wrking in the HVACR industry is t wrk fr a Prfessinal Cmpany! Hw d yu knw they are prfessinal? Read n... This timeline fr the prcess begins during the first week f schl/prgram: Step One: Engage the student/s in cnversatin and ask why they are studying HVACR. The #1 answer is because they want a jb G figure (the expected respnse) The student is infrmed that "NOW" is the time t begin a jb search Nrmal student respnse is surprise, they are just starting schl The student is given the steps t fllw Get a phne bk fr the area that yu wish t wrk in Lk in the yellw pages under the fllwing categries Air Cnditining Heating Refrigeratin The categry with the mst emplyer ptential is usually AC and Heating The same emplyers are fund under bth categries Size f advertisement is nt an indicatr f prfessinalism The yellw pages are fr identifying emplyer lcatins nly Make a list f the ptential emplyers and their lcatins Visit the emplyer lcatin park in their parking lt r acrss the street and gauge the prfessinalism f the cmpany Prfessinal emplyer visual references Prfessinal lking building, well marked, clean, inviting Frnt receptin area / sales flr with receptinist type persn greeting the public Prfessinal lking vehicles, clean, well marked, well maintained Prfessinal lking staff and emplyees, unifrms, clean cut and well grmed

3 If the emplyer lks like a prfessinal peratin it prbably is After viewing the lcatins frm yur yellw page search prepare t g visit thse yu have nted as prfessinal cmpanies Prepare fr yur initial visit by being clean cut, well grmed and dressed in reasnable clthing; slacks r neat blue jeans and a nice shirt (n tie) Enter the prfessinal ffice area and intrduce yurself t the receptinist persn. Tell them that yu are engaged in a HVACR prgram f study and have identified their cmpany as smene that yu are interested in wrking fr and are ding yur initial jb search If yu determine it is a shp that yu think yu wuld like t wrk fr btain 2 cmpany applicatin frms The first ne is fr practice, fill it ut in pencil and cntinue t wrk with it until yu have it perfected The secnd ne is fr a final applicatin that yu will turn in t the cmpany, nice, neat, cmplete, crrect spelling, etc. (n cffee stains) Sme cmpanies will nt allw yu t take an applicatin hme, in that case fill it ut in their ffice BUT... Make sure yu use crrect spelling Make sure yu print clearly Make sure yu fill it ut cmpletely t the level that yu have infrmatin fr Yu might want t prepare mre, return and fill ne ut later If yu can return with the nicely cmpleted applicatin later, (they allw yu t take them hme), that is a gd situatin. One f the primary bjectives in getting hired by a HVACR emplyer is t "becme a familiar face". HVACR emplyers d nt nrmally use State r ther emplyment services Entry level jbs are nt usually listed anywhere The ne cmmn place is HVACR whlesale distributr bulletin bards These are usually lking fr experienced techs The return t emplyers that are lking fr experienced techs is very small If a tech has experience and is successful in his ccupatin they are already wrking smewhere and happy with their situatin, nt lking fr different jb Mst HVACR entry level techs are hired because they are knwn f by the emplyer Becme a familiar face

4 By using the yellw pages, verifying the prfessinal appearance f yur target ptential emplyers, and btained an applicatin yu have cmpleted the first step Step Tw: Yu nw shuld have a list f targeted prfessinal HVACR emplyers and applicatins cmpleted and ready t return t their ffices Depending n yur ability yu need t create a "rute" and return t thse lcatins n a regular basis Every tw weeks is adequate Becme a familiar face The next time yu return t visit hand in yur applicatin frm Intrduce yurself t the receptin persn again Express an interest in the cmpany Ask t meet with the persn cncerned with hiring Dn't be disappinted if they are nt available HVACR peple are very busy Dn't be disappinted if they tell yu they are nt hiring It is ften the case. They are nt hiring nw but when the time cmes that they need smene yu want t be the ne that they are familiar with and think f When they need t hire they are ging t think f smene that has taken the initiative t enrll in a prgram f study When they are ready t hire they are ging t think f smene that is interested in their cmpany When they are ready t hire they are ging t want smene that lks prfessinal, clean cut, well grmed, reliable Generally prfessinal HVACR emplyers dn't want t hire anyne, they will nt increase their payrll until their level f business increases t the pint that they either have t turn dwn wrk (prfits) r they need t hire additinal help This means they are paying attentin t business #1 Reasn that yu want t wrk fr a prfessinal Generally mst HVACR cntracting cmpanies are familial cmpanies (family wned and perated) all f the small shps and many f the larger peratins. Cntracting prfessinalism is nt dictated by the size f the cmpany Yu want t be the familiar face that they think f Repeat the exercise n a regular frequency, run yur rute, talk t the peple and ne f tw things will happen They will tell yu nt t return

5 This is gd, yu wn't cntinue t waste yur time and can cncentrate n ther ptentials They will ask yu t cme in fr an interview This is gd, get the jb If yu re lking fr a career path that will carry yu thrugh life, I recmmend Heating, Ventilatin, Air Cnditining, and Refrigeratin. Start learning abut the industry by ging t schl. Check ur catalg f nline curses at Studying nline allws yu the flexibility yu need t keep yur current jb, maintain yur current cmmitments, and study n yur schedule. But remember, t be successful yu must be fcused n yur career path by cmpleting the educatinal prgram.