Pioneers for Career Change

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Comment by Margi Miller on April 26, 2010 at 1:33pm

I have worked a variety of jobs....all low waged, no benefits, and no financial stability. I am not boasting ...just telling it.... like it is. I am a hard worker, and whatever I do I do it well. I only apply to positions that I can be an asset and provide efficiency. But I don't receive interviews or stability.

Comment by Ian C. Brewis on April 19, 2010 at 2:07pm

Thanks for Joining up Alvin

I have been out of touch for a few weeks and am now stuck by this Volcano dust in the UK!

I Gues you are somewhere in the States!

I hope the Market is boyent enough now that you wont have a problem!

Cheeers Ian

Comment by Ian C. Brewis on February 10, 2010 at 6:08am

Hi Tom

I hope it works out for you!

And I really hope that the recruiters down there can open their eyes and see the potential

All the Best!

Cheers Ian

Comment by Ian C. Brewis on February 9, 2010 at 1:55am

Sorry I have just re-read your post and realised my mistake CDL not CDI

Cheers Ian

Comment by Ian C. Brewis on February 9, 2010 at 1:51am

Tom

It’s nice to hear from you!
Honestly I know the problem better than you might imagine!
My Brother in law is in exactly the same position as you, He has had to go back to the part time military in the motor pool at the Territorial Army in the UK He could and probably would be happiest on the ICE roads up north but as he is not a US or Canadian Citizen he cant do it!

He really has a frightening skill set and we have been looking at Survival Training schools and things but his age is stabbing him in the back! I have been really blessed that my two eldest Sons after coming through both Desert Storm and Afghanistan and a couple of stints down in the Falklands have both finally secured good Senior positions in the Search and Rescue teams for the North sea, its still way out on the side but no one is trying to shoot at them any more!

It is a horrible thing to imagine why after serving your country you have to go through all of this just to make a living! Anyway enough of that! I was just thinking that maybe the ICE roads might be an option to get your mileage, but its not a nice place, but you’re the type of guy they need up there!

Anyway let me talk to a few people that know more about the CA situation, I know its still a bit sticky over there!

So thanks for your input

Cheers Ian

P.S. Is CDI Comercial Driving Instructor?

Comment by Ian C. Brewis on November 25, 2009 at 4:32am

Hi everyone!!

Again sorry I have been away a little lax again as I did eventually find a good job even if the location is not exactly wonderful especially considering my family are located in Canada and my job is in Norway!

Anyway I hope everyone is OK, and your prospects are good!

The market does seem to be getting better and I am sure that soon there will be sufficient placements available to support a more flexible approach to people looking to step a little sideways from there current roles!

I myself today have been trying to help someone who is, trying to find work in the Oil & Gas field who’s resume is a little unclear as to his roles as he has found himself in a role that although within his discipline it is not clearly defined in his previously held position to which his title is that of another support discipline!

It is so difficult sometimes to show your strengths sometimes when you waver from the norm! However if a position appears that is either more lucrative or of greater interest it is hard not to slide over to it but once done it is so difficult to show agencies and thereafter possible future employers that you are anything other than that of your last held position!

I sometimes stress out at the inability of many Agents and HR personnel to look in detail at a Resume and be able to see the potential in a persons experience to fill a position not only in their specific mentioned Discipline but also pick out how their relative experience could be used in a related position such as planning or project management for instance!

I have also been very surprised at my own experience, that when hunting for work That I have been inundated with e-mails for work possibilities in many Disciplines that I have never worked in and it is becoming patently obvious that my name has come up on such a high level search such as ¨Oil & Gas¨ or ¨Engineer¨ or even a combination of both! So I receive possible job offers for the many related disciplines. Not only my own! I mean yes, it is nice to get mails asking if you want to be put forward for jobs, but constantly answering e-mails that were never relevant in the first place, gets a little frustrating, you honestly get to the point where you start thinking that even after a search no one picks up your resume and has a look at it before sending the mail out to you!

It really starts getting to you after a while and you wonder if you’re not getting your message across clearly so you start looking at revisions to the Resume, but in actual fact if the agents use the same high level search, you would probably be picked out anyway! And it is also possible by having probably irrelevant references to other information that will get you picked out.

So references like ¨and I have also read a lot about the piping problems engineers have when looking at drawings in the Oil & Gas industry¨ could probably pick up an office junior for a job in the Oil & Gas industry as a piping engineer.

This could be quite frustrating but it can also be a useful tool in trying to achieve work in an area that is only slightly related to your major discipline.

Comment by Ian Broderick on July 26, 2009 at 10:59am

The problem I have seen most often is that the companies assume that all people with the same job title have the same experience and skills. My jobs have always been more " other duties as assigned" than the majority of the description. This means that almost none of my skills are portrayed in just the job titles. I am willing to bet that most of the people reading this have a similar experience. How can we relate the actual degree of our experience to people who only scan a resume?

Comment by Sandra Larew on July 25, 2009 at 5:49pm

Back to Ian's post in February, that is exactly what I like to do and know it is feasible idea. People skills are needed in every industry, being able to see the larger view of the industry and the organizations part in it is also a transferable skill, and managing changes, diagnosing organizational problems are also relative to every industry. Now to get industries to see that as a reality.

Comment by Sandra Larew on July 25, 2009 at 5:42pm

I agree with Chris's post. Individuals need to do the change that needs to be done. I have been frustrated also with industries believing skill sets and abilities are insulated to a specific industry. It is a very short sighted view.

Comment by Chris on July 25, 2009 at 12:54pm

Maybe we should come up with a business that does this! That way we can become like a non-profit that helps people get out of this rut. Apparently, what we are doing isn't working! Just a thought!

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