WHY IS IT HARD FOR ME TO GET A JOB AS AN ENTRY LEVEL INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN?
Hello maintenance guru's. Can anyone enlighten me on why I am having a hard time finding a job as an Industrial Maintenance Technician in DFW Texas of all places where industry is pretty healthy. I have been here less than a month and I have applied for like every suitable job on ALL the websites as soon as they post. Even the so called "Veterans Only" jobs on the state employment site. Im beginning to realize that alot of them are posted by temps and is not a surprise that I have no luck with them. Well here are a few of my qualifications: 1) I recently graduated with a COLLEGE DIPLOMA for GOD's SAKE in Industrial Maintenance Technology from a community college and I am for damn sure alot of the technicians especially the ancient guys out here never had college. A college diploma is the same amount of credit hours as an Associates Degree. 2) Army Veteran 8yrs. The only thing working against me is my lack of on the job experience. But I had to do what I had to do and adjust my resume accordingly which has got me responses and a few interviews and thats all I will say about that. I feel I obtained state of the art hands on training in college to be a qualified technician as well as commerce level study of the technology. Any of you ancient technicians who are lucky to have their foot in the door please answer because I am highly frustrated and I do have student loans to be paid back for really going to collegeI do not have problems with working starting off with staffing agencies but I prefer not to if I dont have to. They are misleading, and in my case being more access level its better off selling for myself to the ACTUAL employer whereas staffing agencies look for the best qualified, EXPERIENCED candidate for the postition especially in this job.
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Filed under Entry Level Engineering Jobs by on Jul 3rd, 2011. 
Comments on WHY IS IT HARD FOR ME TO GET A JOB AS AN ENTRY LEVEL INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN?
So let me see. First you knock the ancient guys for not having college and then you question for their help. Am I the only one getting a mixed thought here?
Congratulations on your diploma, I am sure you earned it. All other things being equal, it’s a plus. But, other things are not equal. It alone won’t get you a job.
Sitting at the keyboard and responding to everything that’s posted is a excellent thing, but it’s not enough. What separates the “keyboard potatoes” from the serious job seekers is hitting the pavement and making contacts.
Do you have an issue with temp agencies? Temp assignments may lead to permanent assignments while paying cash for daily expenses. At least the assignments may get your foot in the door with companies that have the kind of jobs you want even if you aren’t working those jobs as a temp.
What did you do when you were in the Army? Usually, there is something in military experience that translates into something usable in the civilian world.
You don’t have experience in the field. There’s nothing you can do about that. So you wil start out further back in the pack along with everyone else who has no experience. At least you got the diploma so that puts you in a better pole position back in the pack.
You need to come up with a strategy that makes you different from the pack. It’s tough to do that in person; it’s impossible while sitting a keyboard.
You need to work at the temp places at a lower wage to get some experience. If an employer does not know if you know which end of a crescent wrench to use to hammer in a nail, then they will be reluctant to hire you.
You would be amazed how many electronic engineer candidates I have interviewed who have never selected up a soldering iron. Or used an actual oscilloscope. They do everything in school now as simulations on a PC.