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Need a job. Any ideas?

902 views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  Gr8 '48 bow tie 
#1 · (Edited)
I lost work at my shop a while ago. I worked for Sakowski motors as a fabricator, weldor, electrician, driveline engineer, and designer, but Wil moved the company back to NC from L.A. I have had good leads here in Austin with Mercury Charlie and Austin Speed Shop, but neither one of them has enough work to be hiring anyone. Put it this way... I've hit every shop from here to Dallas, I dropped down to applying at repair shops, then even thought about working for Jiffy Lube. I had no luck at Home Depot, and my latest application just went in at STARBUCKS. I'm not above working for money and I've always had nothing but respect for anyone in the workforce regardless of their position, but its just a little frustrating to go from working with some of the greatest customizing minds in the country to what basically amounts to fast food. In my former jobs I was respected for my work and paid handsomely. Now I'm looking at making triple foamy half-caf mocha-lacka-cheenos for minimum wage while answering to a boss who is half my age. Like I said... I'm not "above" anything, but its just not my dream job

But before I give up and dive into the world of caffeinated beverage service, I thought I'd ask you folks... Anyone know of some good shops that might be hiring? ... or even any bad shops that are hiring?

I'm also good at general contracting, bartending, driving/chauffering, and I have a Class B CDL. I'm certified SCUBA OWD. I suck at sales. You'd think with a list like that I could get work. I've sent out an average of 7 resumes a day, applied everywhere from Auto Zone to Harbor Freight, and even put on a TIE for cripes sake.
 
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#2 ·
Rats Curtis, that sucks..In January I had 6 people on my waiting list, a guy with an original 34 PU who wanted a traditional chassis built, a guy with a 550 porsche replica that had been worked over worse than a drunk 16 year old at a biker's ralley, (someone actually cut the door hinges out of the body...left 6x6 holes where the hinges were), a guy with a 29 RPU that needed reassembly after paint and powdercoating..a 27 tubster kit assembled, a couple of other little jobs....they all dropped off my list...no money, wait till spring, wait till summer, I got tired of waiting and had someone else do the job.....and the guy who's truck I had in the shop said to cut him back to 8 hour blocks here and there until he gets some money....

Imagine the feeling i had when I was calling those folks, and hearing that I had no work to line up...It's all over....Luckily I called an old customer who had some motorcycle work to do, but it's slower than snot out there...Things are picking up though, lately the phone started ringing, and usually after tax rebates start coming in things pick up some, although this is such a weird time...I am like you, diversify to survive...I just quoted fabricating some freezer doors for a company that builds commercial deep freezers...and I got a job getting someones '68 Chevy dump run truck up and running after it's been sitting for 5 years....(Ugly truck, no hotrod potential, long story)

The other shops here are feeling the pinch too.



You'll do ok, get a job doing something, anything, and something good will come along. If I had enough work for 2 right now this would be a PM instead of a post.

At least working at starbucks the scenery is nice, and you get to schmooze with the folks and you can get the word out that you want a better job..The customer base at starbucks is a better one for that than selling twinkies and gas at the local AM-PM....

I will keep my eyes open though.


Good luck,
mikey
 
#3 ·
Tough luck Curtis, come on up here to North Texas (McKinney, Allen, Frisco, and Plano), still lots going on here. Rodding it still pretty hot up here (Sachse Rod Shop). I have been retired a little over a year from DuPont as an electrical designer. I'm not quite ready to go back to work yet, but when I decide to it's going to be some part time job where the stress level is non existent. I inquired casually at Home Depot and Lowes about a part time job with my electrical experience and was told at both places that there was no problem getting on. We did not discuss pay, but at this point in my life that is really not that much of an issue. Point is, there is plenty of work here, no need to go down to the level of pumping out lousy coffee :pain: (read Starbucks).

Oh, and our Auto Zones could use some experienced people. When I go in for some part for my 34 it's hysterical. I have gotten to the point of making up cars so I don't have to keep explaining it's for a Street Rod. The guys at NAPA are quite a bit sharper, but that is a good distance from me.

Vince
 
#4 ·
Curtis, I'm sorry to hear about your difficulty in finding another job. When you go into these places, don't just fill out the application and leave your resume. Try to talk to the management and the workers doing the jobs you'd like to do... they might know of other places that do have an opening. Networking seems to be the way to find work nowadays. Keep an eye open for things around the place that seem to need doing, for instance if it looks like they have a backlog of work in some area, point it out to them. Sometimes you need to create the position yourself.

If you don't mind moving to MS, Northrop Grumman shipbuilding is going to have a lot of work starting up soon at the Ingalls yard in Pascagoula, they're restarting DDG51 production and they've got several other ships in production.
 
#5 ·
Oohh... time to get more welding certifications for shipbuilding :)

One of my issues is that I have a LOT of very diverse experience. I have enough experience with CDL-B driving, contracting, fabrication, auto repair, and acting that I can make impressive resumes of each one, but I lack "certification" and that is what they're looking for.

The could care less that I'm a hard working, loyal, intelligent employee, they just look at a stack of resumes and discard the ones without the ASE cert, or the welding cert, or the Class A CDL. It seems like networking is great, but when it comes down to it, the jobs just aren't there. We made fast friends with a guy who happened to be a Dell Exec. I mentioned that I had some business experience and he told us to call him when we got to Austin and he'd hook us up with a salaried mid-level job. At the time they had 6 positions to fill. By the time we actually got to Austin, they had not only axed those 6 positions, they eliminated 4 more. The best he could do was a part-time phone sales operator.

I'm all about networking. I worked at a bar here in town and networked my arse off. I have about 50 people who would love to hire ME, not my certifications or qualifications... they just don't have any work.
 
#6 ·
I've been laid off for over a month now. Add to that the fact, the state will be forcing me to move soon, and I am never going to find another place like I have now, A small house with cheap rent, a garage I can work in and run my 220 compressor, and no neighbor right on top of me. Doesn't look to good either looking for a new place being on unemployment and the small weekly paycheck that brings. And I looked at a place I'd like to rent, but not sure I could swing it on unemployment, and not knowing how much the utilitys would run (bigger place and out in the country)
Does not appear to be much out there for work at all, and anyone with work appears to be afraid to hire. My uncle is a machinist, and having trouble finding work, just had to get unemployment extension.
Been through recessions before, but never really noticed them much.I never seen anything like this before. Been in downturns before, but people still got their vehicles fixed, so the auto business didn't seem to be too affected by the economy. Its scary how many places have been hurt in all different sectors by this one.
I drove to the small town I grew up in, and the dealership I worked for right out of tech school is closed up now. A sureal site, seeing the empthy building and big parking lot free of cars, as they have been around the longest in the town, and expected to always see them there. The towns largest employer, carver yachts, I was laid off from in 2001. It looks like they still have not recovered. When I worked there (3 1/2 years) we were on a lot of overtime and the parking lots outside of all the plants were filled with workers cars. Now you hardly see any outside any of the plants. Another place that I worked for (for a short time, till I got fired, but I really didn't care too much back then to be losing the job at that company) does appear to be doing well. They make a lot of parts for a company that does work for the military. Unfortunately this was probably the worst of any of the companys to work for. They were paying barely above minimum wage to work on the floor, and in better times, were hiring from the minimum security prison work release program to be able to fill positions, and the inmates were complaining it cost them more for a ride to and from work and a packed lunch then what their checks gave, lol.
I see big companys like pierce and oshkosh truck still advertise positions occasionally. Maybe thats the ticket right now, look to work for a place that does work for the military or government, as they are still likely to spend.
 
#7 ·
Pierce should be doing fairly well... lots of cities are getting stimulus money that they're spending on Fire equipment. There's a new ladder truck coming next month for the Firehouse near me, partly paid for by a federal grant. Oshkosh builds one version of the MRAP, so their business should be good too.

Curtis, I just noticed your avatar. Are you a member of the Impala SS forum?
 
#10 ·
I think you might be setting your sights to low. I know you need money coming in and will take any job to get that. However keep applying at places that will use your skills. How about trying a road building company. The federal government is the only ones hiring right now. Apply to anything that they have you think you can do. Even if you have to travel ,get e trailer and camp. Good luck. Bob :welcome:
 
#12 ·
GOOD NEWS Curtis73, Come to San Antonio, Ft. Sam Houston Army Base is bursting at the seams. The base is expanding and the future looks very good. With all the experience you listed, should be a shoe-in. There is several new buildings going up and the Hospital is expanding. PLUS! if that is unfruitful there is a lot of other construction projects here.

Al
 
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