Interview tips

[Dexman PE PMP]

Interview for the position downtown was last Thursday. I think things went well, although I now understand this position is more design & management based as opposed to construction and verification that I do now.

The plus side is that it's a more long-term stable position with more exposure to the company management. The down side is that the commute will be almost 2x as long (via the light rail) and I will be managing a bunch of repetitious small projects (bus stop rehab, parking lot design, etc).

The position itself seems like a step back with day-to-day activities, but it would put me in a better position for advancement later as I would be able to develop more management skills.

I think the frustrating part of it is that despite essentially being a lateral move (same title, same pay), I still have to take the HR test to demonstrate that I know how to do my job.

 

[Ble_PE]

So are you thinking about taking it if you are offered? It would be hard to double your commute for the same money, but if it does open a lot more doors, maybe it's the thing to do. Would the future opportunities that you are talking about be in the same office, or could you possibly reduce your commute in the future?

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

The position is in our main downtown office and commute would essentially be free as I can ride the light rail (we own it). I would only need to drive 10 minutes then hop on the train, so the commute is only time without any financial burden.

I currently work out in one of the project offices that will be gone in 2016 when the current project is complete, and assuming I don't go to another major project (only one coming up on the books anytime soon) I would end up downtown anyways. Everything is downtown, so if I plan on staying for a long time I would end up down there.

 

[MA_PE]

IO hope the new opportunity works for you dex. there's something to be said about continuity as opposed to riding to the last stop and figuring out what you're going to do next.

 

[Ble_PE]

^If that's the case, I'd take it. Good luck!

 

[Road Guy]

It also looks like most of the new construction is going to be on the north side of the town up near me?

If that is true you might be saving your self then even longer commie?

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

Pretty much. It's either go downtown now, or wait a year and a half and hope they have a spot for me then. (assuming nothing else opens up)

 

[csb]

Good luck!

 

[Dleg]

Change is good... developing your design skills, even on small projects, can only help you in the future.

 

[Road Guy]

So here is a little twist on that city engineer position I talked about the other week- I haven't hit "submit" on the application but I guess they fired one of their PM's and tomorrow I will start working in their office one day a week filling in that role until they can hire someone.

I am looking forward to this as I can test the commute and get a feel for the working environment first hand and find out if they are a total train wreck or not before I decide to apply.

My boss (who is working there in a similar capacity) told me that they are about to add some more money to the city engineer position to attract some, hopefully better, people to apply, which is another plus...

So I guess I just have to hope they continue to not get any good candidates on the next couple of weeks....

 

[Dleg]

Yeah, if you wait too long you might end up getting called in to interview the guy who they're gonna give the job to.

 

[csb]

No one applied for the city engineer position here and it's been open since January. That has everything to do with a mayor who is done in two years and no engineer wanting to chance being employed for only that long.

 

[Road Guy]

3 hours on the job and I have figured out there main problem... They have planners running construction projects..... Smh.....

 

[snickerd3]

d'oh

 

[MA_PE]

Talk about an ideal situation. I hope it's a winner for you.

 

[Dleg]

3 hours on the job and I have figured out there main problem... They have planners running construction projects..... Smh.....

... and let me guess, they're nowhere to be found starting at about 4:20.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

I think the frustrating part of it is that despite essentially being a lateral move (same title, same pay), I still have to take the HR test to demonstrate that I know how to do my job.

Took the test this morning. It was stupid and asked for things that most people don't know because we don't need to know it, like "What is the maximum number of layers in Microstation?" and "Draw a horizontal curve and label 5 components". The other issue is that it skipped around a bit and did not provide context for the question, like "What is a CPM and what does it provide?" I just guessed they were asking about Critical Path Method, but could have also meant Certified Project Manager or some random other C___ per Minute.

I feel dumber having taken that test, and almost felt like failing it out of principle. [/rant]

 

[Road Guy]

I felt the same way when I had to take a similar test (for your outfit) when I applied for that job last year..... maybe it is just used to weed out the really dumb people.....

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

When I took the exam 5 years ago to first come on board, there was another guy who took the test at the same time as me. We finished at roughly the same time, and as we were walking out to our cars he made the comment, "I have no idea what colors are used for utility locates." I just thought to myself at that moment, "one less candidate for me to worry about."

 

[Road Guy]

^-- you would think its kind of obvious you can take a guess at it if you have been outside any?

my first day on the job filling in at the City- People don't like to make any type of decision at all, even minor things. 90% of what I listened to today I would have answered and had the contractor moving on (back at the old Cobb job) either these people just don't know what they are doing or they don't have the authority to make these simple decisions.

for example one of them was [from contractors rep] Can I call the State DOT and inquire about (something they found on the state ROW)" - unknown buried / capped well.

Gee I don't know, need to check first..

facepalm..