My question is based upon my new interviews that I'm going to aim for, and expect that good questions and dimensions of the interview are driven by surveyors and not just HR weenies.
Let me have it you bunch of Surveying maniacs!
TYIA
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1. How to perform a valid check of your work.
2. See #1.
3. See #2.
4. See #3.
5. How to teach 1 through 4.
What I want to hear from potential employees is that they are putting their personal unpaid time into?ÿ improving themselves. If they won't do that, then the time and money I spend trying to train them is going to be futile.
I really don't want to hear from an interviewee that he already knows how to do the job. If he/she has got as far as the interview room that hurdle has already been cleared. I have things I want done in ways that are different from how the last guy wanted it done. What I'm trying to learn is how much I'm going to have to unteach.?ÿ
In other words, I'm looking for attitudes, not necessarily aptitudes.?ÿ
1.?ÿ How to tell the truth when you look bad.
2.?ÿ How to communicate. This includes understanding what is being told you and telling others. This includes being able to ask for help when you need it. This includes telling others how to do things. This includes what you write on the stakes, etc etc...in every aspect of our work, from construction, to topos, to boundary, party chiefs are information conduits.
3.?ÿ How to do each technical part of your job well enough to teach it. This includes 1-5 of bionicman's list.
4.?ÿ Patience. How to work with someone that knows nothing and teach them without hating them for slowing you down.
5.?ÿ Know the limits of your abilities.?ÿ
humility= "I have things I want done in ways that are different from how the last guy wanted it done."
If they know everything, we are screwed.
This is career gold for all you newer just getting into surveying gals and guys.
Thank you for the candid answer.
I feel similar as the interview in is usually a point of "it's yours to lose now" as they are looking to potentially hire anyone they take time to sit down and interview.
Especially when you live out of state, as it seems most of my job interviews are evolving anyway...
@dmyhill?ÿ
I'm glad I have learned similar philosophy.?ÿ Lucky to have great mentors I suppose.
And slackers that assured my sense of how not to do it too. ?????ÿ
Quite a few years ago a colleague at the state agency I worked for used a tactic in interviews that I thought was brilliant. He supervised staff that worked alone inspecting flood protection levees , looking for any damage that could result in a failure. The quality of their work was potentially life or death, and working alone they had to be trusted.
The hiring manager would use a total bogus question in the interviews. One I recall was something like "tell us what you know about the Erinson's factor of expansive clay soils?" There is no such thing. If the candidate made any attempt to BS the answer, they were eliminated from consideration, regardless of any other qualifications. The HR folks didn't like it, but they couldn't prevent it. Honesty and integrity are difficult to assess solely in an interview, but this was certainly one way of trying to dig it out.
1.?ÿ How to tell the truth when you look bad...
Honesty is probably the number one desirable trait in my book for an employee, especially a PC.
***********
When I was a young pup I made it to the lofty position of instrument man.?ÿ I could tell the old PC wasn't too sure about me, but he was willing to let me try.?ÿ One day I stepped around the gun and accidentally brushed the legs.?ÿ Without even thinking I first looked up at the PC to see if he had seen me, and he had.
We took a break and sat down for a talk.?ÿ He explained I needed to be more worried about the instrument than if he had seen me or not.?ÿ He went on to tell me he kicks a leg every now and then also, it happens.?ÿ But in order for him to trust me running his instrument he needed to know.
I remember telling him I thought he's get mad if I kicked a leg.?ÿ He told me he probably would get mad, but getting mad at someone you trust is a lot easier than getting mad at someone you don't trust.?ÿ?ÿ
We got along great after that and I ran the instrument on his crew for five years.
That is a great story, for two reasons. Honesty is job number one. But, it also shows a party chief willing to mold what he needs out of the clay that management provided him. One of my great joys as a party chief was to train guys to be outstanding field guys. Most of them ended up being better than I am.?ÿ
"The HR folks didn't like it, but they couldn't prevent it."
F the HR folks.?ÿ You and your co-workers deserve to weed out the BS'ers at the earliest possible time.?ÿ Trust is paramount.?ÿ One thing I stress is that EVERYONE makes mistakes, but, in our business, we must own those mistakes, admit to them, and assist in whatever way is required to repair any damage.
Another key element in a good employee is learning every day on the job.?ÿ We all can learn.?ÿ Paden's example today on taking business advice from a surveying grunt who knew business is one to admire.?ÿ If we aren't learning, we are regressing.
A party chief is sort of like the adult who is stuck with taking care of aged parents at the same time as taking care of their own children.?ÿ There aren't enough hours in the day to be a PERFECT provider for both directions simultaneously.?ÿ It is a balancing act of giving the upper management what they must have while not ignoring the underlings who are on the front lines acquiring the data.
"No Sir (or Ma'am), I do not know all the reason(s) why we are conducting this boundary survey.?ÿ Here's my card and feel free to call the office."
What??ÿ We aren't supposed to tell them we are laying out the planned alignment for an aboveground, all-glass sewer line?
@holy-cow or the new nuclear plant!?ÿ (wish Wendell gave us a laughing option)
@dmyhill?ÿ
That's exactly how I do it whenever I have to train someone explain to them but I'm going to teach them everything that I possibly can about what I know and that that will help them to get to where I'm at and then I'll learn from them because it'll teach me how much I don't know about what I'm trying to teach
half-way house to support the reintegration of prisoners back into society
@dougie I think if I had to do that the yellow would be bigger the green and the red would be even smaller
The whole thing is dynamic (it just keeps getting bigger and bigger) so it's all relevant...
Over 45 years ago I heard a plumber say that all one had to know to make it as a plumber was two things.
S*** flows downhill and payday is Friday.
