By Brad - Wednesday 11 Jun 10:03 am
Although the trucking career is ‘easier to get in to’ than (for example) a medical career because there is much less training involved… there is still a lot of preparation that goes in to getting a truck driving job.
If you want a job you can just walk into with no prior skills or education, try a fast food restaurant. If you are willing to devote some time and effort in to a career that will actually support you and your family, and you have chosen the career path of being a truck driver… you need your CDL license.
Just as you did when you were a teenager and first learned to drive a car, you need to obtain a permit before you can obtain your license. Once again, you need to take a written test, only this time the questions will focus on General Knowledge, Combination Vehicles, and Air Brakes.
In order to complete this written test with confidence, you want to know the answers. This is (one of the ways) where a training school is essential. The classroom hours you invest will prepare you to achieve your CDL permit.
If you are smart, you will take additional, optional endorsement tests that will be listed on your permit as extra abilities you will have as a truck driver. These tests include Tankers, Double and Triple Trailers, and Hazardous Materials (or “HazMat”).
Once again, having a permit only enables you to drive a truck with a passenger that has a CDL license. Obtaining your permit is the 2nd step (after classroom training), now you can learn to drive a truck.
When you are confident and comfortable behind the wheel, you can finally obtain your CDL license by taking the driving skills test. Congratulations, you are now ready to find a truck driving job!
There is much emphasis here on how important the training you receive will be. There are 3 choices of training to be a truck driver. Public training is often a government funded option that provides a variety of vocational training (does not focus solely on truck driving). Private training is your best option, because you will receive individual and extensive training that focuses solely on truck driving. Finally, there is the option to receive your training from a motor carrier.
As mentioned before, unless you want a fast food job you should focus on complete training first, and then finding a truck driving job. If you apply for a truck driving job with a motor carrier that provides you with the minimal of training, just enough to get you licensed and stick you on the road… you will be making a huge mistake.
For a better paying truck driving job, even for your first job as a truck driver… you will benefit greatly from receiving the complete training available only at a private truck driving training school. Then, all you have to do is share your resume with as many companies as you like, and choose your first job!
Posted in: Truck Jobs
By Brad - Thursday 5 Jun 6:24 pm
The most important step in your job search starts with you. Knowing what you want in a job is the first priority. Without a goal in mind your job search will be unfocused and haphazard. While a broad search may get results it may not yield positive results.
Whether you are beginning your first search or your fifteenth the same rule applies. Find out what you want. To do so follow some basic steps:
1. Ask yourself why you are searching. Are you just out of school? Have you recently been laid off? Are you tired of your current position and looking for a change? Do you need more money? Your answer is the first step to deciding what you are looking for in your job search.
2. List your strengths. What do you have to offer an employer? Be honest with yourself. If you don’t have experience in a new field can you afford to start in an entry level position? Do you have other strengths to offer that may outweigh your inexperience? Know what you have to offer.
3. Research your options. If you know you want a job in management or insurance for example – start researching to narrow your job search. Type in the keyword management in a job search engine and watch hundreds of jobs appear. Don’t waste hours sorting through these choices. Choose a more specific keyword search for better results.
4. Know what you don’t want. Knowing what you are not willing to live with is just as important as knowing what you want. Make a list of items you will not compromise – be it “I won’t wear a suit every day” or “I hate cubicles”. Avoid the items on your list so you don’t waste your or the employers’ time.
5. Prioritize what you want. Make a list of what you want in your next job and rank the list.
6. Be patient. Finding the right job for you takes time. By limiting your job search to what you really want it may take longer. It might be quicker to do a broad search and take any position you can get but a job you hate will send you back to another job search fast.
Searching for a job takes time, energy and patience. Make the experience more fun and efficient by taking the first step to decide what you want in a job.
Posted in: Job Search
By Brad - Thursday 5 Jun 6:24 pm
Beginning a job search can be overwhelming whether a person has been recently laid off or is considering options for a growth opportunity. Keep a few simple options in mind and your search will prove successful.
1. Develop an organized system. If you don’t take your job search seriously why would anyone else. Searching for a job is similar to having a job. Set up a schedule for searching, posting resumes, networking and making follow-ups. Make your search a professional priority is taking the first step.
2. Go to the source. If you are looking for a specific position in an industry do not limit yourself to large and generic job search sites. Head directly to the employers you are interested in and apply via their site or human resources department. Do not limit yourself to only the well known employers in your field either; try small and mid-size companies as well.
3. Work with a staffing firm that services your industry. If you’ve sent your resume to the companies you are interested in or if you’ve searched several sites and found no openings, you may need professional help for your job search. Consider a headhunter or staffing service that specializes in your industry. These services have direct and up-to-date contact with potential employers. They will also review your resume and provide insider information about what potential employers are looking for.
4. Network at industry events and through professional organization websites and forums. No matter how old-fashioned you think networking is or how you think the internet has improved job searching, there is little substitute for getting out and making your self known to potential employers.
5. Send cover letters and resumes to a specific person not “to whom it may concern” or to the “hiring manager”. Employers and human resources departments receive resumes and applications by the hundreds. You will be just another number added to the pile or scanned then disposed of unless what you offer stands out. The first step in getting noticed is to get your information to the right party then wow them.
Follow these five simple steps and your job search will begin the journey to a new job in the right direction. Just remember to be consistent and keep following up, you will get the job that is right for you.
Posted in: Job Search
By Brad - Thursday 5 Jun 6:24 pm
MOS’s or Military Occupation Specialties is the term the US Army gives to enlisted army jobs. The MOS’s that have similar functions are grouped together into different ’Fields’.
The various ‘Fields’ that categorize these MOS’s are as follows:
Infantry
Public Affairs
Special Equipment
Religious Services
Vehicle Maintenance
Medical
Chemical Warfare
Recruiting and Retention
Transportation
Explosives and Ammunition
Supply and Logistics
Electronic Maintenance
Intelligence
Counter/Human Intelligence
Communication Intelligence
Armament Maintenance
Field Infantry
Air Defense
Aviation
Special Forces
Armor
Engineering (Construction)
Signals (Communication)
Legal Services
Law Enforcement
Electronic Warfare
Psychological Operations
Civil Affairs
Administrative
Finance
To find army jobs that are available to enlisted personnel in any one of these Fields, simply Google US Army Jobs and then click on one of the above fields from the list.
For example, in the Finance field at present there is one MOS or army job listed:
Finance Specialist –
Major Duties – performs or supervises duties pertaining to disbursing, travel, military pay, foreign notional pay, internal control and civilian pay. Duties for MOS Finance Specialist at each level of skill are: and then it goes on to describe what those are according to the applicants level of skill, with Skill Level 4 being higher or more qualified than Skill Level 1.
Qualifications – This includes the qualifications an applicant must possess for this MOS or army job – physical, tactical and educational – with training/school information included.
Click on another Field such as Aviation and eighteen MOS’s or army jobs are listed. Click on each one to get all the information you need for description and qualifications.
A new recruit makes basic pay of approximately $1300./month. However, there are many factors that play into the pay scale including number years of service, rank, and education. For example, a new recruit may enter the army as an Officer if he has university or college education, therefore his rate of pay would be higher. The pay rate figures all include the value of free housing, food and income-tax advantages. Every year the government gives military personnel a pay raise. The disparity between army jobs and civilian jobs used to be large, peaking at 13.5% in 1999. But a bill was passed some years ago guaranteeing a minimum 3% raise across the board annually. Every year it’s voted upon and in 2008, the military received a raise of 3.5%, lowering the gap between army jobs and similar civilian jobs to 3.4%.
Good news for anyone wishing to pursue a job in the army!
Posted in: Army Jobs
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