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If the recruiter who emailed you sent their name, then I would give a call and let them know that you have a pending move. As with all job applicants it’s hard to get through the phone layers to talk to someone, but if you have a name it’s sometimes easier.
This part isn’t the hard part. Once you get your offer letter, the PQ process starts. If you read back some of the posts here you’ll see that it doesn’t always go smooth. My advice is to set up an exam as soon as you get the packet. Same for the Dental. Many people send in their exams only to have the medical people flag for more tests or to order dental work done. While seldom serious , the process can take a long time and if you wait too late to start, your deployment date can come and go without you being finished. The bottom line is that if you aren’t PQ’d you won’t be coming down.
Keep us informed.
mikeWell i got one new thing pissing me off. I was told my status would be “in review”, “declined” or “accepted”. Well yesterday my status became “no status”. I called but everyone was out to lunch so i got no answer.
About being pissed off, here are some words of encouragement. Imagine if you were one of the 2 or 3 people handling the thousand or so applications that are in front of your desk. There is no way you can remember everything about who you are dealing with. Someone calls you up, their folder is buried with 50 others and in the first 30 seconds of the phone call you realize that you can’t put your hands on the info right away. The file is active and floating around with the people who do the processing.The person on the line is angry, but there is nothing you can do. What would you do?
The point here is that there are many steps involved with getting you hired, sign an offer letter, getting PQ’d, issueing tickets, getting the training etc etc etc, . It is almost guaranteed that the process is going to go slower than you want probably way slower.. If you are patient with the paper handlers, they will help you more. If you are inpatient they may very well respond by helping you less. Human nature. They are under a tremendous workload at the beginning of each season and you are just one of hundreds or thousands that they are dealling with.
As to lunch, I think you would probably agree that it’s not reasonable to expect everyone to skip lunch just in case you might call. I would try again during work hours and be friendly and patient with whoever talks to you.
good luck
mike
Mike, I was told when I first went to the Ice in Oct. 2000, that there were over 30,000 applications for about 500 openings. Wow! It’s a wonder anyone gets hired! Sharon
Mike; In 2000 the number of applicants per openings ratio….could it have
been due to huge job losses in the country? Is it normally that high each
year?Rick
1000, 5000, 10,000, 30,000. The numbers don’t matter much. The bottom line is that there are enough applicants to make the process slow down. In addition, it would be nice if you could hire and pace it out through the year, but here it all comes down to a crunch every october and February. For everyone reading this, just keep in mind that the slowness is something to expect, so plan for it. Apply early, and when hired get all your pq and hiring paperwork done so far in advance that if something goes wrong you still have time to get it fixed. In the end it will be worth it.
In addition to all the other benefits we’ve talked about in the past, one of the nicest is just being a part of the United States Antarctic Program. For most of us there is an underlying sense of pride that we work here. And once you are back home again and you see a newspaper article about the dry valleys, or Antarctic ice sheets, that little twinge of pride comes back again. You’ll feel it, I promise.
Again, hang in there and let the wheels turn, you’ll be down here with us before you know it.
mikeGreat advice Mike, I know last year I was in a near panic to get everything done in time, seemed like so much, then all of a sudden they call and give me a date to fly down and that was when I realized that everything was done and it wasn’t actually such an ordeal, that was for winfly, I only then found out my passport was lost and had to get a new one, they staill got me here at mainbody. Basically, stay the course and it shall be rewarding enough in many ways that the process shall be worth it.
Its a typical company, sometimes they lose paperwork, sometimes the wrong papers get to the wrong people, they really do try to make it work as smoothly as they can but mistakes happen which may delay things, they make changes as needed and get things right eventually.
As for the pride, I doubt I shall ever not smile while talking about how wonderful this place and the people here are, but ask me again after I complete my 12 months in August. I don’t think there will be any difference though.Well as of today I’m back in “In Review” status. To clarify, I wasnt pissed about it taking along time, I was pissed that I had a status that made no sense. Day before Thanksgiving I got threw to someone who said she didnt know what it meant and shed bring it up in a meeting whenever it was. So now I know for a fact I’m not rejected yet and I’m fine with that.
A new question: I saw someone mention passports. Thats something I hadnt considered. I believe mine was good for 10 years so it should expire around october of 05. This has to be valid past to return trip date I’m assuming?You will want to update your passport now. Go to your local main post office and they can do it for you. You turn in your old one and a photo (or they can take the photo for you), pay the fee and in about a month they will mail it back to you. Pretty easy. If yours expires in Oct of 05 and you are wintering, then you will be able to go home with your old one. But, if it expires you won’t be able to relax in NZ or travel to any of the islands on the way home. You might not be thinking of that now, but you will once you see all the fabulous places people visit once they leave.
mikeHey Mike;
Is Mike Blachut still on station? If so will you ask him to contact me (Tell
him…”NOW Old Man”) but do it with a shit eating grin on your face or he
will never let me live it down.Rick Brohman
Compared to all the oethers who winter here, he finally feels he fits in and is normal by te standards of those around him.
He said he likes it because its a little quieter and people are more interesting also. I have to agree after meeting a lot of them here this year, great folks.Hi all,
I just completed a summer/winter at Pole and they are drastically different form each other. The summer is crazy busy with people coming and going, lots of activity and meeting new people all the time. The winter started out very slow but you have more time to yourself and to do things. I spent a lot of time learning to play lead guitar for our winter band. I got to know people better than I know any friends at home. It was hard in some ways to leave that behind but made easier because we were all leaving at once. Most people found their niche at Pole in the winter but not everyone fits in even there. Generally the people who go to the Ice are awesome but but if someone is an ass at home they will be one there too
Original Message
From: bstamp05@hotmail.com
To: Antarcticmemories@groups.msn.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 11:17 PM
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New Message on Antarctic memories
From: brendanstamp05
Message 43 in DiscussionCompared to all the oethers who winter here, he finally feels he fits in and is normal by te standards of those around him. He said he likes it because its a little quieter and people are more interesting also. I have to agree after meeting a lot of them here this year, great folks.
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Antarcticmemories-remove@groups.msn.comPersonally I like winter better than summer. Same reasons. Less people. More time to yourself. That being said, winter isn’t for everyone. Most can handle the isolation. Email makes you close to those at home. What’s harder to deal with is the fact that you can’t leave, no matter what. Going into the winter you have to be comfortable that if your brother, mom, dad etc gets ill or dies, there is no way that you can go home to comfort them and the rest of your family . Not only do you have to be comfortable with it but your family has to be comfortable with it. It’s also hard on marriages , boyfriends, girlfriends, friends-in-general etc. as well, if you are leaving loved ones behind. The winter can drag on and on and on if you aren’t happy.
The good side of winter is that it’s specatularly beautiful. You don’t see much in the glare of the town lights, but if you get away ( I know it’s 30 below zero- you get used to it) the night sky is almost beyond description. Wait till you see your first aurora. Lay on your back in the snow and watch green swirls dance around the sky. The winter constellations are also something you will never forget. The Southern Cross overhead. An upside down Orion on the horizon. Or the Scorpian.
And as Prairie Dog said, it’s a small tight community and you make some pretty nice friends.
mike
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