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Heard from Denver today that the way people are hired is going to change. All applications are going to be screened by HR first and then given to the hiring managers. I’m not sure how this affects the people going to the job fair, but I would probably recommend that anyone applying find out everything you can about the jobs you are applying for. In the end the end the hiring managers still make the decisions, but your resume and references will have to back up the positions you are applying for in order for you application to be forwarded on. The intent is to do away with some of the favoritisms of the past and make sure that the hiring process is fair and that qualified people get hired.
So ask a way about the jobs you want. I’ll answer those I know about.
MikeThanks for the offer to help Mike,
My question: I’ve been applying for 2 years now. And have resumes posted online.
I used different ones for the different positions applying for. I will be taking a new – current resume with me to the job fair in Denver. I thought I read somewhere that paper is going by the wayside – so want to make sure I am covered!
I don’t know how the online resume works. I don’t want to remove the old ones and mess things up!
Jo Schwartz
Live Search Maps – find all the local information you need, right when you need it.
what can you tell me about “inventory specialist”? from the raytheon job description i am very qualified. i was a dining room attendant for a year back in 94-95 for asa. would like to go back but in a different circumstance. also why can’t i access other jobs at the web site? can’t seem to get info on othere jobs in food service and materials.
Dean “Sorefeets” Shapiro
From: Antarcticmemories@groups.msn.com
To: Antarcticmemories@groups.msn.com
Subject: New Hiring Procedures
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:17:28 -0700[font=Arial, size=4:lygaznv0]New Message on Antarctic memories[/font:lygaznv0] [font=Arial, Helvetica, Sans Serif:lygaznv0]New Hiring Procedures[/font:lygaznv0]
Antarcticmemories@groups.msn.com?subject=Re: New Hiring Procedures [font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans Serif:lygaznv0]Recommend[/font:lygaznv0] Message 1 in Discussion [font=Arial, Helvetica, Sans Serif:lygaznv0]From: [/font:lygaznv0][font=Arial, Helvetica, Sans Serif:lygaznv0]thepooles98[/font:lygaznv0] Heard from Denver today that the way people are hired is going to change. All applications are going to be screened by HR first and then given to the hiring managers. I’m not sure how this affects the people going to the job fair, but I would probably recommend that anyone applying find out everything you can about the jobs you are applying for. In the end the end the hiring managers still make the decisions, but your resume and references will have to back up the positions you are applying for in order for you application to be forwarded on. The intent is to do away with some of the favoritisms of the past and make sure that the hiring process is fair and that qualified people get hired.
So ask a way about the jobs you want. I’ll answer those I know about.
Mike[font=Arial, Helvetica, Sans Serif:lygaznv0]
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Your friends are close to you. Keep them that way.
Hi Mike ! This is Christine Boswell. I’m Whittney’s friend, I’m the girl who helped you film at her baby shower. 🙂 I’m interested in going to Antartica to work, and Lori advised me to join your site and talk to you about it. I’m 19, I got back from a 5 month community service trip in Ecuador December 27th where I worked in a school for blind children and a hospital for cancer patients. (Lori mentioned that trips made alone away from home for extended periods of time can help). If you could email me back with any thoughts or suggestions, I’d greatly appreciate it. christine_boswell@hotmail.com Thank you!!!
Hey Mike,
I’d love to learn more about the Materialsperson Apprentice and Passenger Services Representative positions.Thanks for your help,
DZHello,
I’ve been lurking on the boards here for awhile, seems like a lot of good info. I also have been emailing with a friend of a friend who I believe is on his 4th contract, he’s given me a lot of good advice and also the names of a couple hiring managers and said I could use his name with them as well. After talking with him about my work experience he seemed to think that I’d have a shot doing something supply-related, I have been doing acquisitions (purchase orders, invoicing, filling requests, managing an inventory database and catalog, etc.) for a major university library for awhile now and it sounds like much of the work is very similar, just different materials. And a much different work environment obviously!
Anyhow, I’ve been definitely trying to manage my own expectations, I know there will be plenty of qualified candidates, but it would be really disappointing to fly to Denver (currently in NYC) and not even really get a chance to talk with anyone! Hmm, I’m not sure I’ve really got any specific questions, any general advice is always greatly appreciated. I guess I thought this was just a good time to introduce myself.
Ok, thanks for the heads-up,
TedI think Mike’s up in Crescent City this week looking for a home. I’ll answer what I can…
Regarding Mike’s initial comment:
> … All applications are going to be screened by HR first
> and then given to the hiring managers.A lot of corporations are doing this now, and I think RPSC has toyed with it in the past. It easily eliminates a lot of the lesser-qualified applicants, but when a manager is begging for someone (and maybe willing to train them) it also adds another road block that is out of their control. They may not receive a close-but-not-quite-perfect applicant’s resume when they really need it. That’s just my take on the whole thing; I think it should be up to the hiring managers to specify whether they want HR to filter the applications.
LittleChipper wrote:
> I don’t know how the online resume works. I don’t want
> to remove the old ones and mess things up!You probably don’t have to remove the older ones (I wouldn’t). But I think it is a good idea to tailor your resume for the position.
Sorefeets: I don’t have an answer for your questions, perhaps Mike will when he’s back online. Ditto for DZ.
Hi Ted (tpitts4), welcome. You’re right, most of the jobs are similar to work back in the states, it just happens to be in an exotic location. As far as the job fair, it’s mostly just a way to network a bit, and perhaps make a few contacts. Maybe you could visit Colorado as a vacation as well as going to the job fair? That way, even if the job thing didn’t pan out, at least you’d have a good adventure anyway… I recommend a trip to Rocky Mountain Nat’l Park or a least a day hiking around Boulder. 😀
cheers,
glenn
I’m not sure how this affects the people going to the job fair, but I would probably recommend that anyone applying find out everything you can about the jobs you are applying for. In the end the end the hiring managers still make the decisions, but your resume and references will have to back up the positions you are applying for in order for you application to be forwarded on. The intent is to do away with some of the favoritisms of the past and make sure that the hiring process is fair and that qualified people get hired.
Wow, this opened up a few lurkers. This is good. For those looking for supply and inventory jobs, I can answer questions. I’m in northern Cal getting the car fixed so can only answer a little at at time.
Bear in mind that if you have never done inventory control before, at times this can be a maddingly boring job at times. If you can’t sit in a corner in a windowless warehouse for three days and count and bag 15,000 bolts into bags of 100, Don’t apply, it will drive you bananas. If you done this before, you know what you are getting into.
Within the supply organization the jobs range from easy to difficult. On the easy end are the supply apprentice jobs. These are relatively low paying and serve as entry level positions to the other jobs. Most find these the most fun and exciting supply jobs as others do the majority of the “brainiac” work. Primarily these jobs would be the retro team. Other people make up lists of old product in stock along with where the items are located and the retro team picks them up, packages them, prepares any hazwaste documention and does all the paperwork to remove the items from the computerized inventory listing. What makes this job fun is that you learn to drive heavy equipment, forklifts, learn to use cutting torches and generally spend a fair amount of time not stuck at a desk. Downside is low pay. Im not sure what the pay grade is.
The next move up is Materials person. This job would put you into one of the various warehouses around MCM. It’s sort of a specialist job as in addition to doing inventory counts, you are also the supply expert for the warehouse. For example if you are in the Vehicle repair warehouse, when a mechanic needs a part, you would look it up in a book or on the computer. You would then determine if it’s available and where it’s located. Sometimes it will be in a building on a shelf and sometimes it might be in a crate under a snowdrift. You or a co-worker would find it or dig it out and deliver it.
That is the starting level. If you have any warehousing, or inventory control experience, especially in a trade, then you would have a good shot at being considered. Generally it works well to have one person with product experience and the others with warehousing skills with no product experience, so you would be hired as a general materialsperson and be assigned to the workcenter that needs the most help. If you have a skill,play it up, but expect to end up anywhere. Some warehouses are only manned as needed.
The warehouses are :
Operations:VMF: vehicle repair. Fuels, Power and water, airfield, Waste Water
FEMC- carpentry
FEMC- electrical- electricians, linemen, and fire techs
FEMC- Plumbing and Utility Technicians (general fixer upper guys)
Science support- actual science stuff
Mechanical center- snowmobile and small engine repair
Food Center-Freezer, dry, and do not freeze food warehouses
More experienced supply people get very involved in the logistics process of getting product to antarctica and doing data base management. The computer system is an old DOS based program, that works ok, but is a nightmare to learn. Basically you learn a programming language to operate it. Most of the station hate it and think the whole program is worthless. Skilled materialspersons can find anything once they learn the program. Good computer skills are a must. Learn excel inside and out before you come down and you will have an edge.
got to go
More later.
Mike
And don’t forget – they’re still talking about doing 12-hour days, with two days-off a week, and an extended season to the middle of April.
Also heard rumors of six week contracts being available.
For the life of me, I don’t see how that’s going to save money…
Having a great winter, so far. Windchill today should be -45, and -52 tomorrow. Getting darker everyday.
Only 119 of us to enjoy it all. DA duty every four weeks, and house mouse about an hour a week. It’s all fun, though.
aHey Atlas, ’bout time you McMurdo slackers had to do House Mouse. Now it’s not just for Palmer and the Pole!
For some people there a 12-hour work day with two days off each week would be a nice reduction in work hours… I think I’d have them promise it in writing for my job!
😀glenn
But Glenn — McMurdo is so efficient, we can get all of our work done in nine hours a day, and still have time for a life…
a> McMurdo is so efficient, we can get all of our work done in nine hours a day
That’s because you’ve had a housekeeping staff to clean up your messes. It’s amazing how clean a station stays once people have to clean it themselves. 😀
That 9 hours a day may not be enough once you start doing house mouse. And work in the dish pit. And do GASH every week in the kitchen. And be on the fire team. The trauma team. SAR exercises. Spill response team. Flagging. Bar clean-up. Mid-week bathroom cleaning. Station tours. Store staff. Package mail haul-in. Freshie chain gang. Frozen food arrival and inventory. Line handling. Etc, etc, etc……
Let me know when you get all that done in addition to your normal job. Then you can have a life. 😉
Back to jobs. The air passenger jobs are 12 hour a day jobs, The airfields operate 24 hours a day during the summer. Generally the air passenger reps work half a season on days and the other half on nights. Nights being a misnomer of sorts as with 24 hour daylight, everything is days. Mostly it means you are working the shift when most everyone else is not working. Within the air terminal are a number of positions. Cargo handlers, load planners and reps are the most common. There are also haz and science cargo positions as well.
Cargo handlers prepare all luggage and cargo for shipment by plane either back to NZ or out to the pole or other camps. Items need to be packed on big metal pallets that fit the airplanes and in a way that they don’t break loose in turbulent conditions. You will be working outdoors most of the time and using all kinds of great big interesting antartic vehicles and loaders. They also work at the airfields loading and unloading the planes and loading and unloading the Deltas ( big flatbed vehicles with 5 foot high tires).
When ever you fly or send luggage or cargo on a plane flying to MCM, everything, including the passengers and bags get weighed. All these weights along with the weight of pallets from the cargo handlers get processed by the load planners, who decide how the planes get loaded. ( I believe the air crews have final sayso on this). It is a specialized job that requires training.
Air service reps deal with entire process of getting people into and out of MCM. The process starts the day before you leave when they schedule “bag drag”. Thats the process of bring yourself and all gear and luggage to get weighed. You leave everything except the clothes you are wearing and a handcarry. The air service reps will process you and your bags and generally enforce all the rules, most of which are similar to domestic airlines. The only exception is that they will also require ECW clothing to be worn. They monitor flights and weather conditions and are responsible for updating the station on flight times and other arrival and departing flight info. On flight day they again check you in, check passports and generally make you follow rules.
Shuttle drivers are the other common job withing the ATO (Air Terminal Operations). Once processed by air services, you then are brought out to the airfields by shuttle drivers. As a shuttle driver you learn to drive most of the big Antarctic vehicles you see in the photos.
Ok thats ATO in a nutshell, Anyone else want to jump in?
MikeMike, a little more about shuttle drivers. Last season we had 23 drivers, 4 whom came down the 3rd week of November, anticipating the move to Willy Field from the Ice Runway.
We work 12-hour shifts, 5 days a week, but not 2 days off in a row.
Besides driving safely, our objectives are to be timely and consumer-oriented. Whatever the need of the rider or group of riders, we can handle it. We are flexible and able.
Our duties include checking and filling fluids every shift, supporting pax and workers to and from the airfields, and providing timely taxi service around McMurdo.
As you know, we also provide shuttle service for American Night at Scott Base, and support some needs of the Rec Department.
Sharon
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