Who Can Help With Interviews for Electrical Technologist Research?

[triden]

Hello,

I need to do a quick 10 question interview with 3 employers that hire electrical technologists. Also, I need to have a similar 14 question interview with 3 electrical technologists. This is a prerequisite of mine as required by my university to get into a course. It would be greatly appreciated if a couple of you guys could spend 5-10 minutes to answer a couple questions!

I'll give an example as to what the questions look like for an employer.

Your Company & Name (RE: Hiring of electrical technologist/technician)

1.) What specific skills are needed when you hire someone in this occupation?
2.) Do you offer on-the-job training for this position? yes/no
3.) Are there entry-level positions available for this position? yes/no
4.) What is the starting wage for this position?
5.) What kind of education do you recommend for this position?
6.) Do you have a preference for a specific course or training institution?
7.) What are the current job opportunities in this industry for people with training? Scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the best.
8.) Are there opportunities for advancement in this position with your company? yes/no
9.) Is there an increasing demand for skilled persons in this position? yes/no
10.) What kind of benefits are offered?

for an employee

Your Company, Name & Position (RE: Electrical technologist/technician)

1.) What is the title of your position?
2.) How long have you worked this position?
3.) What are your duties and responsibilities?
4.) Did you receive on-the-job training when you started? yes/no
5.) Did you attend training to become skilled in this position? If yes, where and what courses?
6.) If you had the opportunity to start your career again, would you do anything differently?
7.) Are there opportunities for advanced placement in your job? yes/no
8.) What is the current starting wage for your position?
9.) Are uniforms or other special clothing items required? If yes, explain.
10.) What are the working conditions of your position? Eg: excessive noise, fumes, physically demanding, shift work, etc.
11.) What do you enjoy most about your job?
12.) What do you enjoy least about your job?
13.) Can you recommend books or other types of resources that I can study about your position and industry?
14.) Any other comments?

It's a pretty simply questionnaire - I would appreciate any help! You can PM me the answers if you wish. I hope this is ok to post in this forum.

Thanks,
Christan

 

[berkeman]

Your Company & Name (RE: Hiring of electrical technologist/technician)

Company = Echelon Corporation in San Jose, CA (note that I cannot speak for the company)

1.) What specific skills are needed when you hire someone in this occupation?

Good understanding of electronics fundamentals; good background with tools (both hardware instruments and software tools); works well with others.

2.) Do you offer on-the-job training for this position? yes/no

Not per se. There are training classes in our technologies (same as we give to our customers), though. And lots to learn on your own if you're motivated to do so.

3.) Are there entry-level positions available for this position? yes/no

Not so many here. Sometimes we take on entry-level folks, but more often we look for experienced folks with applicable backgrounds and experience.

4.) What is the starting wage for this position?

I honestly have not idea. Probably whatever the Silicon Valley average is.

5.) What kind of education do you recommend for this position?

Technicians do not need a 4-year degree here. A 2-year degree, or military technician experience would generally be required.

6.) Do you have a preference for a specific course or training institution?

No, we go mainly on the interview, work experience, and references.

7.) What are the current job opportunities in this industry for people with training? Scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the best.

I'm not really up on that. I'd guess about 3, since it depends fairly strongly on how the economy is doing in general. But there are always job sectors that are growing, even in a difficult economy. Solar power is hot right now for example (pun intended).

8.) Are there opportunities for advancement in this position with your company? yes/no

Yes, at least to senior electronics technician. Beyond thay, you would need to complete your BSEE (at one time my company helped pay for part-time BSEE and MSEE classes; I don't know if they still do).

9.) Is there an increasing demand for skilled persons in this position? yes/no

Again, I think that scales with the general economy. Hopefully there will be an upturn over the next few years, and electronics technicians will again be in strong demand.

10.) What kind of benefits are offered?

The benefits package is standard across all of our employees. Several medical packages (you pay more to get more benefits), dental, vision, sick leave, etc.

 

[triden]

Thanks for your time berkeman - this information has been valuable to help fullfill my program prerequisites.