No matter how the economy shifts, some jobs remain critical. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning installation and maintenance personnel, better known as HVAC workers, are essential for commercial and residential properties. An HVAC training program can provide a solid grounding in the fundamentals you'll need for a career in the field, but learning more about HVAC careers before you choose your school is important. Many HVAC schools offer HVACR training: What does this mean? The extra letter stands for refrigeration, a technology that overlaps HVAC in many areas. While some refrigeration technicians work on the appliances familiar in every home, the majority work for professional kitchens, schools, hospitals and anywhere else that refrigeration is important. What are some HVAC and HVACR career options? Like any field, HVAC has a wide variety of specializations. If you have a background or interest in engineering, you might be involved with designing systems or improving HVAC technology. Are you a natural at sales and marketing? If so, then you may work as a vendor. Installation technicians build new systems or add ventilation to existing buildings. Large office buildings and commercial properties often employ maintenance staff to keep their complex ventilation system in good shape. Other HVAC workers prefer to own their own repair company and serve a variety of small businesses and homes. Specializing can add value to what you have to offer. Trained HVACR personnel are equipped to deal with the special needs of a hospital or manufacturing plants. Supermarkets and restaurants rely on their refrigeration systems, giving refrigeration installation and maintenance specialists other industries to specialize in. Experts who specialize in retro-fitting old homes with new central heating or air conditioning systems also have highly marketable skills. What makes someone a good HVACR career candidate? Successful HVACR personnel typically work well with their hands and take satisfaction in building things. Manual dexterity is important for anyone who repairs and maintains equipment, and that includes ventilation and refrigeration systems. Many HVAC jobs also require physical strength; you'll have equipment to help you maneuver bulky items such as refrigerators, but you'll still find a strong back an asset. If you're planning to open your own HVAC repair service, you'll need talents beyond your mechanical aptitude. Excellent customer service, efficient time management and sharp troubleshooting skills are vital for self-employed HVAC workers. Someone hoping to start their own business might consider taking some business administration courses along with their specialized HVAC training. What's the earning potential for HVAC workers? As in any industry, locale, demand, specialization, and education influence earning potential for HVACR workers. Entry-level workers and general maintenance personnel typically earn toward the lower end of the scale. Designers, distributors and specialists have higher earning potential. What education do HVACR workers need? Your educational needs depend on your specialty, but an accredited HVAC school is a good place to start. HVAC schools offer a range of options from six-month courses to two-year degree programs. Military training can also lead to HVACR careers, and these roles also involve practical experience. Even after graduation and certification, you'll spend time in an apprenticeship during which your earnings will be at the lower end of the pay scale. It can take years to master your career, particularly if you specialize. What challenges can an HVAC worker expect on the job? No matter what your role in the industry, expect pressure as an HVAC worker. Your customers want speedy service whether you're restoring their air conditioning on a hot day or installing a new refrigeration unit for a hospital's blood bank. You'll probably face uncomfortable conditions, too: close quarters, uncomfortable temperatures and bad weather are common challenges for HVAC personnel. As with any work that requires physical exertion, HVAC maintenance and repair jobs can be dangerous. You'll need to practice good safety procedures for dealing with high voltage equipment, chemical coolants and heat exhaustion. What's the ceiling on HVAC careers? If you're willing to continue your education and have a strong natural aptitude for the work, you'll have plenty of advancement opportunities. Everything from owning your own business to developing ecologically sustainable cooling systems for large multinational corporations can start with HVAC training. Caitlin Murphy writes on behalf of Redstone College offering degrees in HVAC, Aviation and Wind Energy.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.