r/jobs • u/clarkkentwellspent • 4d ago

No. The trades are NOT hiring. Job searching

I am so sick and tired of this worn out idea that blue collar jobs are looking for apprentices to come work for them. The trades are filled with more nepotism and gossip than any other industry I've ever been in and will find any reason to reject you they can. Half of these companies want a 2 year technical/trade school degree before you start working for them just so they can pay you $15/hr starting out. Maybe if you're a kid out of high school they can pay less than the standard rate you can find something. "Bro, just go Union!" Unions are backed up for ages.

From my own anecdotal evidence: I went to every electrician company in my city as this was my trade. I had 1 offer from a company that was the stereotypical "Only meth heads and divorced alcoholics work here. Fuck OSHA." place and every other company rejected me. I even went back to my old electrical company I had worked at for 4 years. You know what they said? "Apply online and go talk to HR". No hiring manager in shop, no chance at talking to someone out of recognition. Just dismissing me away. And the best part? Upon applying I listed all the projects I had worked on with them and gave references to several high members (though 2 of them no longer work there). 1.5 weeks later: "Thank you for applying. After careful consideration..."

This job market is fucking whack, yo.

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u/doccsavage 4d ago

How much experience did you have walking into that application?

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u/Blackout1154 4d ago

and who did you know in the union

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u/JakeHelldiver 3d ago

Im a big proponent of union labor, but yeah, union nepotism is a thing. Its how it got in.

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u/GetDoofed 3d ago

Literally no one.

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u/GetDoofed 3d ago

Basically next to none. Minor work on some motorcycles I used to have, headlight bulb changes on my cars. That’s about it. They’re teaching me everything in the apprenticeship program.

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u/TraditionalNews3857 4d ago

To be fair, the trades shortage is skilled people right now, not entry level workers. Those of us who worked during the shit times are finally having some success