S&N Locating Jobs - Md and Va on locatorjobs.com

[ProfessionalLocator]

S&N Locating Jobs - Md and Va

For those that missed it S&N Locating has posted to LOCATORJOBS.COM seeking applicants for Maryland and Northern Virginia.


I have written a few things I have seen below, you have to ask your questions about what goes on in the job interview. As I am not the boss I do not to get to know what all changes may be made. I am only pointing out where the job is posted, this is not by me an offer of employment, pay, benefits or anything else.

The contact to send a resume to is in the job posting. This is the person who calls the shots and submits the candidates applications. Part of the application process is mandated by the client’s locate contract, a criminal background check. So if interested get your resumes in fast as the process can take a little time.

First Maryland.

They are looking for experienced locators to mark a fiber optic job. This is a FO system being installed by Maryland State Government. It will reach across the counties connecting schools, firehouses and various government buildings. This installation is being done mostly by the parent company S&N Communications.

Once an area is completed the counties have the option to determine how locating will be done. Right now S&N Locating is marking the FO. Anne Arundel County looks like they are going to mark the FO in there area in-house.

As far as locating jobs go this one has some number of thing locators look for.

First off the contract requires a locator in each area for 9 hours a day. So there is an automatic 5 hours of overtime a week.

The state contract requires a minimum hourly pay scale that the locating firm cannot pay less than, and no that does not mean minimum wage. Not for me to say the amount but it is decent which is part of why they are looking for experienced locators.

Each locator upon completion of their tickets is supposed to patrol the cable route looking out for excavations that are being done with no ticket. Also to work with contractors working along the route and protect the FO. This type of work requires an experienced tech, they seek not less than 3 years experience, who is self starting, good work attitudes and works with a minimum of supervision.

Since you are only marking where this FO runs, and it does not run everywhere, the tickets have so far been mostly no conflict. This work may not be hard enough for many of you. Since you only mark along the cable run each locator is expected to get a county to themselves. Looks like more time spent driving than marking.

The company provided vehicle comes with a gas card and of course you drive it home. Sorry Utiliquest locators, there are no microphones or cameras recording you in the vehicles. There is a GPS tracker but the only alerts it is set to send to supervisors is for exceeding a preset maximum speed and excessive idling. If you do have to idle to keep the flashing light running or other reasons you just notify your supervisor backed up by an e-mail.

This looks like one of the easiest locating jobs I have seen offered.

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They also advertise for locating positions in Northern Virginia. Under ‘city’ it says Herndon but that is only where the office is. The area covered is from Dulles Airport to Alexandria and south to Fort Belvoir, Va.. Daily you go straight from home to your work area so for some locations in Maryland and DC commuting to work is feasible.

Anybody who comes into the firm must get company certification to work on Verizon lines. To do this you must attend class in Virginia down by Zion Crossroads. Along with Verizon drawing and equipment training you are given safety training for working on along railroad tracks because this work also covers MCI, a Verizon owned company. There is also a driver safety course and I believe first aid training. So expect to spend 2 & 1/2 weeks in class.

For those over 90 minutes from the classroom a hotel room is provided for the school days, weekends you go home. Transportation to and from training is your personal vehicle, you will not be issued a company vehicle until you successfully complete the class.

You are on the payroll during the time you attend class.

There is a Per Diem offered to help cover the extra cost of food since you don’t have your home kitchen to make breakfast, pack and lunch and cook dinner. This is only paid as reimbursement, no receipts needed, mailed out as a check next week. A lot of trainees stopped at the nearby Wal-Mart and get a frozen dinner for the motel microwave, if the room had a microwave. It reduces your costs but unless you are a frugal shopper does not cover the entire cost.

Some people have accepted these jobs and then called and said they had no transportation or no gas money or money for food during training, that unless this was provided up front they would not show up. The company does not do this up front so don’t accept the job if you can’t get to the training and feed yourself.

[FailedSafetyAudit]

Amazingly helpful as always PL... God bless you.

[SouthPaw]

Good stuff. Wish I was closer to Maryland, that fiber job sounds like cake. I'm willing to move a little for a gig, but that's halfway across the country for me.

[montecarloss]

Va. office has a good turn over rate. They do monitor the GPS to see if you are at each ticket and your location during the day, what time you leave the house and when you arrive home. Pay is sub par, Contract is near its end and up for bid if it hasn't already been done.

[ProfessionalLocator]

Va. office has a good turn over rate. They do monitor the GPS to see if you are at each ticket and your location during the day, what time you leave the house and when you arrive home. Pay is sub par, Contract is near its end and up for bid if it hasn't already been done.

The contract was extended and is for 5 years and it is the completion of the 2nd year, so at least three more years to go on the Verizon contract.

The gas contract in Virginia is by Virgina Beach and that just started a few months ago.

I started here as a locator and applied for a supervisor's position and got it a bit less than a year ago. Only look at the GPS when given cause like if the times of the locates are off, some irregularity in the time sheet. Also if the tech seems to have just disappeared like did not log out on the time sheet, completion of the tickets stops, etc. as they may be injured somewhere.

Industry wide turnover rates tend to be high, ours has slowed. The company formed two years ago so all techs were new hires within a few months of each other. Most techs came from other companies, some were completely new to the industry, trained a few. Many of the techs hired on from competitor's firms were of the class that had no intention of working, got rid of a several from the group I took over. A large number were lured back by their previous employer with the promise of bigger and better things. Most were upset becasue they felt a raise was due after less than a year, frankly I thought after 6 months we would be reviewed and maybe get a raise from start pay. Being a new firm things were chaotic at the time and just after that little exodus raises were given early before the years time. I got a two dollar an hour raise, did not ask for it, and others varied, I hear some got three dollars an hour. Almost all of them that left asked for their jobs back here when the promises were not met but there was a problem. Almost to a person they quit without notice and the company policy is if you quit without two weeks notice you will never be rehired.

Starting pay for noobies is as much or a little more that the going rate around here. Pay for experienced techs varies and there are some very experienced techs who will not get starting pay matching where they are now. Some we have hired on at higher rates than they currently got elsewhere. USIC has bought into the area and Utiliquest is also around here. Do to job dissatisfaction they are our principal source of experienced techs calling for job applications. I carry job applications in the truck, get asked for them a lot.

[ProfessionalLocator]

Some more positions have opened up, even in Maryland, as we have increased out allotted amount of locators.

In Maryland some new areas are activating the FO system and we are going to need more people there.

There is a certifications class starting soon so now, today, is the time to make contact and apply. You can always so no if you find what is offered is not for you.

If you are shy just PM me.