Career in the Electric Utility Industry - Essay Example

HERE HERE YOUR HERE HERE Careers in the Electric Utility Industry When a person is looking for a new job opportunity, especially the younger job seeker, the electric utility industry provides some of the best career positions. There are many people in society that believe the electric utility industry has underpaid jobs and that the only work available is working on power lines. This is absolutely not true. There are new opportunities for incoming job seekers because of the older generations getting ready to retire, new workforce guidelines set up to help with personal coaching, and has become very customer-service oriented. There is no better time than now to begin looking toward a career in the electric utility industry. All across the country there is an aging population that is getting ready to retire. Known as the baby boomer generation, this group already represents approximately 44 percent of the entire country’s workforce (Bishop, 2). At the same time, most of the workforce in the electric industry is already over the age of 50, meaning that many are eligible for retirement in just a few years (Bishop). Older baby boomers have held onto these positions for many years, working often under seniority structures where job roles are granted to time earned. However, higher retirement rates have created new problems where recruitment and training are needed for younger workers. Instead of having a bidding system, they are forced to find external talent that already has the belief that the electric industry cannot provide quality jobs. This makes it necessary to come up with new human resources policies to help in building new talent to replace the high aging workforce. Because of the baby boomers causing problems, this creates less competition to the younger job seeker who might currently be having difficulty finding a good career position. The electric utility industry has many management jobs outside of working on the exterior power lines, opening opportunities for job seekers looking for a management role. Because this industry is already having problems finding the right talent and is concerned about the older generation retiring, this industry would likely be glad to receive a resume from a skilled manager from a different industry in need of new work. However, even though the older generation is retiring, there are problems with some of the younger workforce. Younger workers tend to expect more from their companies, such as high benefits or training opportunities, therefore they are harder to satisfy. Younger workers generally do not stay in one job for very long (oe.energy.gov, 2), making it difficult to retain employees without giving them large bonuses or other benefits. Despite these problems, the electric utility industry limits job seeker competition and provides new roles that are more than just hands-on mechanical roles. For the hands-on type, the lineperson role has become very diverse to include many different responsibilities. They must first be willing to accept certain risks that the job provides, such as injuries due to falling or electrocution (oe.energy.gov, 2). It is a risky job that provides certain benefits, such as hazard pay or overtime, giving more back to the younger generation. Because the younger social group demands more in return from their employers, the electric utility industry becomes ideal with the many different pay incentives that certain jobs provide. The lineperson’s role includes a great deal of travel by truck, working with unpredictable working schedules, and being placed on “on call” status nearly 24 hours per day (oe.energy.gov, 2). This is ideal for the job seekers who likes to be more active on the job by being able to explore the outdoors. People who like working in crisis situations or where they can become part of a response team would appreciate this lineperson role in the utility industry. Linemen and linewomen have to become strategists when working in the field in the event of a power problem. They have to work with many diverse people, such as those who drive derrick trucks for pole setting, and must work in the face of many obstacles. These obstacles include consumer and commercial property and landscaping, sidewalks, water lines and fire hydrants (Clark, 64E). They must have skilled managers and line people in these roles that understand how to work with the public. A person with very strong customer service skills and an ability to conduct themselves professionally would be an ideal candidate for receiving training in this job role. When there are situations where citizens will be concerned about their property, they will need to have a basic understanding of human psychology in order to properly handle certain social issues that might arise. This again makes the job role attractive for a job seeker that enjoys exploring their social skills or human relations education. The other types of jobs in the electric industry that are available include working as safety and health inspectors. These positions work indoors and outdoors, making routine checks on rules set by OSHA, and ensure that everyone is doing their job properly according to their job descriptions. This type of position works to promote quality in the support roles that help in providing energy service and also makes sure that quality is the top focus. People who like to conduct auditing would find a rewarding career with the electric utility industry as there are many potential risks in this profession. A person with excellent organizational skills and knowledge of the electric industry would be perfect candidates for this job role. The problem with finding quality talent is why this industry should be more popular with younger people. The younger generation believes that there is outdated technology in the electric utility industry and there is limited skill-set requirements for these jobs (Madden, 1). However, this is definitely not true. The electric utility industry has some of the most modern equipment available and needs to adopt or innovate new service options to stay more environmentally friendly or provide more efficient energy output. A person with a strong science background or interest in mathematics would be ideal for attaining an entry-level position in the electric utility industry. Some of the problem for this industry is getting younger workers to realize that the electric utility industry has changed greatly over the years. The older generation, working under their seniority rules, often learned their jobs through years of experience rather than formal training. Now, because of the rapid retirements here, younger workers need to be recruited and then trained to do these different jobs in the industry. This has helped them reshape their staffing and motivational models so that people are team-focused and have the ability to work in problematic environments. A person who simply looks for a challenge or wants to be promoted quickly should consider the electric utility industry and take all of its benefits provided by coaching and development offered by the industry. This industry also requires the expertise of people with experience or education in public relations. The electric company works with many different government regulators, commercial parties and consumers. When there are misconceptions with these groups, different public relations campaigns are often launched to improve the relationships. Top talent in areas of marketing promotion and advertising would be a good candidate for this industry because of the need to use media for improving business relationships with many diverse stakeholders. People who like to take a less visible role in an organization could choose from many different support roles, such as being a hotline representative, inter-office support member, or areas such as shipping or purchasing. All of these areas have a need for talented support or management staff that can provide the expertise needed to run a successful electric company. Some larger companies in this electric industry have a need for expatriate managers, which are those who leave an organization to help run a foreign division of the business. This would be ideal for the job seeker looking for a career goal that allows them to see more of the world and become educated in cultural differences around the globe. As these companies expand internationally, the need for people who speak more than one language are always helpful for bridging cultural gaps. A bilingual person looking for adventure would find their perfect appeal in the electric utility industry, especially in larger companies with expatriate needs. There are definitely many benefits to working in the electric utility industry. The very diverse groups of different job roles needed to support the industry are excellent job opportunities. Younger workers can remove some of their competition by looking toward this industry, can find better training programs, and even be given better pay when accepting roles with certain hazards attached to them. There is even an international appeal within this industry that can give the career seeker opportunities when they are looking for travel or cultural awareness. Basically, there is nothing that the electric utility industry cannot provide other than opportunities and it should be considered by many different job seekers. It will improve a potential job shortage and give the industry a new name as a career industry. Works Cited Bishop, Wayne. “Transformers aren’t the only Aging Utility Assets”, 2009. Viewed April 22, 2010 at http://www.netaworld.org/files/neta-journals/NWsp09-Bishop.pdf Clark, Danny. “Lineman Invents Pole Framing Jack to Boost Efficiency of Field Crews”. Transmission & Distribution World, Overland Park. Vol. 61, Iss. 10, p.64E, 2009. Madden, Scott. “Workforce training for the electric power sector”. Scott Madden Management Consultants. Viewed April 23, 2010 at http://www.cewd.org/summit09/presentations/13%20scottmadden.pdf Oe.energy.gov. “Workforce trends in the electric utility industry”, U.S. Department of Energy, 2006. Viewed April 22, 2010 at http://www.oe.energy.gov/DocumentsandMedia/Workforce_Trends_Report_090706_FINAL.pdf Read More