Technician 

(Male, Age 30) from chandler, NY

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 30 who works as a Technician in chandler, NY. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Technician
Salary $35,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 40
Company Size (not answered)
Location chandler, NY
Years Experience 1 year

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for Probest. I provide commerical and residental pest control service. We have approximately 20 employees and one location.

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I provide pest control/termite/minor construction to customers across the valley. I also educate the customers. I also do written estimates and light sales.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
1 week vacation, no other benefits

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I feel I am under compensated because I am on commission. There is also a lack of benefits, particularly health insurance.

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes I visit customers homes and provide pest control service. I also spend a lot of time driving to and from each destination. I enjoy the independent alone time better than dealing with customers

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work in the field. In customers homes and business offices as well.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 5
Hours: 4
Co-Workers: 7
Supervisors: 6
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 3
The Actual Work: 2

A day in the life of…

Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:

5am to 6am
6am to 7am
7am to 8am I arrived at work. I refilled my pest control chemicals/sprays/applications. We had a brief work meeting. Supervisor advised me that I would be attending a conference next week. I turned in previous paperwork from the day before. Had a few questions about a job I performed yesterday and got that clarified. I was given my schedule for the day and left.
8am to 9am I headed to my first stop at 830 in Tempe. Applied chemical. Customer was not home. I just sprayed the outside and left paperwork under the door matt.
9am to 10am Finished up previous job and left at approximately 915. Travelled to 2nd location. Received a phone call from another technician asking me to cover one of his stops for this afternoon. I agreed. Headed to my 10am stop.
10am to 11am Applied chemical. Customer was home and had a few questions about eliminating roaches. I gave some tips on what can be done. We set up an appointment for me to come back next week. Finished up around 11am.
11am to 12pm Met up with supervisor at 1130 for a quick lunch. We went over paperwork and some new procedures that were recently implemented. Headed to 1230 stop.
12pm to 1pm Applied chemical at 1230 stop. Customer did not have any questions but had a large home and it took a little more time. Had to do interior and exterior spray.
1pm to 2pm Finished up 1230 stop and left at approximately 145. Headed to my next top at 215. Took a phone call on the way from scheduling advising me that the customer would not be home until 230.
2pm to 3pm Had down time and went to the bank. Headed to my 230 stop. Customer had lengtly questions as they were new to Arizona. Spoke to customer for about 30 min and answered questions.
3pm to 4pm Left previous customer at 330 and headed to 4:00 stop. Customer at 4:00 stop was not home and this was a very quick job for me. I received a call from scheduling that my 5pm stop had cancelled and that this was my last stop of the day. I finished early and was able to go home early.
4pm to 5pm n/a
5pm to 6pm n/a
6pm to 7pm n/a
7pm to 8pm n/a
8pm to 9pm n/a
9pm to 10pm n/a
10pm to 11pm n/a
11pm to 12am n/a

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
I found my job by applying on Craiglist.

What was the application process?
I submitted my resume and then came in for an interview.

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes I interviewed with the owner of the company. I only had one interview and was called shortly thereafter and told that I got the job. There was also a drug test.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I don’t recall many of the questions that were asked. I know they asked what I did in my previous position and what certifications that I had. They also asked what my previous supervisor would say about me.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes I feel I was properly prepared. I really already knew how to do it because I have done this work in the past and already had my certification.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
There was only a few days of training. It involved a ride along with my supervisor out in the field to see how this company wants things to be done. After a few days, I was on my own and working independently.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
I only have a HS education and this is more than enough to do this position. It requires more of a willingness to learn, than education.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
This question does not apply.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would recommend education themselves online about the field. There are certifications that you can obtain online. In this position we have to take classes to get our license and you will be let go if you do not pass the tests to get certified. I Would also recommend to check out a variety of companies because they all pay very differetly (commission/hourly/salary).

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You need to have some social skills and customer service skills because you will be dealing with customers regularly and they will not all be happy customers. You also need organizational skills as you have a lot of paperwork and follow up with customers.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes we ongoing training for our pest control certification. I am always learning something new.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Well you just have to be organized and willing to learn. You actually have an advantage coming in because you can learn things fresh. As long as you are willing to learn – ongoing – and you enjoy helping and educating people – you will do well.

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
No it is not part of my career plan, I just sort of ended up here. I am very undecided on the specifics of my long term career plan.

What are your current career goals?
My career goal is to have my own business with my wife. I would love to work from home and set my own hours and be my own boss. We are undecided at this point on what type of business we would like to have. My wife has a few ideas that we are tossing around.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It isn’t where I thought I’d be and it is ok for now. I dont really see myself in this position 10 years from now.