Red Deer Week 1

An interesting week indeed. Realizing I could not stay at hotels every night I found the Harvard park Business Centre. Leave it to Alberta to find a solution for cheap oil worker housing. In the summer this is an air cadet base and from September 1 to April 1 it is converted to cheap housing for transient workers like me. A big clean furnished room with  huge window facing west gives me lots of sunlight. Free laundry, shared kitchen and bathroom which I am used to after my travels in Central and South America so no worries there. The place is cleaned daily and spotless as well as secure as a military barracks can be. We are right beside the Red Deer airport so chilling and watching small planes land while I plan my next day is entertaining. There is a wide variety of people of all ages, shapes and sizes from all over Canada that are working or looking for work in the oil fields. 

I took a few days to get to know the town and on Wednesday I took a tour of the surrounding area with Ken Somers Alberta Oil Sands Solutions. Ken has been in the oil fields for over 25 years and knows the "how and where tos" about work. We drove around half a dozen industrial areas in and around Red Deer and to no surprise it was just scratching the surface. I dropped off over 20 resumes and he kept giving me tips and tricks on getting a "quick interview"

On Thursday I took a drive to Drayton Valley  which I posted on Facebook is a Big Boys Wet Dream. Booming Road Construction and Oil Field Work so  dump trucks, semis, tractors, trailers and big boy work everywhere. This is certainly a no bullshit kind of town.

I handed out 20 resumes and what I have noticed is every receptionist is polite, courteous and helpful. If asked they try and get you someone to speak with (no sighing or rolling of eyes). I can not say the same thing about any company I applied to in Ontario. However I did get one brick wall and at least she was honest. It was at OK Drilling and they were looking for Floorhands which is the starting position on a drilling rig and usually considered a young mans position.  Well I gave this woman my resume, she looked at me and said and I quote "ummm I don't think so". I actually laughed out loud, said thanks and moved along. I love unabashed honesty. I drove back to Red Deer via Rocky Mountain House, a town I have always heard of and just wanted to see.

Friday was spend back in and around Red Deer and Blackfalds hitting up the industrial parks, completely surprised that everywhere I turned there were Hiring Now signs everywhere. Here are just a few

I started apply on Wednesday and on Friday I got my first called backs. First one was Cathedral 
Energy, the second from Fraction Energy Services and the third from Trican Well Services. Remember I have ZERO experience in any type of labor jobs. I have interviews next week. These companies look for possible talent and they will TRAIN YOU. So as hard as it may be to leave the important people in your life (and trust me it can be difficult) there is no reason what so ever to be out of work if you are capable.

Monday I am heading to Nisku which is an hour North near Edmonton to saturate the area with resumes. I was encouraged by Ken Somers NOT to take the first offer you get as exciting as it will be.  Nisku is an industrial area dedicated to Oil Sands that is massive and all the major players are there. If put in 50 applications a day and you probably could not cover all the companies there in a month. If someone said that to be before I left Ontario I would have called "bullshit", now not so much.