What's new
What's new

Wanted: full-time machinist

M.B. Naegle

Diamond
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Location
Conroe, TX USA
Wanted: full-time machinist.

Location: Conroe Texas, about 30 minutes north of Houston.

Will need to be efficient and well organized and work along side other machinists on staff. Must be able to set-up and operate manual and CNC mills and lathes. Must be able to use MasterCam and Fanuc Controls to update existing programs and write new ones. Must be familiar with standard measuring tools and practices working in tolerances ranging from +/-.010, to +/-.0005. Minimum 5 years experience

Other helpful experience: Prototrak controls, Die press work, MIG/TIG/oxyacetylene welding, Heat treating of tool steels, Solidworks and Fusion 360 CAD software, machinery maintenance.

Jobs will comprise of smaller parts in medium to low quantities, in materials ranging from mild steel, 4140, A2/D2 tool steels, 6061 Aluminum, cast iron, brass, plastics, etc. as well as repairs to existing parts. Employment is steady 8:00-5:00, Monday to Friday with opportunities for medical insurance, IRA, and paid vacations (after 1 year on staff). An old, specialized, family owned and operated company that builds and services machinery for manufacturing industries, with a wide range of old and new technologies.

Please send your resume to [email protected]
 
This job is still available.

I'd be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on the current machinist job market in the Houston area.

I have not received numerous calls from job seekers in a while. I assume the market is pretty strong right now.
Now days I am getting calls from temp agencies.

You may want to talk with your tooling reps, or ask around at the counter at Baas or CW if they know of any good machinists looking for a better opportunity.
 
You might also want to clarify the various benefits. Right now it reads as if you have to work for a year before you get access to insurance, IRA, and vacation time.

With Cobra being only 3 months, no one currently employed with benefits is going to want to come work for you and need to find individual insurance for 9 months to a year. Most group plans only have a wait period of 30 or 60 days.

Since you're talking about IRAs in the context of employer-provided benefits, I assume you're talking about a SEP or SIMPLE IRA. Most people don't know what those are, only knowing about 401(k)'s, so you might be better of just calling it a retirement plan in your job posting.
 
Thanks for the comments!

The 1 year on staff applies to paid vacations. I need to verify how quick our insurance comes into play, but we've had guys who were interested filling out paperwork pretty quick.

We have a Simple IRA program. I agree calling it a "retirement plan" in the ad would be better.
 
I have not received numerous calls from job seekers in a while. I assume the market is pretty strong right now.
Now days I am getting calls from temp agencies.

You may want to talk with your tooling reps, or ask around at the counter at Baas or CW if they know of any good machinists looking for a better opportunity.

Yep, we don't have a lot of turn-over, but our last 2 machinists came by word-of-mouth/networking.

We've done the "fence banner" thing for more basic employment positions and have had success, but it eat's up a lot of time. It's kind-of-a shot-gun approach having to sift through a TON of very under-qualified candidates before we get to the guys that we call back. You meet some characters for sure.
 
Thanks for the comments!

The 1 year on staff applies to paid vacations. I need to verify how quick our insurance comes into play, but we've had guys who were interested filling out paperwork pretty quick.

We have a Simple IRA program. I agree calling it a "retirement plan" in the ad would be better.

Ok, Insurance is available after a 90 day probationary period.
 
Ok, Insurance is available after a 90 day probationary period.

That's a little longer than most places, but not too bad. I was wrong about Cobra as well, it's not limited to 3 months.

Given that you're hiring for a mid-level position, you might want to consider your vacation policy. You are trying to convince someone who is employed elsewhere that they want to switch jobs and come work for you. They probably are getting 2+ weeks of leave now, so going to no vacations for a year is rough, especially if they have a family. A lot of people are going to pass even if you're paying slightly more.

I have seen this handled a few ways at other companies that allowed them to attract mid-level employees. The first was to allow unpaid leave for vacations. The second thing, that an old employer of mine did, was that you didn't get any vacation for the first 6 months, but at the 6 month mark you got a lump sum of 20 hours, which is what you would have accrued. For the employer, this meant they didn't have to pay vacation for people who worked out. For the employee, it meant they didn't take a big hit when moving to work for the company.
 
The year on staff is, of course, to help us get an idea the employee's commitment, and it only applies to 2 weeks a year that traditionally are scheduled during the summer and December holidays, but can be moved around. Those who have paid vacation time have had to meet minimum 40 hour work-week requirements and it is really more of a reward for being a team player. We've had guys in the past that saved that time in case they had an emergency and if they never used those days, they got paid for them at the end of the year.

We have guys take unpaid time off more than we'd like. Being family owned/operated, we're understanding when your mom dies, kid gets sick, etc. but of course can only pay you when you're there to do the job. Personally, I look at how well those employees are taking care of things. If they're getting their work done, I'm cool with them taking some time to take care of life, but if jobs are stacking up and they're gone for 2 weeks still greaving for their second-cousins great aunt's passing... we might have to find someone else to fill their place.
 
The year on staff is, of course, to help us get an idea the employee's commitment, and it only applies to 2 weeks a year that traditionally are scheduled during the summer and December holidays, but can be moved around. Those who have paid vacation time have had to meet minimum 40 hour work-week requirements and it is really more of a reward for being a team player. We've had guys in the past that saved that time in case they had an emergency and if they never used those days, they got paid for them at the end of the year.

We have guys take unpaid time off more than we'd like. Being family owned/operated, we're understanding when your mom dies, kid gets sick, etc. but of course can only pay you when you're there to do the job. Personally, I look at how well those employees are taking care of things. If they're getting their work done, I'm cool with them taking some time to take care of life, but if jobs are stacking up and they're gone for 2 weeks still greaving for their second-cousins great aunt's passing... we might have to find someone else to fill their place.


Is this normal now? Most places I worked gave you 3 days bereavement pay for immediate family. Some wanted proof, like a program (?) from the funeral or whatnot. I can't imagine telling my boss my wife died and him saying "ok take a few days, but unpaid"
 
Is this normal now? Most places I worked gave you 3 days bereavement pay for immediate family. Some wanted proof, like a program (?) from the funeral or whatnot. I can't imagine telling my boss my wife died and him saying "ok take a few days, but unpaid"

That was a hypothetical example, but I'd have to check what our policy is as I don't remember when it would have come into play last.

We've helped employee's out in the past if they were strapped financially, and in those cases, they made an effort to keep their job up to speed despite their absence, but it's been my experience that the guys taking multiple weeks off for personal problems also tend to call in sick after the super bowl, have car trouble Monday mornings, etc. Point is, life happens and we're glad to help when needed, but we expect the same commitment in return.
 
Wanted: full-time machinist.

Location: Conroe Texas, about 30 minutes north of Houston.

Will need to be efficient and well organized and work along side other machinists on staff. Must be able to set-up and operate manual and CNC mills and lathes. Must be able to use MasterCam and Fanuc Controls to update existing programs and write new ones. Must be familiar with standard measuring tools and practices working in tolerances ranging from +/-.010, to +/-.0005. Minimum 5 years experience

Other helpful experience: Prototrak controls, Die press work, MIG/TIG/oxyacetylene welding, Heat treating of tool steels, Solidworks and Fusion 360 CAD software, machinery maintenance.

Jobs will comprise of smaller parts in medium to low quantities, in materials ranging from mild steel, 4140, A2/D2 tool steels, 6061 Aluminum, cast iron, brass, plastics, etc. as well as repairs to existing parts. Employment is steady 8:00-5:00, Monday to Friday with opportunities for medical insurance, IRA, and paid vacations (after 1 year on staff). An old, specialized, family owned and operated company that builds and services machinery for manufacturing industries, with a wide range of old and new technologies.

Please send your resume to [email protected]

Your post here, on the internet, provided vast exposure. First paragraph will not be fulfilled by a 5 year applicant, yet potential of +5 years experienced applicants is astounding.
Any consideration of relocation is missing, which figure as Houston probably is saturated with your searches.
The expectations are quite broad, without a hint at compensation and worse yet 'opportunities' essential in our economic and social pyramid.

I've been labeled a 'Marco Polo', willing to give a shop a try to see what the fit is. That history covers most every industry via jobbers, captive, even secret environments, starting with first paid gig building molds of all kinds. That means 44 years; toolmaking/ development/ prototyping products in use by humans on land, sea, air and space.

Feeler ads like this pose no attraction whatsoever. No carrot, just a second rate stick.

Picky? No. Yes, when clown recruiters find an insignificant resume keyword and calls on that alone.
$14.00, Oh yeah, I be right over. Not.

Selective? Only with a handful available simultaneously.

Responsive? You bet; how about to a headhunters call for 2 months helping out in Reno, NV. Loved it, employment at will of both parties, them of extraordinary consequence. Nice ego boost, with industry and skilled labor treated to decades of inconsequential nature.

Sincerely hope you remain family operated. Stay under the wire; some corporate entity spots you and it's all over. Been there too...
 
Just an update that this position was filled.

For reference: we used an online job site, Indeed, and we ended up opening the criteria a little to include less experienced applicants, and then after narrowing them down and having a few interviews, we had a few come back for a hands-on evaluation to determine their base skill-set and how quickly they could pick up new skills.
 








 
Back
Top