Mainland Machinery Ltd

Background Check Yourself Before a New Job

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background checkBackground Check Yourself Before a New Job

Do you have a criminal record? It’s a very simple question to answer, but one that can end up costing you an opportunity for a good job. Even if you sail through the interview and are awarded a contract, a standard background check can bring that potential career to a screeching halt.

What can be worse is that some of your background information could simply be false. Will you have a chance to explain that to your potential employer? Probably not. They’ll just be looking at those “red flags” and decide it will be better to give the job to someone else. That’s why it’s important to check yourself out before your new boss does.

According to surveys, up to 92% of all employers run some sort of background check on their prospective employees. This can be a combination of a credit report and a criminal background check. Keep in mind that there is no central database that contains all the correct and current information.

Just as your credit reports come from three different sources, a criminal background check can reach far back into your past. Make sure that you double check the information in their database, as these reporting agencies can have potentially harmful information on you. Even if you were arrested on a minor charge when you were 18 and had those charges dropped, the record of that arrest will pop up on a report. What if the charge was for petty theft or vandalism? That is not something you want your potential boss to see.

Before applying for a job, Google your name. You may see your name in public records, newspaper articles or other web posts. If you have a very common name, you might be surprised to find out what someone who shares that name has been up to.

This can be a great way to see if you’ve become the victim of identity theft. Someone could have acquired your name, stolen your credit card number and gone on a crime spree. Therefore, if your name is run against the criminal database, you may just have a criminal record registered under your name.

Does all of this mean you’re stuck with whatever crops up on you record? Absolutely not. First of all, you can deal with the personal criminal history you know to be accurate. Depending on the charge, a skilled defense attorney could file an expungement of your record.

If granted, those files are removed from the system, as if the incident never happened. If the event in your past occurred in another city, you might have to hire a lawyer from that jurisdiction. However, you won’t have to be present to have the record expunged.

You can also find many resources online that can provide a free credit report. Go over these reports carefully and look for any discrepancies such as open accounts that you closed or any missed payments. All of these issues can be corrected.

However, it probably can’t happen overnight. This is why it is important to clear up your records on a regular basis – at least once every year.  Knowing you have a clean record will give you the confidence to have a great interview and get that job. 

Mainland Machinery Ltd

Building a Stronger Financial Future with Your Mining Job

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Mining jobHaving a decent job in the mining industry puts you in the enviable position of setting up a secure financial future. If all goes according to plan, you’ll be able to provide a decent standard of living for yourself and your family, while working towards a nice retirement. In order to accomplish the goal of having stable finances it is imperative to protect your earnings and be proactive about your money management. Paying off bills and saving money is half the battle. Here are some thoughtful tips that can help you secure your financial future.

Don’t Settle for Your Current Position

Landing a decent mining job is a combination of having the right experience and skill sets. However, you can bolster your job security by constantly proving you’re the right person for the company. Notice we didn’t say, “The right person for the job.” That’s because you need be aware of your future within the company, including keeping an eye out for opportunities to move up internally.

At any given time, there could be room for advancement. Will you be ready to take advantage of those opportunities? This might require you taking additional training or certification to prove that you’re capable of filling the position. If you’re taking courses outside of the company, make sure that management is aware of your efforts. You’ll be demonstrating your willingness to continue to learn, a very valuable commodity for an employee. Who knows? They might even help foot the bill.

Keeping up with industry information is also a great way to stay educated and ahead of potential job competition. There are innovations in the mining industry that happen nearly every day. Subscribing to trade journals and keeping up with the news will keep you informed and may even point out other avenues for advancement in your career. The higher you climb, the greater your salary can become.

Stay in Good Shape

Your family and company depend on you to show up for work every day. This means you need to put in the extra effort to stay healthy. Are you still carrying around extra pounds your doctor wants you to shed? Lose them. Are you eating the right foods? Make the switch. Are you sticking to routine physical checkups? You should.

Even though your job can be physically demanding, that doesn’t mean you should skip out on exercise. Look for ways to work different muscle groups at the gym. Some good old-fashioned cardio exercise sessions never hurt. Additionally, don’t ignore all the benefits you will get from proper rest. Maintaining a healthy sleep cycle will help everything else fall into place.

Find Strong Insurance

Part of planning your financial future should include acquiring a strong insurance policy. There are many decent income protection policies that can help in the case of a temporary injury. You can also buffer your pension plan by consulting with a financial planner and looking for other investment opportunities. Remember, you’re looking at the long term when it comes to your investments. This means a steady return will go a long way towards improving your personal bottom line.

The hard work of finding a job is over. Now, make your efforts count by turning that job into a solid and rewarding career.

 

Mainland Machinery Ltd

Could You be a Company Leader?

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be a company leaderCould You be a Company Leader?

Shakespeare wrote in his play Twelfth Night that when it comes to “greatness” some are born with it, some achieve it, and others have it thrust upon them. This concept can apply to the leadership roles within companies. Maybe you have a supervisor who is a natural born leader, someone who is a quick problem solver, and is respected by their employees and peers. Some people become leaders because they found themselves in the right place at the right time, were promoted and rose to meet the challenge. Either way, a leader is someone who needs to be flexible, personable, and decisive.

The question is, do you have what it takes to become the next company leader at your job?

There are plenty of freshly scrubbed, business management grads that would be a huge asset to a business. However, these untested supervisors really wouldn’t be able to “hit the ground running.” There would still be a learning curve required as they acclimate themselves to their new work environment.

On the other hand, pulling a team member up from the ranks makes a lot of sense for a company. This is usually someone who has already stepped up and gotten themselves noticed. You’re not going to find yourself being eyed for a promotion if your bosses don’t even know your capabilities.

How can you get noticed on the job? Increased productivity in your sector is always helpful. However, you can also step up for roles outside of your current position, such as participating in the company’s charity drive or joining the steering committee. Yes, this will mean putting in extra hours, but you’ll be noticed by the bosses for your efforts and that’s what counts.

Acquiring additional skill sets is also something you’ll want to focus on if you hope to impress upper management and become a company leader. If you’re moving from the assembly line to the corner office, then you’re going to be deploying an entirely different range of equipment. You’ll have to become familiar with all the scheduling, accounting, and communication software used by your company. Get yourself ready by finding out what systems are currently being used and take courses to familiarize yourself with their operation.

Being a team player is another vital component of becoming noticed as a leader. Not only should you be getting along with your coworkers, you should also strive to become the “go-to” problem solver in your work area. Experience also matters. To that end, it will be helpful if you can familiarize yourself with all aspects of the company. A true leader isn’t going to stay in their comfort zone. Instead, they will branch out and take on new challenges.

At some point, you’ll have to declare your intentions for a promotion. When you understand the management structure of your company, you’ll know where you can fit in. You could even consider taking one of your supervisors out for a coffee to discuss the possibility of your advancement. The moment you put them on notice about your intentions, they’ll be watching your progress.

It’s time to step up.

 

 

Mainland Machinery Ltd

Buyers Guide: Tablets for Farmers

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tablets for farmersAs technology advances, farmers are stepping up to take advantage of all the new equipment and applications. For farmers, a tablet makes for a handy device. Its size makes it more practical than a Smartphone, yet easier to carry around than a laptop. With a tablet, a farmer can tap into all kinds of valuable resources and current information. They’ll be able to get up to date weather reports and trending farm prices. The issue might not be, “does a farmer need a tablet?” but rather “which tablet should they buy?”

There are many styles of tablets to pick from; the differences mainly come down to the operating systems. Here you’ll have three options: Windows, iOS or Android. Before choosing your tablet, look into which operating system works best for your circumstances. Continue reading to see the differences between the various options between tablets for farmers.

Apple iOS

iOS is the operating system used exclusively on all Apple products including the iPad. For someone who is already using an iPhone, adapting to the iPad is a snap. The exact same features, apps, and systems are used across both platforms.

The iPad Air sells for $499. That is for a Wi-Fi only unit with 16 GB of memory. It’s a very smooth system to operate, with few complaints from its legion of users. It is especially adept at loading desktop-only websites, an important feature for any work related sites you hope to use while on the job.

Because of the “competition factor,” you won’t be able to load Microsoft Office onto your iPad. However, there is a wide range of work-around apps that can deliver the exact same capacity of creating and editing documents. Best of all, when you email those documents they are automatically converted to a Word file. iPad is also the top selling tablet out there; this means you’re sure to find other iPad users and a wide range of online forums and websites that can provide helpful hints. Of course, there is always the “genius bar” standing by to offer support.

Windows 8

If you’re already a big fan of Microsoft products, then it makes sense to stick with the Windows operating system for your tablet choice. Although the touch screens look a lot like the Apple and Android pads, you’ll find that you’ll be able to upload and adapt your Microsoft Office programs rather effortlessly. This means you can utilize Outlook, Word, and Excel from any Wi-Fi hotspot. There are also hundreds of applications available in the online Windows Store that can be of huge benefit for the working farmer.

The most popular Windows tablet is their Microsoft Surface 2 model, which comes fully loaded with Microsoft Office. The Surface Pro 2 edition of the tablet is the next step up in technology and price. It can serve as a de facto laptop, but is double the price of the Surface 2.

Android

Google, the world’s leading search engine, has gotten into the tablet game with its Android operating system. You’ll find this operating system being used on tablets manufactured by Samsung and Asus. Android is considered an open source type of software. This means that certain manufacturers can produce an inferior tablet model and load it with Android. This puts them in the tablet arena, but means you need to do your research so you don’t select a lower end device. This is why you should be wary of Android tablets selling for under $200. The best pick for Android is the Samsung Note 10.1 tablet. A favorite feature of this table is the S Pen which lets you write out a note with the stylus pen, then converts your writing into a text. You’ll also find a decent lineup of apps to use with this system.

If you’re buying a farmer a tablet as a gift, see if they are already using certain apps on their Smartphone or computer. You’ll want to make sure you gift them with a tablet that supports those apps. This will ensure that your farmer friend won’t have any complications putting their new tablet to work. Whatever system you go with, for yourself or for a friend, you can be certain that the many features of a tablet will be beneficial and helpful for work; while the convenience and variety of apps will make for plenty of fun.

Mainland Machinery Ltd

Tips for Scoring an Entry-Level, Oil Industry Job

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oil industry jobTips for Scoring an Entry-Level, Oil Industry Job   

Before you consider searching for an entry-level, oil rig job, you need to be aware of three vital requirements. You’re going to need a clean driving record, you’ll have to be drug free, and you’ll need to pass a company physical. If you meet these first level criteria, you’re on the right track to pursuing what could become a very lucrative career.

How can you get from the desire of wanting an oil industry job to actually landing a job? Consider these factors:

No Higher Education Required

Working on an oil rig is physically challenging, but you certainly don’t need a college degree to succeed in this type of work. This is a fact that the energy companies looking for workers understand. Often, these companies don’t even have to advertise for job openings as they have a steady stream of willing applicants; which is why they often hire locally. You could submit your resume at any time.  Take any help you can get, if you have a friend already working on a rig, ask them for a recommendation; this could further your chances over that of your competition.

Get a Certification

Although you don’t need a college degree, obtaining certification in certain heavy machinery operations is a good way to prepare yourself for an entry-level position. For instance, you can become certified in the proper way to deliver pipes and pumps and how to run a vac or pressure truck.

Third-Party Employment Agencies

Most of the entry-level jobs on oil rigs are filled by third-party staffing agencies. In other words, you don’t need to visit Shell Oil to get a gig. The big companies aren’t going to bother themselves with hiring the support staff.

Go Where the Jobs Are

As an electrician or plumber, you can pretty much work anywhere. However, when it comes to working on an oil rig, you’ll most likely need to relocate to where the work is happening, even if this is temporary. A little online research can point you in the right direction of the oil rig “hot spots.” Essentially, you need to decide where you want to work. Alberta? Newfoundland? The Gulf of Mexico?

Search the Industry Job Sites

You can start your search at the following online classified job sites:

  • OilandGasJobSearch.com
  • OilCareers.com
  • Rigzone.com
  • CareersinOilandGas.com

Before you pack your bags, searching sites like these can help you narrow down potential cities with available work. You might want to consider an exploratory trip to the work area to make sure it’s a good fit for you. If you apply for a job while visiting, you should be prepared to start right away. Asking for a couple of weeks to “get your stuff together” won’t fly with your potential employer.

Once you’ve landed on a specific city, start searching the area’s local newspapers and enquiring at nearby temp agencies in order to find location specific job opportunities. If you’re lucky, narrowing in on these postings may even present you with an opportunity for the specific site you are hoping to get work at.

Try to find the human resources representative for each company where you’re applying for work. Don’t just send in your resume without a follow up.

If all goes according to plan, your entry-level job won’t be entry-level for very long. You’ll find that most competent workers are promoted within the company. The best way to get promoted is through doing good work and professional networking with your colleagues, peers and managers.

Good luck.