#18 Shovelbums Guide Part 5: Lodging

The following steps are complete on your journey to be a CRM archaeologist: You wrote a CV and a cover letter, you applied for a job(s), and you had your interview and accepted a position. Now the fine logistics of being a traveling archaeologist begin.

There are many ways in which people live and work while on the road. Some try to do it as cheaply as possible by camping or sleeping in their cars while others stay in various types of hotel/motels while still others have vans or RVs to travel and sleep in. The choice depends largely upon the company you are working for.

Companies approach the lodging question in a various ways. On the east coast I've generally seen companies chose and pay for a hotel for you. You have no choice of where to stay or whom to stay with. Sometimes you will get your own room and sometimes you will be paired up with a roommate of your choosing (especially couples) and sometimes you won't get a choice.

In New Mexico, my company rented a ranch house and also put single wide mobile homes on the property for techs to stay in. In North Carolina I stayed in a three-story beach house on Kure Beach (one street from the beach). On a project in Virginia the crew had an 18th century bed and breakfast on a lake rented out to us. Mostly, though, you will have the cheapest, bottom of the barrel, hotels rented for your lodging.

On the west coast and in the Great Basin I've generally seen companies just give you a high per diem and let you choose your own lodging. On one of my last projects there were people camping from their cars, people in hotel rooms, a couple in an RV, and a guy that just slept in his van on BLM land.

There are some special considerations if you plan to camp. Camping in a lot of the west can be done for free on BLM land or in free BLM campgrounds. Often, there is no security and no camp host so you will likely have to pack up your campsite every morning. If you travel with few possessions and are an early riser then this might be an option for you. Finding a campground with a camp host or paying to camp in an RV park will provide the security (and often showers and internet) to leave your camp intact during the work day.

Living in an RV also has its challenges. My first impulse was that I'd save a lot of money traveling in an RV. This is not necessarily the case. I hope my friends that have done this can comment and leave an account of their experiences last fall. An RV can't just be parked anywhere. You can overnight in an RV park for $20-40 a night or you can park somewhere for free at night and find someplace to park during the day. There is also insurance and fuel costs to consider. It might be an option for those that can find a way to make it work.

Most of the time you will be looking for a hotel room. A lot of the small towns in America do not have hotels that are listed on the popular websites such as priceline.com and hotels.com. A simple Google (or your search engine of choice) search of the town you need and the word "hotel" will usually provide a list of accommodations, some with reviews. When you call, be sure to have your list of things to ask about all ready to go. What should you ask about?

Before I even get to price I like to make sure the hotel has the amenities I need. For long term stays a microwave and a refrigerator are essential. You can do without a refrigerator if you have a cooler and an ice machine nearby but that is a hassle in the summer time. You can do without a microwave too but be prepared to bring a hot plate and cooking equipment or something equivalent. In this day and age having the internet is pretty important for most people. Ask the receptionist whether the internet is wireless or ethernet and whether you have to pay for it separately. Do they have breakfast? It might save you money if they do.

Some minor things I ask about include the types of beds (two doubles or one larger bed), type of TV (I can hook my computer to certain types), air conditioning, and whether they have an exercise room.

There are some things to think about when discussing the cost of the hotel room. Hotels often have a AAA discount. A lot of smaller chains will have discounts for people working in the area and most have weekly rates. If you get a weekly rate find out whether their week is five days or seven days. Also find out what the refund policy is. You may have to leave early for one reason or another and would probably like your money back.

At some point I'll have entries about what to bring for your hotel room and how to live in one and not go insane. This field has a pretty high turnover because people just can't handle being on the road for long periods of time. In my experience it's usually because they live a temporary existence and never really settle into the places they live. I always bring as many comforts of home as I can and treat the hotel room as my own house. I rearrange items in the room and put things where I want them. All of that goes to enhancing the illusion that you don't live in a hotel room.

See you in the field!

Written on the loneliest highway in the country: Highway 50, central Nevada portion.

#17: How I Got Fired By Writing a Blog Post and The Reaction (Using Storify)

#16: Passion

What does it mean to have passion for what you do?  I’ve always thought that you are doing what you love when you would do it for free.  If all of your bills were paid and money was no object, would you still do what you do?  The Life is Good motto, “Do What You Like, Like What You Do” comes to mind.

There have been times in this field where I’ve practically lived in my car and didn’t have enough money to do anything but pay the bills.  Right now I’m doing fairly well and enjoying life but next year I could be scraping by.  You never know what the next field season will bring.  That is passion.  Doing a job, not because it pays well, or even just pays the bills, but because you can’t imagine yourself doing anything else.

When I was in the Navy I was an aviation electronics technician for an EA-6B squadron.    I enjoyed the work and went home satisfied that I’d done a good job for my squadron and my country.  One time I uncovered a major problem during a routine inspection.  If it had remained unfound the problem could have resulted in the loss of four lives on the next flight.  That is the definition of job satisfaction and I spent time in other pursuits searching for it in the private sector.

One of my division Chiefs told me something that has guided my career decision making ever since. He told me to look around at the people that have been doing what I am doing for their entire lives.  Are they where I want to be?  Is my career progression going to take me to where I want to be?

That question that I ask myself constantly is the reason I decided to leave the electronics world as a civilian and the reason I decided to leave the commercial aviation program I was in at the University of North Dakota.  I looked at the people that were 20 to 30 years down the road from me and realized that I didn’t want to be there.  

The most important thing is that for two of my past careers there were only a couple of places that I could possibly end up at the end of a career.  There were not many paths to be chosen.

I think that is what I love most about archaeology.  When I look at where I could be in 20 to 30 years and beyond it’s difficult to imagine something in particular.  I could be the PI at a CRM company, running my own company, writing, consulting, hosting a show on Discovery (yeah right!), or just retired and volunteering on digs.  The possibilities are endless.

If I won the lottery tomorrow (I hear odds of winning greatly increase if you actually play.  I’ll have to look into that.) I would likely quit my job.  I wouldn’t get out of archaeology, however.  I would focus on application development and on bringing more technology and efficiency to CRM.  I would likely open my own technology based CRM company and hire the best in the business to help make CRM more efficient and scientific.

Our clients hate us.  We do nothing but cost them money and cause delays.  I can understand that.  If we can make our work more efficient and therefore more cost effective then maybe there would be fewer headaches on all sides.  That’s what I would do.  

I’d also like to write more.  There are books for shovelbums that need to be written.  Guidebooks and general knowledge books.  Field techs are often thrown into the field of CRM with no guidance.

Of course I’d have to open a coffee shop from which I could work.  That goes without saying.  My fiance would have a yarn store in there somewhere.  I’m getting off topic.  Anyway, I’d still be involved in archaeology.  It would just be on my terms rather than on someone else’s.

Do you have passion?  What would you do if you won 100 million dollars tomorrow?

Written during a caffeine induced introspection…(on 6.5.11)

#15 Shovelbums Guide Part 4: The Interview

Alright. You typed up a CV, had it checked by friends and colleagues, and looked for some job postings. The perfect job came up so you typed up a customized cover letter and sent off the email to your future employer. Now what?

Many people don’t realize when they get in to CRM that it’s not like other jobs. You likely won’t be called for an actual interview unless it is a higher leadership position. If you receive a phone call for a field technician position they are likely offering you the job. Companies are not all that discriminating when it comes to hiring field techs. Other jobs will read your CV or resume, check your references, and then call you in for an interview. CRM companies usually stop at the “read your CV” step. In my experience they don’t even really do that. Why is this?

Well, at other jobs you are probably planning on being there for a while. The companies want to see you and talk to you so they can have an idea as to what they are getting themselves into. When you get to the job there will probably be a 60-90 day probationary period where they can pretty much fire you at any time. Nearly every CRM job is a probationary period and at any point you can be fired or let go. You might finish out the project but you may not be called back if they have additional work.

This is a small field and everyone talks. Nearly every company I’ve worked for has asked my co-workers and I about possible new employees. They ask if we’ve ever worked with these people and whether we’d ever work with them again. I’ve seen CVs tossed in the trash with out a second thought. It’s brutal but a reality of our field.

So, how should you prepare for that phone call? For my first few jobs I didn’t ask many questions. I asked what my pay was going to be and where the job was taking place but that’s about it. Now when I receive that phone call I’ve got a list of questions that I’ve prepared ahead of time. The following is a list of some of the questions I ask and why I ask them.

Pay and per diem. This seems simple and obvious but unless you ask, the person on the other end of the call might not even tell you what you are getting paid and what the per diem is like. As for pay it varies depending on the region of the country in which you are working. On the east coast you can expect $10-13 per hour as a field tech and on the west coast you can expect $13-16 per hour. There is a lot of variation in those numbers but they are generally accurate.

Per diem is a whole other animal. Rates of per diem vary considerably. On the east coast I’ve generally only been paid food per diem with the hotel being covered by the company. I’ve been paid anywhere from $21 a day to $45 a day for food. On the west coast I’ve made from about $100-125 per diem which covers food and lodging. The nice thing about the high per diem is that you can stay where ever you want to. A lot of people camp at free campgrounds and bank all that money for the winter.

The per diem is paid out in different ways too. Some companies give it to you in cash at the beginning of the week or session while others will give it to you in a separate check when you get paid or include it in your paycheck. This is important for people with low credit card limits and no money in the bank. You might not get a pay check for two to four weeks and will have to pay for hotels, gas, and food out of pocket until then. Most companies don’t require you to turn in receipts for your per diem but some still do. I generally avoid these companies unless the archaeology is really interesting.

Lodging. On the east coast lodging is often, not always, but often double occupancy. Sometimes you can choose your roommate and sometimes you are randomly assigned. I generally avoided these situations when I was single because I felt that being treated like an adult and not a college student was key to my sanity.

The west coast usually leaves you to your own devices when it comes to lodging. Some companies still insist on direct billing the hotel, though. There is a great company in Reno that I’d likely be working for if they gave full per diem and let people stay where ever they’d like to. For some people the lodging situation is an important question to ask potential employers. Others don’t care. It might not really matter to you if the project is of a short duration.

Project Length and Future Work. Is the project slated to last two days, two weeks, or two months? Ask. It’s important. Is it worth it to drive 1000 miles for a two week project? Depends on the project. Find out how long it’s supposed to last and whether they have other projects lined up. Employers don’t want people to quit before the project is over and they don’t like hiring new people so they might inflate the duration of projects and tell you that they have a lot of work coming up. That might be true but they may not have permits in place and there could be delays. Always have a back up plan and/or some money in the bank.

Cultural Background. I like to find out what type of project I’m going on so I can look up information about the people and/or the area before I get there. It lets me know what I should be looking for and informs me of any unique archaeological features or artifacts I should be looking for. It’s just good science and professionalism to do so.

The Work Day. There is a lot of variation in what employers call a work day and what they pay you for. The most ideal situation from a field tech stand point is being paid hotel to hotel. That means you are on the clock from the time you leave the hotel to the time you return. Find out whether overtime is authorized or whether you are on salary. Some companies don’t start the clock until you get into the field or they will only pay drive-time one way. If the project area is an hour from the hotel you could be giving up two hours of your day or 20 hours during a 10-day session for free. Again, if the project is really awesome and interesting then it might be worth it.

Ask what the schedule is going to be. I’ve worked schedules that vary from ten days on, four days off to nine days on, five days off. There are Monday through Friday schedules and eight on, six off schedules. Some companies pay per diem on the days off but most don’t. Find out what your company’s policy is.

Rain Day Policy. This might seem trivial but in the spring time it could mean the difference between a full paycheck and half of a paycheck. Companies often have a policy for rain days. Some won’t pay you at all and might ask for your per diem back for that day. Others will pay you for two, four, or six hours and let you keep your per diem. Some companies will drive out to the project area to make a determination as a matter of policy and others will just check the radar. This may not be a factor in your decision to join the project but it’s good to know and usually doesn’t come up until it happens.

Sick Days. Some companies will ask for your per diem back if you call in sick. Find out what your company’s policy is. Do you get health benefits after a certain period of time? Goodwin and Berger give benefits after 90 days. You don’t often get on projects that last that long but it’s nice if you do.

There are likely many other questions that people ask. I encourage anyone to leave a comment and tell me what kinds of questions you ask. If you’re and employer and/or in charge of hiring what kind of questions do you wish people would ask? What is the craziest thing you’ve ever been asked?

Good luck on the job hunt.

Written in Sparks, Nevada: created by the Southern Pacific Railway Company!

#14 Shovelbums Guide Part 3.5: Job Hunting Continued

In my last post I covered some of the most common job finding sites for CRM Archaeologists.  Those included Shovelbums, Archaeology Fieldwork, and USA Jobs.  This post will cover the remaining job sources that I know of.  Keep in mind, however, that the internet is changing the world on a daily basis and new job searching websites are popping up every day.  Welcome to Web 2.0.

A relatively new and upcoming job hunting resource is Linkedin.  On Linkedin you can upload your CV and populate the necessary fields within your profile, including education, job history, personal information, and other goodies.  Linkedin is a site for professionals.  You can network with former colleagues and classmates as well as search for jobs.  I think that Linkedin is going to be the place for an employer to check out an employee rather than having an employee send in a CV.  Tech savvy employers should be “googling” possible employees to see what sort of web presence they have and Linkedin can be part of those search results.  Consider that when a friend tags a photo of you in a less-than-flattering situation.

If you are still in college then your school’s job placement services might be a good place to look.  A lot of college job services departments don’t know what CRM is just yet but some are more informed than others.  Depending on your school you may have better success within the anthropology department.  Your professors might know more CRM archaeologists than you think.  You could get a great recommendation if you just ask.

Finally, word of mouth is an important part of CRM.  The more people you meet and the more jobs you have under your belt, the more you will be able to network yourself into a position.  Whenever I’ve needed a new job I always contact friends that I know are employed to see if there is anything available.  I’ve also been contacted by friends looking for jobs and I always try to help them out if I’m in a position to.  The world of CRM is pretty small, especially on a regional scale.  If you burn bridges it will come back to haunt you.  That being said, you have to stick to your ethics when you are faced with a situation that you aren’t comfortable with.  Some bridges should be burned so you aren’t tempted by higher pay or per diem to go back.

R. Joe Brandon of Shovelbums commented on my Facebook page about some of the historical ways that people used to get jobs and probably occasionally still do:

“The highest paying archaeology per-diem gig I ever had came by way of a fax from Patrick H Garrow to Cory Breternitz’s @Soil Systems Incorporated/SSI in Phoenix.  Garrow & Associates needed staff for a big pipline job and sent an announcement fax to other companies. Someone brought the fax out to the field for lunch one day and it was passed around and debated.”

He goes on to say that his first CRM job was obtained through a letter posted on the bulletin board at his anthropology department at Northern Illinois University.  The employer didn’t advertise anywhere except to college departments.

The last place that I’ve ever looked for a job is through a state’s SHPO office.  The State Historic Preservation Office, or in some states, the Office of Historic Preservation, can usually provide a list of CRM companies that they deal with in their area.  If you are really dedicated you can obtain that list and walk a few CVs in through the front door.  They might not be hiring at that time but a face-to-face interaction is worth a lot more than a faceless email.  Employers like hiring people that they know and walking in through the front door will likely put you at the top of the pile.

So, as you can see, there are many ways to find jobs these days.  Keep in mind that some of those large engineering firms that are bringing archaeology departments online are used to posting on more professional job sites such as Linkedin and Monster.com.  If might be wise to check some of those sites if you aren’t having luck elsewhere.

Good luck and I’ll see you in the field!

Written in Battle Mountain, Nevada: Halfway to everywhere!

#13 Shovelbums Guide Part 3: Job Hunting

I can’t imagine what finding a job in CRM was like before the internet.  It must have been equally difficult for employers to find employees.  I imagine that most people were hired because they knew someone or went to school with someone that knew a friend of a friend.  Luckily, in the digital age we don’t have that problem.  There are several ways that you can either look for jobs directly or look for specific employers.  Most of these websites cater to the United States only.

By far, the most popular website for finding jobs is Shovelbums.  Shovelbums was started 11 years ago by R. Joe Brandon.  The site now has over 15,000 members and posts job openings from around the country.  The most useful aspect of the website is the ability to receive an email everyday that lists the jobs posted on the site the day before.  You have to sign up on the Yahoo Groups page (there is a link within Shovelbums) to receive the daily email updates.  Even when I have long term employment I’m always looking for new opportunities.  If CRM has taught me anything it’s that nothing is permanent.  Situations change and growth opportunities always show up somewhere.    Every job I have had in CRM was found on Shovelbums.

Shovelbums Tip: If you desperately need a job, don’t wait for the daily email.  I don’t know how many times I’ve seen a great job at the top of the email only to see a post at the bottom that says all the positions were filled.  You can also “Like” Shovelbums on Facebook and see postings in your News Feed as they are posted!  Keep in mind, unemployment is high right now and everyone wants to work.  If you are looking for work then check the website every day.  Maybe even a few times a day.  Get that CV in as quick as possible!

Another website that I frequent is ArchaeologyFieldwork.com.  The site was started by Jennifer Palmer in 1996 and has been going strong for over 15 years.  On the website you’ll find job postings curated from a number of agencies including government agencies.  There are also pages for posting CVs, discussion topics in CRM, and general archaeology.  Archaeology Fieldwork is on Facebook as well.  As far as I know there is no option for a daily email so checking the site is the only way to find that dream job.

In an effort to keep my posts a bit shorter I’ll discuss one more job posting website.  For jobs in the military, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, or the Forest Service (and a few other government agencies), the website to check is USA Jobs.  Job seekers can look for jobs by setting search parameters such as position and state.  You can even set up an alert to go to your email account every time your search parameters turn up a position.

Be forewarned, though.  Getting a job from USA Jobs is a long and tedious process.  If you think you’d ever want to work for the government I’d start an account and get all of the preliminaries out of the way now.  You may have to send in physical documentation of college credentials and proof of military service, for example.  Veterans should certainly check out the website.  Because of the point system that the government uses to rank your application, veterans come out on top because they get an extra 5 points.  Five points is a lot for that particular system and could mean the difference between getting the job and not getting the job.

In the next post I’ll cover a couple more ways to find jobs in CRM.  The websites listed above, however, will be among your primary resources.  Remember, before you apply for that dream job, prepare your cover letter and your CV!

Written in Cold Springs, NV. (Home of a Pony Express Station)

#12 Shovelbums Guide Part 2: The Cover Letter

I was reminded by @processarch on Twitter that employers often ask for a cover letter.  This brief post will go over the main parts of a standard cover letter.

A cover letter has five parts: The heading, the introduction, the body, the contact information, and the closing.  I'll take them in order.

The heading includes your address in the upper right corner followed by the date the next line down on the left, a space, and the contact information to the person you are sending the letter too.  I always include a subject line as well.  It usually says, “In reference to Shovelbums job posting,” or something to that effect.  

The introduction paragraph is preceded by the salutation.  It’s OK to write, “Dear”, or simply, “Mr. or  Mrs. (name)”.  If you do not know the name of the person you are sending the letter to then use, “To Whom It May Concern”.

Included in the introduction paragraph is information regarding where you heard about the posting and what you are applying for.  Employers often advertise on multiple websites and for multiple positions.  Starting with a paragraph stating where you heard about the job and what position you are applying for puts the employer in the right frame of mind to read your letter and your CV.

The body can be one paragraph or multiple paragraphs.  Keep in mind, though, that the cover letter should not exceed one side of one page.  So, what goes into the body?  This is basically a place for you to sell yourself to your future employer.  For CRM I sometimes include details about my availability followed by a brief accounting of my experience and my leadership experience.  Taylor the paragraph to the job you are seeking.  If you are looking for a job in the Southwest and have experience there then highlight that.  However, if you don’t have any experience in the Southwest then highlight experience at other jobs that could translate to the job you are applying for.  Highlight things such as Total Station experience or similar survey experience.

The final paragraph is where you put your contact information.  Include phone numbers and email addresses.  Also, include the times that you can be reached.

Close the letter with a simple “thank you” or “sincerely”.  Don’t get fancy.  Leave about five lines of space after the closing before you type your name if you are printing the letter for mailing.  That way your can include your signature between your name and the closing.  Most letters are emailed these days and a signature is not expected, however.  The last line of the cover letter should say, “Enclosures (#)”.  The # is the number of documents that follow the cover letter.  Typically they include your CV and references.

So, that’s it.  There are different ways to structure a cover letter but this is the way I learned and it hasn’t failed me yet.  Email me with questions or if you want me to take a look at your letter.  Just look at it like a formula and you are inserting the variables.  Maybe I took too much math in college!

Written in Austin, Nevada.