One of the largest publicly owned municipal utilities in the United States, Seattle Public Light provides electricity to the Greater Seattle area and to other parts of Washington. One of the greenest electricity providers, this utility also has one of the lowest electricity rates for an urban area in the United States. To find out how to apply for Seattle City Light online, read further for advice on job applications.
One important aspect of this public utility is the focus on working toward green power generation and maintaining low rates as opposed to privately held utilities, where the focus is on profits. Zero carbon-emission power generation was initially achieved by purchasing carbon credits to offset power generated by coal and oil power plants, but currently, by phasing out coal and oil generation.
In addition, the utility has spearheaded a number of other environmental initiatives, such as a bird protection program around its power lines and wind generator locations, a fish protection program around its hydroelectric power generation facilities and PCB removal programs. As well, it finances and conducts research around its facilities to determine the environmental impact of its facilities and programs.
Seattle City Light is committed to the environmental and social wellbeing of the City of Seattle and its environs. It is an equal opportunity employer with a diverse workforce and is proud of its track record of generating power while preserving the natural beauty of Washington’s waterways and maintaining local fisheries.
Seattle City Light Careers
The utility requires a variety of administrative support staff to tend to engineers, customers and management. The responsibilities of support staff range from telephone support for customers to drafting to scheduling and data entry. Seattle City Light careers in this category include Executive Assistants, Engineering Aides and Administrative specialists.
In order to actually perform the work, the utility employs a number of technical staff to design power systems, maintain equipment, and to plan construction schedules, maintenance and direct crews. Job opportunities in this category include Engineering Aides (they are both technical and support), Electricians, Maintenance Supervisors and Power Mechanics.
How old do you have to be to work at Seattle City Light? For the most part, Seattle City Light jobs are only available to those who have graduated high school. So jobs are only available to people aged 18 and above. However, high school students can submit a Seattle City Light application for an internship.
The vast majority of Seattle City Light jobs are paid hourly, but come with substantial benefits such as overtime pay, paid vacations, health, vision and dental plans, life insurance and long term disability insurance. As well, employees get deferred compensation plans retirement savings plans. The Seattle City Light application usually mentions that wages and benefits are set by a collective bargaining agreement.
To apply for Seattle City Light jobs online, visit the City of Seattle general employment link and specify “Seattle City Light” as a criterion. The filtered results will appear the bottom of the page. When you click on the job you want to apply for, a new browser tab will open. There is no printable application form nor can you download application form, but it is a free application.
Seattle City Light Job Descriptions
Administrative Specialist II – This is a part time position. Support staff assist in scheduling, perform data entry, answer phones and maintain and file contracts. They report to managers, professional staff, supervisors and directors. Wage is $22.16-$24.79 hourly for 20 hours a week. This online application has supplemental questions to answer.
Engineering Aide – This position is a board-based customer support position. The job is to assist field engineers by providing administrative support, assisting them with field work, drafting and reviewing CAD drawings. This position requires a fair amount of math and trigonometry in order to perform surveying work. Payment for this position is $22.73 to $26.46 an hour. This job application has supplemental questions.
Program Intake Representative – The Program Intake Representative is a support position that is responsible for tracking and contacting clients of the utility if they are eligible for assistance in paying their utility bills. The representative reviews applications for utility payment assistance, keeps track of beneficiaries and contacts clients when benefits are approved, denied, or expire. This position pays $24.32 to $28.32 an hour.
Electrician Constructor – The responsibilities of this position are to maintain, install and repair conduits, security systems and high voltage electrical equipment owned by the utility. You will also mentor apprentices and supervise journeyman electricians. You need a driver’s license, possibly class B. The job pays at an hourly rate of $44.04 an hour. This application may have written, oral and practical exam requirements.
Seattle City Light CEO – Over the next few years, the CEO of Seattle City Light will oversee deployment of a new payment system, a new energy management system and construction of power systems as new technologies come online and companies generate power for themselves. The salary for this position is between $227,779.92 and $364,481.28.
Seattle City Light Interview Questions
Following are sample interview questions:
Why would you like to work at Seattle City Light? The person who is hiring you wants to know what appealed to you about the job description for the position you’re interviewing for and why working for a public utility appeals to you. Some research on Seattle’s green initiatives would probably go a long way here.
What are your strengths? This is a fairly straightforward question to answer. Detail your strengths, the parts of your job where you excel. Liven it up with lots of examples and anecdotes. Try and shape them so that they apply to an aspect of the position you are applying to (e.g., great time management skills for a job whose responsibilities include a lot of scheduling).
What are your weaknesses? This is not really a straightforward question. In general, you don’t want to reveal any actual weaknesses, more “weaknesses” that can be turned around to be strengths. For example, one could describe oneself as being a perfectionist, which in a quality control, engineering environment or even an editorial position, could actually be perceived as a strength.
Describe your past experience. This is an especially relevant question for technical staff and managerial candidates, the person doing the hiring is looking for experience that is relevant to the position in question. Be sure to have a story or two about how you solved problems at your last job.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Again, research will come in handy here. The interviewer is looking to ensure that you are looking to make a career of working at the utility, not to use the utility as a stepping-stone toward a lucrative career in private industry. So, look up career paths in civil service and figure out where you could be in 5 years.
Advice For Application Process
Filling out a Seattle City job application online is slightly more complicated than most other job application processes as there are often supplemental questions to answer. When you apply online for jobs at Seattle City Light, ensure that you go through all the tabs in the application form before clicking submit. Unfortunately, there is no printable application for Seattle City Light jobs; you have to submit a direct application online.
When submitting your resume, it is important that the resume you submit be tailored specifically for the job you are applying to. Search each job for keywords and ensure those keywords are in your application. Before submitting your resume, be sure to proofread your submission to ensure that all the information you have submitted is accurate.
When interviewing for any position, even if it’s a position that would entail field work, dress professionally: suit and tie for men and professional attire for women. Prepare for the interview by reviewing likely questions you expect will be asked. In the case of technical positions, be prepared to answer questions with a technical bent that are relevant to your position.
It is important that you stay neutral on politics and not allow your political views to reveal themselves in a job interview. While many companies have a political bent to them, politics remains one of the more divisive issues in he United States. Therefore, even if you perceive a company’s politics to be aligned with yours, the person who is interviewing you might not share your political views.
Also See:
McMaster-Carr: See our resource page for more information on McMaster-Carr careers.
Comed: Checkout the application page for work at Comed.
Adecco Staffing: Visit the Adecco Staffing application.
Old Dominion: Old Dominion offers opportunities for both, beginners and experienced roles.
LADWP: Visit the LADWP application.
Company Links
http://www.seattle.gov/personnel/employment/default_neogov.asp