Notes From The Road, Day Four: More on Williston and the Trip Home

by

Dave Harbour

(Yes, we skipped day three because most of that day was spent back in the Bismarck hotel room writing, preparing client reports and editing photos.  -dh)

Tanya Vachal, by Dave Harbour, Bakkan Shale, Williston, North Dakota Job Service, jobsnd.comYesterday, I ran out of gas before completing the entry, so let’s begin with our meeting with Tanya Vachal (NGP Photo), Williston’s North Dakota Job Service Guru: a dedicated professional determined to help her hundreds of job seeking clients.  

As you read in an earlier entry, this frenetic, dusty, optimistic city and its friendly people reminded me a  lot of Fairbanks and even Anchorage 40 years ago.  There is a sense of innocence, of the commitment to treat people well and cheerfully along with a rock hard work ethic and indefatigable drive to overcome any obstacle.  As one watches this week’s Fox News interviews of Minot flood victims, a brave and admirable ethic shines through in the words of people attacked by mother nature but still dedicated to overcoming adversity.

Other Williston Observations

 1.  Do your homework.  If you have questions contact Job Service North Dakota, 422 1st Avenue West, Williston, ND 50001, 1-800-247-0989.

2.  Realize that while the Job Service office believes about 175 job seekers per month become employed, almost three times that number are looking.  While jobs are available, unsuccessful applicants are often unable to find housing, have an unacceptable criminal background or are simply unqualified.

3.  A number of Alaska support companies have begun operations in North Dakota.  Some of these are merely expanding their operations into a prospective economy; others are losing work and employees here and see opportunity there.

4.  One should never go to the Williston area seeking work without lodging arrangements — or, a car as a last resort.   Lastly, it should be unnecessary to go into the western North Dakota oil patch frontier without having first obtained a job.  For qualified folks, it will be relatively easy.  For those less qualified, there is still opportunity in entry level service positions, but due diligence and lodging are still required.

5.  Google ‘oil jobs in North Dakota to get a feel for the possibilities and note that your search will turn up a few con artists who want your money to give you links to companies that provide free employment applications anyway.

6.  Here are the names of just a few companies that had posted applications in the Williston Job Service office:  Google ’em…and, go get ’em!

  • www.umdhu.org
  • Intermountain Gas Company
  • Microtel Inn & Suites
  • rnindstries.com
  • Executive Services, Inc.
  • Missouri Basin Well Service, Inc.
  • Power Fuels ($60-90k drivers)
  • Equipment Staffing, LLC
  • Cement Transport
  • etc., etc.

7.  Finally, yes, there are opportunities for entrepreneurs who wish to invest in this vibrant place, and, as in Alaska, become a valued member of the local community.  It is risky.  But with risk comes reward.   And great fulfillment.  Or not. 

While focused on counseling her clients, Tanya also addressed the importance of understanding reality.  One reality is that Job Service of North Dakota does not ‘get people jobs’.  "We don’t place people," she said, "we counsel job seekers and employers.  We post jobs here and online."   As I reviewed the operation, it seemed notable that while this office didn’t actually hire people it was certainly a central information source about current job openings throughout the area.  

For those reading who may have an interest in western North Dakota oil industry work or have friends with such interest, Tanya and her colleagues sound an awful lot like Alaska’s own job counselors during the mid-70s.  They used to say, "Don’t come to Alaska without a job."  Tanya implores citizens to do their homework before coming to North Dakota.   Almost every sizeable company operating in the area hires employees from a human resource office in another city or state.  This means that seldom if ever will a job seeker even get to meet a representative of a hiring company just by trudging up to the local operating office saying, "May I have a job"?  But with a couple of Amtrack trains arriving every day, displaced workers often disembark without a single idea of where the next meal, bed or job might be.  "Much of the time, the ones who arrive by train end up taking the next train out of town," she observed.

So if North Dakota — particularly this westernmost part — experiences a 98+ percent employment rate, and with the radio waves and newspapers filled with invitations to apply for work, how does one get connected?

While Tanya suggests that folks not come to western North Dakota without a job, she says connecting with the company is relatively easy.  "Go online," she said.  "Fill out an application and file it over the internet, or email it in, or fax it to the employment office of the company?  We can tell you which jobs are available but it is up to you to go apply for them yourself, and they way you do that is not to come up here without a job or prospects…but to apply online with the company."

Part of that due diligence as Tanya advises and I can report from experience, involves housing.  There simply is no excess housing available in the state’s westernmost oil patch.   I also observed very few ‘for sale’ signs all the way to and including Bismarck.  "Some companies provide housing for some employees,"   Others ‘assist’ in obtaining housing, she said.  Some new employees pay rent to stay with friends or family while others arrive with a camper in tow.  Tenting is not practical and highly dangerous in the winter, here.  There are no homeless shelters in the city and the city does not want to attract vagrants or put folks in vulnerable positions by providing places to camp.

We talked a little about the lack of amenities.  "We really are blessed to have a healthy economy," Tanya said.  "You have to make adjustments in life.  Here, that means being patient."    We would objectively observe that with managers like Tanya Vachel, North Dakota and Williston are well served.

Tomorrow, cover more of the Williston visit and the trip back to Bismarck.

(Reference:  See Day 1 Notes. Here are day 2 notes.)