Scott Patterson
Every Friday, I break down real meteorology job postings and cover what the role actually involves, what employers are really looking for, and how to position yourself to get hired. Experience in energy, aviation, agricultural commodities, transportation, outdoor recreation, and event forecasting. Free, every Friday
The Friday Job Report - Week 24
Issued on the 12th of June, 2026 - Have you ever been speaking to someone or listening to another person speak, and they start to go off on a tangent? Especially one that you are not really that interested in hearing, and so your own mind starts to wander, and in the worst situations, you take a power nap with your eyes open. While everyone likely does this in everyday conversations, this is exactly what you should avoid doing in an interview. However, it is so easy to go off in the wrong...
The Friday Job Report - Week 23
Issued on the 5th of June, 2026 For all the new graduates, congratulations on surviving and earning your degree!!! Hopefully, many of you have leads on a job right out of university. For those of you who do not have a job lined up yet, the Friday Job Report is here to provide extra insight into jobs posted online and advice on how to conduct your job search, craft a resume and cover letter, and prepare for a successful interview. If you need more help, please reach out. Ever since COVID, most...
The Friday Job Report - Week 22
Issued on the 29th of May, 2026 One of the biggest mistakes you can make in an interview is not providing an answer. As a hiring manager and an interviewer, I observed this firsthand when people would get nervous and forget everything, and not be able to pull it together and provide some sort of answer. The worst thing you can say is, "I don't know". A big part of the interview is the interviewer learning how you handle adversity or things not going your way, and so using the "I don't know"...
The Friday Job Report - Week 21
Issued on the 22nd of May, 2026 An interview is just a conversation with someone you've just met, and your one job is to be interesting enough that they want to keep talking to you. Most first-round interviews are video calls, with some small firms using a phone call, but this is becoming less and less normal. Although I have had some HR recruiters use a Zoom or Teams call with no video, just audio. On the call, the host will let you know the structure of the call and start with a background...
The Friday Job Report - Week 20
Issued on the 15th of May 2026 Yay!!!! You were invited to an interview. Now what? All that work, all that time sending out hundreds of resumes and cover letters. You finally found a way to break through. You can't blow it. Now is the time when you are going to start searching for all the possible questions the interviewer may ask you. Then you are going to cram as much as you can into your head. I can't tell you not to do this, but after doing over 40 interviews since July 2024 and many more...
The Friday Job Report - Week 19
Issued on the 8th of May 2026 As promised, here is a cover letter that led to an interview and ultimately a job offer. This wasn't just any job offer, but one for an international location. Let me just say beforehand that just because this format worked for me, the actual interview is where you land the offer. Background: This company is an energy trading firm, meaning they trade on special markets for electricity and natural gas. They do not own any power generation; instead, they are just a...
The Friday Job Report - Week 18
Issued on the 1st of May 2026 Below is a cover letter for a role in which I was overqualified, but it was remote, and I knew the type of company that was hiring for this role. This cover letter landed a phone interview and a forecast test. Now, let's look closer at the cover letter. This company uses a specific business model that many small private meteorology companies use. They are a B2B company, working with other businesses that have multiple forecast sites or a need for constant...
The Friday Job Report - Week 17
Issued on the 24th of April 2026 I can't say it enough. Meteorology is a very unique industry, unlike most other careers. If you are going to have someone help you with your resume or cover letter, you are welcome to reach out to anyone, but I have specific experience in meteorology and can offer insights you are not likely to receive from a general resume writer. You can schedule a time (no cost) to discuss your career here. Cover Letters Now that we've discussed resumes, let's shift to the...
The Friday Job Report - Week 16
Issued on the 17th of April 2026 In this job report, I cover more about the resume design. Last week, I covered the Header, the Summary, and the Work Experience. This week, the last item on the left side of the paper for me is education. Education If you are just starting in your career, you will likely want to list your education higher up on the resume. If you are more experienced, there is no need for it to be at the top unless you are leading with a Master's or PhD as the reason for your...
The Friday Job Report - Week 15
Issued 10th of April 2026 Continuing with the discussion from last week about resumes, here are some tips about modular resume design. Header This should clearly state your name in the largest font you use on the resume, at least twice as large as any other section titles. This is the top of my resume. I use sans-serif font. Then, contact information below. You don't have to link to your LinkedIn; you could use your own website or anything else that would cast you in a good light. There are...
Every Friday, I break down real meteorology job postings and cover what the role actually involves, what employers are really looking for, and how to position yourself to get hired. Experience in energy, aviation, agricultural commodities, transportation, outdoor recreation, and event forecasting. Free, every Friday