I recently passed the aptitude test but failed my interview. I felt it went so well and was surprised at the outcome. I dressed professionally, answered all 10 questions easily and had a lot of questions of my own to ask them. I tried calling and emailing to find out what I did wrong, but was ignored. I guess I'll have to interview in other states which could be costly. My question is - can you get a helpers job without going through the union??

Too many questions can be a bad thing too.You don't have to work union to work on elevators. There's plenty of other companies out there that are open shops. You still have to be able to do the job. No union protection at an open shop. If you are truly motivated to work in our trade don't let the union or non-union thing deter you. Go learn the craft and the $$$ will follow regardless. This trade is the best by far, but not built for everyone. Takes a special kind of person to take calls at 3a.m.or stack rails on 100 degree day. And for a helper getting yelled at by a grumpy mechanic or cleaning all day everyday. Union or non-union that's how it goes down. For me, best decision I've ever made.