There once was a manager
There once was a manager at a well-known global beverage company who had 36 direct reports.
She was fresh out of college, ready to grow her career, and planned to retire from this company one day. Things started out great, but soon the consistent 60+ hour work week had her feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Most of this extra time and unwanted stress was due to her employees not getting the work done, not showing up, or quitting. This could have been avoided if she was hiring the right people.
The roles she oversaw were light industrial positions like merchandisers and warehouse workers. She was in charge of interviewing, onboarding, training, coaching, firing, and all the things in between. The biggest challenge was covering for any of those employees who were out. It was her responsibility to get coverage for that day, and many days that meant she was going in the field slinging cases of pop because that was the only option. This was exhausting physically, mentally, and emotionally, plus it took her away from her career goals and caused her to have zero work-life balance. These light industrial positions require someone who shows up, does what’s needed, and communicates. These positions are necessary on a daily basis to keep customers happy and keep companies in business.
This Manager is me, and the company was PepsiCo.
My time at PepsiCo was amazing. I met some of the greatest people there and gained great leadership experience. I ended up leaving my job for various reasons, but looking back, if I had a full team of hard-working, dependable, coachable employees who were truly interested in the job, and a pipeline of people to backfill them, then I believe I would not have felt the burn-out and might still be there today.
I work at Beneficial Talent Source now, as the VP of Success, and I am writing this so I can help you, and shed light on how Beneficial can help your company. I knew nothing about recruiting agencies until my time at Beneficial. Looking back, it makes so much sense on what my plant was missing… a recruiting agency that gives a damn.
Reflecting on Five YearsKey Questions That Shaped My Understanding
Over the past five years, I've embarked on a journey of deep reflection and learning, pondering crucial questions that have significantly shaped my professional outlook and practices. Here, I share the insights gained and the pivotal questions that have guided my path to greater understanding in the world of recruitment and career development.
How in the heck do recruiting firms work?
Beneficial Talent Source finds candidates, vets candidates, and presents candidates for free to companies for whatever jobs they need filled. We use detailed, customizable forms as we want to provide transparent, relevant information up front so companies can make a smart decision if they want to proceed with the candidate or not.
At PepsiCo, I used a staffing agency to fill the hourly roles. Looking back, that staffing agency compared to Beneficial is truly night and day. I never spoke with anyone on the phone, it was simply a system that sent resumes with no background information. Beneficial finds, vets, and presents candidates in an authentic, concise, relatable way. Plus, we’re always one call away. Setting up weekly meetings, checking in on new requisitions, or honing in on what characteristics would make the best culture fit are some ways we can catch up and share the latest and greatest.
In a perfect world, every employee shows up to work every day. We understand that is not realistic and life happens, that is why we strive to have a constant flow of qualified, interested, vetted folks to interview. Beneficial is constantly adding folks to their pipelines across the country for light industrial work. Looking back, this would have been extremely beneficial in my previous position.
What is light industrial work?
Light industrial work consists of positions like assemblers, warehouse workers, machine operators, quality techs, etc involved in producing and distributing consumer goods. There are gobs of jobs out there that make the world go round, and companies need people in these roles.
Who is interested in this type of work?
There are so many people in the world, and there are more candidates than one may think who are looking for and needing a job in this light industrial silo. It may take more time, dedication, calls, texts, and emails to get a hold of said folks, but that is where Beneficial comes into play. I believe the candidates who succeed in these roles are those who are motivated, hard-working, communicative, consistent, and dependable.
We work with candidates and clients anywhere and have the tools to find top talent no matter the time zone.
When can we deliver?
Timing is everything in life, especially when it comes to fast-paced manufacturing work. When companies are understaffed, it is vital they get roles filled to keep production going strong. We strive to be expeditious in our search for talent to help fill the open needs asap. On the other hand, we want to help our candidates find the best job fit for them. Light industrial folks work all sorts of shifts, so Beneficial is available for a conversation no matter the time of day. Some individuals may work multiple jobs along with caring for their family, so their availability is limited.
If they are qualified for an open job, you can guarantee Beneficial will connect with them. Efficiency and strategy are key.
What about big staffing agencies?
Big staffing agencies are not always the best bang for your buck. They may have tech savvy systems and cool commercials, but do they get the job done while catering to your wants and needs? Debatable. I’d much rather work with caring, hard-working, genuine folks that communicate face-to-face or over the phone. Beneficial is one call or lunch date away.
Why would a company work with Beneficial for light industrial jobs?
We are helpful. It is ultimately up to the company who they choose to hire, but our job is to present the best options in a quick fashion. Having various resumes to review is refreshing. We build trust first and work to prove ourselves as early in the relationship as possible. Ultimately, we work ourselves out of our own job.
We are fun. We cater to each company/point of contact. If you are light-hearted and need a fun GIF on a Monday morning, we can do that. If you are straight to the point and only want to do a weekly call, we can do that. We hope our genuineness is apparent, and working with us is a bright spot in your day or week.
We are flexible. Building rapport and trust throughout the entire process is key. We cater to each client, as every manufacturing company has different jobs and requirements.
We are a team you can rely on. The trust we build can lead to many things, one of which is “Go-To-Work” (GTW) opportunities. These are jobs that require no interview; the company has implicit trust in Beneficial to vet/interview folks on our own and get them onboarded so they can start the next day or week. As I write this, we have three GTW opportunities this week alone!
We are genuine. We want these light industrial candidates to have the best experience possible just as much as we want our companies to thrive. We are real, and we also go out of our way to market each company we work with, highlighting its perks and bringing light to information folks in the same community may not know. We are human and transparent. If we have any concerns about a candidate, we will share. If we have an inkling a candidate may not show for an interview, we will relay.
Where am I today?
Overall, I love Beneficial and PepsiCo, and I love working hard. At PepsiCo, long hours were put in seven days a week, and there was not enough time in the day to get to everything on the to-do list without feeling the burn-out. Beneficial Talent Source can help you with the burn-out.
Joining the Beneficial team opened my eyes to so much more, but mainly how awesome and unique this recruiting agency truly is. A little change – and the ample support Beneficial Talent Source brings – makes a huge impact.
