From the ad in the paper, and the time you actually get to have all the i's dotted, and t's crossed, you will be not only confused, but dowright disappointed. The ad is posted, you apply online, you receive a call from the recruiter (who is the most positive one in the entire process), and then you are told you will be contacted by the local depot manager.in my case, I was not, after passing the screening and following their procedure. I called the recruiter after being intentionally blown off by the manager, or whomever he is called at the Show Low office. Had it not been for a call back to the recruiter in Marshal, Minnesota, I would not have had an interview. Because the manger was so incredibly overworked and doing other people's routes due to being short staffed (the man works like a dog), I was interviewed by the District Manager. A strange interview, not bad, but stange. More like a pschological probing of why I (being in a completely different field) wanted to work for Schwanns. A very kind and smart, man, I figured that question to be self explanatory, the unemployment rate is at 8 percent, el al. I left confused, once again. Did I have a job? Or did I not?
Two days later, I showed up to do a ride around, (which was twelve hours of work for free I discovered after reading the waiver that morning) I walked into the depot to a man who was apparenty getting ready for the day, as he was zipping up his pants. He looked at me like " Who the bleep are you?" This man proceeded to tell me this job was incredibly hard, and ver hard on a woman, and basically the message was that women could not do this job, and explained why. He was actually a very smart and sort of funny guy, and was not at all hostile. Matter of fact, he was honest and forthright. Having just spent two weeks waitng to get an inteview because the manager was too over worked to call me for one, I was just being good listener. He was nice, and obviously worked very hard, as he explained, and also explained the training is quick, and reported I would have no definite route, and would have to sell off the side of the road until I recieved a route, or if I made it through training. This man saved my future with this company, because he told the truth to me. He was in no way trasing the company, let me make that clear. He was speaking the truth, and I had already been fearful of this company from their slow hiring process, and being broke and unemployed, I had to give it a try. I had to. So I did.
The nice man who drove me around for twelve hours criticized the company out of one side of his mouth, and then lecured me like a professor in the working of the system out of the other side of his mouth. He was an excellent worker, and a charming sales man. I enjoyed his company very much. I watched him knock on doors, and sell product, interact with customers, and basically and methodically sell over 1100 dollars worth of procuct (at least) I enjoyed getting to know him, he had a great personality. I smoked three puffs off a cigarette fifteen feet from a public building we stopped at and told him I was. I also had to use the restroom. (I smoke about five a day), and was sorf of offended that he thought I would smoke in a company truck. I am not stupid, and would never do that. Ever. We had no bathroom break had it not been for our lunch break which was apparently a rarity in this business. (And I totally understand why) These guys work like dogs, and work long hours, and give and give and give to this company. It is my oponion that out of fear of not makng quota, they are driven, like slaves. They are slaves to this company. Have to meet goals of sales (over 5500 per week) I was told. As the day wore on, I began to feel like I was just there because he had to put up with me. I had already been confused about the hiring process, and now I was thinking that I was going to be working for a company where you were thrown out there, with inadequate training, and had to make it or break it. That was the message I got from all of them. No recruiter or recruitng process seemed more confusing or filled with angst than this one. As I said, I am expereinced at interviews, the hiring process and the patienct required to make it through, but at this point, I was completely frustrated. After working twelve hours, I CHOSE to not get out of the truck at the last stop, and what did he do? He reported that the manager, making sure I recieved a negative impression before having met him. I was told that my driver/shadow person reported this. I interacted with customers, almost every one, in a positive manner. I helped this guy all day unload and carry and interact, but the one thing he tells the manager, set me up for failure right away. I knew this was a bad experience, so I contacted the over worked manager the next day and declined the job.
He could have cared less, because, " he wanted to get his paperwork done and get home to his family". No " thank you for giving this a try". No explanation of why he never contacted me when the recuiter said he would. Nothing... Uninterested in me as a new hire, period. So I drove home the 55 miles, and sort of felt like I had just left a dysfunctinal family, and was actually relieved.
The only positive I experienced or heard from or about the company was from the general manager of sales who interviewed me. The whole experience was strange, confusing, and negative if you want my honest opinion. I did not expect special treatment, I expected a professional welcome, and a positive introduction to the company. I had to find out the hard way, that this is a big company who basically works their people just like slaves. They reel you in, hijack you for a day with no pay, fill you will negativity, confusion, and fear, and then drop you off.
The reports I read when I got home were just as I had experienced, that the work is incredibly long, the gratitude for that work not very great, and they will dump you like a hot poatoe if you do not meet their quoata. God Bless the guys that work for this company, because the mental stress, long hours, and lack of interpersonal relations is only able to be tolerated by the few. I am not a wimp by any means, and would have probably quit after three months of abuse like the others, but was unwilling to mentally subject myself to that. I understand that sales is a tough business, I do. But if you want a hard working, intelligent person to come to work for you, do you think maybe you could sell yourself a bit more positively to new people? Just a thought.
0 comments