Need Advice! (not an employee)

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Hi, I am new to the site and need your help! I have spent hours searching the forums to try to find the answers I am looking for but had no luck.

I found out about UPS through a coworker who I work with at my full time job. She works full time with a part time job at UPS in Hodgkins IL. I need a part time job to help pay for my sons college education, and from what my coworker tells me UPS would be the perfect choice. I filled out an application online for a Package Handler position and was asked to set up an appointment to come in and talk to them, my appointment is set for this coming Sat Nov 7th.

Here is problem #1, my hours at my full time job are anywhere from 7-8:00am through 5:00pm. The only shift that may possibly work for me would be the Twilight shift, which is listed as a 5:00pm- 9:00pm shift. My day job is 25 mins from the UPS in Hodgkins IL, so I realistically couldn't start until 6:00pm and make it on time everyday. I could stretch it and say I could make it there at 5:30pm, but the traffic would have to be good and I would have to be able to change clothes at my day job before I get off at 5 and be ready to hit the road right at 5 everyday. I already asked my boss if I would be possible to get off at 4pm everyday and she flat out said No! My coworker works 10am-7pm at our day job and the sunrise shift 4am-9am at UPS, she said that they do sometimes let people have staggered start times, so my plan is to ask if they will work with me and give me a start time of 5:30 or 6:00.

My question is when should I bring this up to UPS? Should I tell them upfront at the first tour/interview? How should I approach it? I really think UPS would be good fit for me, and I am in it for the long term, but I need to get my foot in the door. What would be the best way to convince them to give me a delayed start time?

Problem #2, I am scheduled to have surgery on Nov 17 and will be off from my full time job for 4 weeks to recover. My plan is to use this time to look for a second job so I can go on day time interviews once I am on my feet. When I filled out my application for UPS I put my expected start time as Dec 14 which will be when I expect to be back to work at my day job. My coworker told me that the first week of training is classroom time and the 5th day they put you in the warehouse. If the first week is classroom time, then I could probably start the training a week earlier and give them an expected start day of Dec 7. Because if I did start at 5:30 or 6 and classes started at 5, I would miss the first hour, so I am thinking I am better off doing the training before I go back to my day job.

My question is are you trained on the shift you will be working? Is the first week classroom? Did I apply too early compared to my start date? I read in some of the threads that they want you to start right away. Do you think its a good idea to start a week earlier to accommodate the training schedule and be able to give them an earlier start date.

I really appreciate any feedback you can give me!

You have way to much drama...they'll get a thousand kids to do this job on their terms...don't waste your time.

 

[Wally]

What came first, sky high college cost, or govenmental involvement in higher education?

 

[hondo]

...
I really appreciate any feedback you can give me!

1. The "Twilight" shift at Hodgkins just isn't going to work out for you. They don't stagger start times that much, and it can take 15-20 minutes from when you roll into the parking lot until you actually get to your work area to punch in. I'm sure there is another facility closer to your day job, that might work out better. Addison, Bedford Park, Franklin Park, Westmont & Harvey come to mind. Actually, what might be best for you would be O'Hare. My guess is the evening start time there is probably 7 or 7:30, and the shifts are shorter there.
2. Wherever you go, training would be during the shift you're hired for; and yes, the first 3 or 4 days of the first week should be classroom.
3. The reason Hodgkins can say they don't hire seasonal, is there is enough turnover of part-time employees that they are always hiring. There's also the fact that even if you're hired "permanent" versus "seasonal", there is still a probationary period of 40 working days. If you started December 14, you would only be halfway through that when the amount of work slows down and they'll look extra close for reasons to not keep you.
4. Of all the facilities around here Hodgkins & O'Hare probably have the most consistent shift times year-round. Regardless of what HR tells you about flexibility about start times, don't expect much. And if they do give anyone leeway; it's typically for students, not people with other jobs.

If I were you I'd cancel the appointment for Hodgkins (hopefully you don't get blacklisted for cancelling) and keep an eye peeled for an opening @ O'Hare. But maybe an evening shift at a grocery store might be a better option.

 

[Number24]

Sounds like you would be another seasonal applying for a PT position. You have to fully commit yourself to this position and by what you've stated, it doesn't look like they'd want you for the long run.

 

[UPSWannabe]

1. The "Twilight" shift at Hodgkins just isn't going to work out for you. They don't stagger start times that much, and it can take 15-20 minutes from when you roll into the parking lot until you actually get to your work area to punch in. I'm sure there is another facility closer to your day job, that might work out better. Addison, Bedford Park, Franklin Park, Westmont & Harvey come to mind. Actually, what might be best for you would be O'Hare. My guess is the evening start time there is probably 7 or 7:30, and the shifts are shorter there.
2. Wherever you go, training would be during the shift you're hired for; and yes, the first 3 or 4 days of the first week should be classroom.
3. The reason Hodgkins can say they don't hire seasonal, is there is enough turnover of part-time employees that they are always hiring. There's also the fact that even if you're hired "permanent" versus "seasonal", there is still a probationary period of 40 working days. If you started December 14, you would only be halfway through that when the amount of work slows down and they'll look extra close for reasons to not keep you.
4. Of all the facilities around here Hodgkins & O'Hare probably have the most consistent shift times year-round. Regardless of what HR tells you about flexibility about start times, don't expect much. And if they do give anyone leeway; it's typically for students, not people with other jobs.

If I were you I'd cancel the appointment for Hodgkins (hopefully you don't get blacklisted for cancelling) and keep an eye peeled for an opening @ O'Hare. But maybe an evening shift at a grocery store might be a better option.

Thank you so much for the info, I really appreciate it! I see what you mean about the twilight not working out for me at that facility. Do you think it would be better to keep my appointment and just go on the tour to see what it is like, or risk getting blacklisted and cancel? I work in Harvey IL, I think Bedford Park IL would be about the same distance as Hodgkins, I don't see any openings for the Harvey location listed, but I will keep looking. I live over the boarder in Indiana but don't see any openings for a package handler at the near by facilities in Indiana. I plan on applying at other companies to keep my options open. It looks like my only other choice for working at UPS would be the Night shift at facilities where they are 12:00- 5:00am. The only bad thing about the O'Hare location is the distance, but I will check it out.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

It may not be a bad idea to go ahead and keep the appointment.

 

[hondo]

Thank you so much for the info, I really appreciate it! I see what you mean about the twilight not working out for me at that facility. Do you think it would be better to keep my appointment and just go on the tour to see what it is like, or risk getting blacklisted and cancel? I work in Harvey IL, I think Bedford Park IL would be about the same distance as Hodgkins, I don't see any openings for the Harvey location listed, but I will keep looking. I live over the boarder in Indiana but don't see any openings for a package handler at the near by facilities in Indiana. I plan on applying at other companies to keep my options open. It looks like my only other choice for working at UPS would be the Night shift at facilities where they are 12:00- 5:00am. The only bad thing about the O'Hare location is the distance, but I will check it out.

I don't know which way is better to cancel/decline. Although if there is no way to cancel in advance, I think it's safe to say you better go in person to the appointment.
OK, based on that, just keep looking for openings at Harvey and Hammond, and do the math on the commute to O'Hare (fuel/tolls/wear & tear).

 

[barnyard]

You should probably eliminate UPS from your employment options. You have a much better chance of accommodating your schedule in a retail environment.

 

[watdaflock?]

Your post is too long and I did not read it all. Read far enough to see you're looking for a PT job and are a college student.

* Temp preloader. Within a week you'll have the opportunity to become a PT Sup. Go that route, it'll look good on your resume later after college.


Good luck.

 

[watdaflock?]

Certainly not your lily white, gated community, where the only minorities are the ones who cut the grass and deliver your groceries.

bueno?

 

[PT Car Washer]

You should probably eliminate UPS from your employment options. You have a much better chance of accommodating your schedule in a retail environment.

If all you are looking for is a little bit more money to tide you over I am sure there are lots of PT jobs that would work out better for you.

 

[UPSWannabe]

I don't know which way is better to cancel/decline. Although if there is no way to cancel in advance, I think it's safe to say you better go in person to the appointment.
OK, based on that, just keep looking for openings at Harvey and Hammond, and do the math on the commute to O'Hare (fuel/tolls/wear & tear).

Thank you for the feedback!

 

[UPSWannabe]

Thank you everyone who took the time to read my long post! I appreciate your input. I have not given up on UPS but I see I am going to have to find the right fit or wait until my hours change. Even in retail I may have a hard time finding a job that will work around the hours of my full time job.

 

[trickpony1]

Forgive me but does your local UPS building have a sunrise sort?

Would a sunrise sort work for you?

I've read the entire thread but simply forgot. Shoot me.

 

[clean hairy]

If I read the original post correctly, OP wants to work until Nov 17th then take a month off for surgery then come back dec 14th.
Dunno if there are Many places that would hire a person for the holiday rush with this persons timetable.

 

[UPSWannabe]

Forgive me but does your local UPS building have a sunrise sort?

Would a sunrise sort work for you?

I've read the entire thread but simply forgot. Shoot me.

No, but thanks for the suggestion! The sunrise sort is from 3am to 9am and I have to be at work at 7:30am on most days. The problem is I work 9 1/2 hour days which includes 1 hour of unpaid lunch on my day job. Some UPS locations in my area have a night shift that is from 12:00 midnight until 5am which might work. If I went straight to bed after my day job I could get about 4 hours of sleep before I would have to get up in time to eat and leave for work. That would be a rough schedule but it could be done

 

[PT Car Washer]

No, but thanks for the suggestion! The sunrise sort is from 3am to 9am and I have to be at work at 7:30am on most days. The problem is I work 9 1/2 hour days which includes 1 hour of unpaid lunch on my day job. Some UPS locations in my area have a night shift that is from 12:00 midnight until 5am which might work. If I went straight to bed after my day job I could get about 4 hours of sleep before I would have to get up in time to eat and leave for work. That would be a rough schedule but it could be done

My buildings Midnight sort starts at 11:00 PM and runs to around 2:30 to 3:00 AM. Still be a tough fit for your FT schedule. UPS will have a scheduled start time which can vary 15 to 30 minutes a day during the week and you punch out when your supervisor tells you. Generally 3 to 3 1/2 hours. As a new employee you will either work more or you will work less depending on the employees ahead of you in seniority.

 

[UPSWannabe]

If I read the original post correctly, OP wants to work until Nov 17th then take a month off for surgery then come back dec 14th.
Dunno if there are Many places that would hire a person for the holiday rush with this persons timetable.

That is what I am doing on my full time job, for the part time job at UPS I am going to tell them I am not available to start until Dec 7th. I do not expect to be able to take a month off after just starting a new job. But it does make my situation more complicated because I can't start immediately.

 

[UPSWannabe]

My buildings Midnight sort starts at 11:00 PM and runs to around 2:30 to 3:00 AM. Still be a tough fit for your FT schedule. UPS will have a scheduled start time which can vary 15 to 30 minutes a day during the week and you punch out when your supervisor tells you. Generally 3 to 3 1/2 hours. As a new employee you will either work more or you will work less depending on the employees ahead of you in seniority.

Maybe I can get my foot in the door on the Night shift, get through the probation period and then look for an opportunity to get on the twilight shift with a later start time. It might take a while but I would have a better chance of working something out once I am already an employee in good standing with the company... or I could just be on the night shift forever, lol

 

[PT Car Washer]

Maybe I can get my foot in the door on the Night shift, get through the probation period and then look for an opportunity to get on the twilight shift with a later start time. It might take a while but I would have a better chance of working something out once I am already an employee in good standing with the company... or I could just be on the night shift forever, lol

Very few employees who start on the Midnight sort ever leave unless they quit. I worked 6 months on midnight and never went back.