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<blockquote data-quote="Ricochet1a" data-source="post: 1159957" data-attributes="member: 22880"><p>In Express, hiring hourly employees is done by a district level HR rep. This person DOES NOT like to be hounded by prospective applicants for what the status of their application is. Basically, they'll call you, don't bother calling them. </p><p></p><p>Don't try to bother the managers at the station or ramp you may be interested in hiring into. They have absolutely NO CONTROL over the process until and unless they are given an applicant to interview. Trying to get your 'foot in the door' before that won't do you any good and may just backfire if you piss off the manager in question. They have many things they have to worry about, they aren't about to spend their time holding the hand of an applicant that bothers them in the middle of their day - they have better things to do. </p><p></p><p>The process (depending on station or ramp) starts weeks before an applicant is even given an interview. When a position opens up, the location must get permission to fill that slot - it isn't an automatic process. The manager who needs an employee just can't go out and start advertising for applicants - doesn't work like that. When permission to fill the slot is given, Express starts off by looking for internal transfers. If no internal transfers fill the position, then an off the street hire is allowed. </p><p></p><p>The process begins by HR going through their database of individuals who have submitted applications electronically and weeding out the obvious problem candidates. Then those who are left are contacted to give additional information. With this additional information, a preliminary background check is done, then the remaining applicants are placed into a pool from which hiring managers at the locations in the district may interview prospective employees. For handlers, if the interview goes well, a drug screening will be scheduled and additional background checks done. </p><p></p><p>Only after this entire process is completed and the applicant is the first on the hiring list, does a job offer get tendered. There is NOTHING the applicant can do to accelerate the process. </p><p></p><p>If you have lived outside the US in the past 5 years, you cannot be hired into a ramp or hub position, you will have access to US Mail and therefore the requirement to have 5 years of uninterrupted US residency. If you have used any illicit drugs and it shows on the drug screen, game over, you're out. </p><p></p><p>With the way the economy is, there are MULTIPLE applicants for every open position now (didn't used to be like that, they used to have problems filling entry level positions, not any more).</p><p></p><p>For a handler position, basically it is a matter of turnover at the location in question and where you are on the hiring list. The list is in order of submission/background check completion - the interview DOES NOT move you to the top of the list - it only acts as a 'pass-fail' mechanism. You can get a 'pass' on the interview and wait MONTHS for a position, or you may wait a few weeks - all depends on how many people are in front of you. You can't do a damn thing to move up the list - they will tender job offers to applicants who pass the background, drug and residency (for ramp/hub) in order of the applicant being approved. This means that if your background check gets hung up for something, your application waits and others go to the head of the line. </p><p></p><p>The more you pester the hiring manager, the more likely they will give a thumbs down during the interview process. Express has your application, your phone number and email address - they'll contact you when they are interested. </p><p></p><p>And being a handler is nothing more than moving boxes around for a few hours. From my experience in a ramp environment, 20% of new hire handlers don't last to the end of their first month - the job kicks their butt and they don't want to put up with it. The first month is the hardest, since being a hander does involve physical conditioning. Most handers don't last a year on the sorts - there just isn't enough to look forward to in Express to keep them there and the schedule inflexibility eventually gets most to quit. Few make it out to work the aircraft, and fewer yet make it out to a station to become a Courier or Customer Service Agent. Most non major metro stations do their hiring directly off the street now- the handlers that work the ramps and large metro stations will stay in that area when their time in location requirement is up.</p><p></p><p>Express has more to offer than Ground in terms of compensation and insurance. But don't think for a minute that Express is a career - it hasn't been for at least a decade now. Pay progression came to a grinding halt in 2009 and for all intent - there will be no further pay progression in Express. The wage you make when you take a position will be the highest wage (in terms of real compensation - post inflation) you will ever make in Express for that position. </p><p></p><p>If you haven't looked at taking the Postal Service exam - you may want to look into it. The Post Office is in worse shape than Express now, but Letter Carriers will always be needed for as long as physical mail is sent. I took it way back before being hired by Express and it isn't that difficult. There are books to help prepare one for taking it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ricochet1a, post: 1159957, member: 22880"] In Express, hiring hourly employees is done by a district level HR rep. This person DOES NOT like to be hounded by prospective applicants for what the status of their application is. Basically, they'll call you, don't bother calling them. Don't try to bother the managers at the station or ramp you may be interested in hiring into. They have absolutely NO CONTROL over the process until and unless they are given an applicant to interview. Trying to get your 'foot in the door' before that won't do you any good and may just backfire if you piss off the manager in question. They have many things they have to worry about, they aren't about to spend their time holding the hand of an applicant that bothers them in the middle of their day - they have better things to do. The process (depending on station or ramp) starts weeks before an applicant is even given an interview. When a position opens up, the location must get permission to fill that slot - it isn't an automatic process. The manager who needs an employee just can't go out and start advertising for applicants - doesn't work like that. When permission to fill the slot is given, Express starts off by looking for internal transfers. If no internal transfers fill the position, then an off the street hire is allowed. The process begins by HR going through their database of individuals who have submitted applications electronically and weeding out the obvious problem candidates. Then those who are left are contacted to give additional information. With this additional information, a preliminary background check is done, then the remaining applicants are placed into a pool from which hiring managers at the locations in the district may interview prospective employees. For handlers, if the interview goes well, a drug screening will be scheduled and additional background checks done. Only after this entire process is completed and the applicant is the first on the hiring list, does a job offer get tendered. There is NOTHING the applicant can do to accelerate the process. If you have lived outside the US in the past 5 years, you cannot be hired into a ramp or hub position, you will have access to US Mail and therefore the requirement to have 5 years of uninterrupted US residency. If you have used any illicit drugs and it shows on the drug screen, game over, you're out. With the way the economy is, there are MULTIPLE applicants for every open position now (didn't used to be like that, they used to have problems filling entry level positions, not any more). For a handler position, basically it is a matter of turnover at the location in question and where you are on the hiring list. The list is in order of submission/background check completion - the interview DOES NOT move you to the top of the list - it only acts as a 'pass-fail' mechanism. You can get a 'pass' on the interview and wait MONTHS for a position, or you may wait a few weeks - all depends on how many people are in front of you. You can't do a damn thing to move up the list - they will tender job offers to applicants who pass the background, drug and residency (for ramp/hub) in order of the applicant being approved. This means that if your background check gets hung up for something, your application waits and others go to the head of the line. The more you pester the hiring manager, the more likely they will give a thumbs down during the interview process. Express has your application, your phone number and email address - they'll contact you when they are interested. And being a handler is nothing more than moving boxes around for a few hours. From my experience in a ramp environment, 20% of new hire handlers don't last to the end of their first month - the job kicks their butt and they don't want to put up with it. The first month is the hardest, since being a hander does involve physical conditioning. Most handers don't last a year on the sorts - there just isn't enough to look forward to in Express to keep them there and the schedule inflexibility eventually gets most to quit. Few make it out to work the aircraft, and fewer yet make it out to a station to become a Courier or Customer Service Agent. Most non major metro stations do their hiring directly off the street now- the handlers that work the ramps and large metro stations will stay in that area when their time in location requirement is up. Express has more to offer than Ground in terms of compensation and insurance. But don't think for a minute that Express is a career - it hasn't been for at least a decade now. Pay progression came to a grinding halt in 2009 and for all intent - there will be no further pay progression in Express. The wage you make when you take a position will be the highest wage (in terms of real compensation - post inflation) you will ever make in Express for that position. If you haven't looked at taking the Postal Service exam - you may want to look into it. The Post Office is in worse shape than Express now, but Letter Carriers will always be needed for as long as physical mail is sent. I took it way back before being hired by Express and it isn't that difficult. There are books to help prepare one for taking it. [/QUOTE]
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