{"id":2833,"date":"2021-01-26T18:37:47","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T22:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ziprecruiter.com\/blog\/?p=34360"},"modified":"2021-01-26T18:37:47","modified_gmt":"2021-01-26T22:37:47","slug":"meet-ramon-calanza-director-of-driver-recruitment-retention-at-challenger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jerome1greene.x10host.com\/wp\/meet-ramon-calanza-director-of-driver-recruitment-retention-at-challenger\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Ramon Calanza, Director of Driver Recruitment & Retention at Challenger"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Our Hiring Hero Series showcases talent acquisition pros across the globe who are dedicated to connecting people with their next great opportunity.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ramon Calanza is an HR executive and operations\/logistics strategist for Challenger, Canada\u2019s largest privately-owned transportation and logistics company that hauls goods worldwide. In his role, he manages a team of recruiters, hires for all divisions and analyzes recruiting data and metrics.<\/p>\n

Recently, we had a conversation with Ramon to learn about his strategies and tips for recruiting employees for these specialized roles.<\/p>\n

In your opinion, what does it mean to be a Hiring Hero?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, a hiring hero is someone who gives people the opportunity to do what they enjoy, plus the chance to earn a decent living to support themselves and their family. But if you can also give them flexibility in their role to work with their lifestyle, then you\u2019ve given them a lifelong career they love.\u201d<\/p>\n

What got you excited about recruiting at Challenger?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI was really drawn to working here because of Challenger\u2019s philosophy of building a people-first culture. You are known by your name at Challenger and not by your employee number. That was one of my motivations for joining the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

What sets Challenger apart from its competitors?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are the leader of our industry for safety and training. Because we want to be inclusive of all segments of talent, we offer a robust training program for new or less experienced drivers that need extra training before being out on their own. We even set up an approved school to conduct the MELT (Mandatory Entry-Level Training) program to anyone who wants to pursue a career in trucking. In fact, other companies look to us and our program to add value to theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cChallenger is one of the best transportation companies around because we are dedicated to supporting employee\u2019s growth and development.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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What makes Challenger an attractive place for candidates to work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019re known for our training and development. We also offer an excellent pay package. And we offer stability and reliability within the industry and the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

What would you say is the best thing about working at Challenger?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s knowing that work will be available year-round and that we\u2019ve partnered with excellent, reputable long-term customers. There\u2019s also predictability and reliability in the work. There is no fear that one day you may lose your job because Challenger lost a customer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wow. That\u2019s great! So, when it comes to recruiting, what types of roles do you generally hire for at Challenger?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe hire for Truck Driver roles, Owner\/Operators, Class A or A\/Z Truck Drivers, and Team Truck Drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt is critical to fill our driver roles. Drivers are the backbone of our organization. Without them, we wouldn\u2019t be here\u2014and we wouldn\u2019t have any customers to service. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to fill these roles with the right people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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What have been some of your biggest hiring challenges?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve struggled with finding qualified candidates to keep up with our business demand. The driver pool was diminishing, plus other carriers were competing for these drivers. So it was hard to find experienced drivers to immediately plug into these roles.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, how did you overcome these challenges?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe teamed up with ZipRecruiter to create a recruitment campaign to help us reach new segments of talent. Being cognizant of the shift in age demographics in trucking is worth noting, as this demographic will respond differently to ads from other age demographics. This strategy also leveraged ZipRecruiter\u2019s AI technology to increase the quality and volume of our applicants.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe had to adjust our job descriptions and the structure of our traditional driver roles to appeal to a younger generation and attract them to this industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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So, what have you done at Challenger to change the job structure or description to appeal to a new demographic?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBesides offering a competitive total salary\/benefits\/savings package, we also give candidates the option to plan the roles around their lifestyle\u2014like only working two days away, rather than being away for weeks at a time as a long haul driver. Additionally, we find the right candidates first and then carve the role to suit their needs instead of doing the opposite, which is what\u2019s traditionally done. Basically, we\u2019re flexible to candidates and their different lifestyles\u2014which allows for more diversity and attracts a wider talent pool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lastly, how do you set up your candidates for success?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe make sure that all candidates are ready and confident to work on their own\u2014and we offer open training for those that require it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ramon\u2019s Tips for the Future of Recruiting<\/h2>\n

\u201cI recommend that you know your audience and try to adapt your roles to their lifestyle\u2014whether they can only work a certain number of hours, or they want to work remotely, or if they need a schedule that accommodates their family and kids. This is especially important in the transportation industry because it\u2019s so competitive. If your company offers flexible working styles, you\u2019ll be much more desirable to top talent. I also strongly advise that you use technology to aid in your recruiting process. It helps open up your reach to attract new talent pools and saves you a lot of time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Challenger<\/p>\n

Join the Challenger team! As Canada\u2019s largest privately-owned transportation and logistics company, Challenger offers its employees a competitive salary package, an industry-leading training program, and a flexible working schedule.<\/p>\n

Ramon is connecting people with great opportunities at Challenger every day. Check out some of the roles his team is hiring for now.<\/p>\n

Job Openings<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our Hiring Hero Series showcases talent acquisition pros across the globe who are dedicated to connecting people with their next great opportunity. Ramon Calanza is an HR executive and operations\/logistics strategist for Challenger, Canada\u2019s largest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hiring-heroes-series","category-job-market-insights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/jerome1greene.x10host.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/jerome1greene.x10host.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/jerome1greene.x10host.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jerome1greene.x10host.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jerome1greene.x10host.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2833"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/jerome1greene.x10host.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2834,"href":"http:\/\/jerome1greene.x10host.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2833\/revisions\/2834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/jerome1greene.x10host.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jerome1greene.x10host.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jerome1greene.x10host.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}