Our Hiring Hero Series showcases talent acquisition pros across the globe who are dedicated to connecting people with their next great opportunity.
Angie Wallander supervises daily operations at Reddy Ice, the largest manufacturer and distributor of packaged ice products in the nation. Her responsibilities range from budgeting to hiring to development of company policy, and more.
Recently, we sat down with her to get a deeper understanding of her recruiting strategies.
“My number one goal has always been to place people in positions that will not only improve their lives financially but improve their careers long-term. I want to make a real impact.”
What excited you about working at Reddy Ice?
“I love that Reddy Ice invests in its employees and is really committed to retaining talent. That’s exciting! I like that I am able to connect people not only to a job opportunity but to a community and a place where they can spend a lot of their career—and feel fulfilled, too.”
And what’s unique about recruiting at Reddy Ice?
“Our business is highly seasonal which certainly impacts recruiting. We do 50% of our business during the summertime and we need to hire more than 600 employees during that period so we need to be extremely efficient with targeting the right people.”
Do you have different goals for hiring seasonal positions?
“There are certainly different needs around filling seasonal positions. One of them being that the roles are often only for a specific period of time. But, that doesn’t mean we don’t want the best people out there. Everyone that works for us represents the company, and we are always looking for the best of the best.”
“We’re always going to need great talent so it’s important that recruiters stay ahead with innovative new tools and technologies to evaluate candidates.”
What are some of your top recruiting goals?
“My number one goal has always been to place people in positions that will not only improve their lives financially but improve their careers long-term. I want to make a real impact. My team is always considering that when we hire, no matter the role.”
That’s so great! How would you say you go above and beyond to help job seekers?
“We always want to make sure that job seekers understand the expectations of the role and that they are excited about the opportunity. We talk with them about how they can get the most out of their Reddy Ice experience.”
Do you have roles that are more challenging to fill than others?
“Definitely. We have to compete with other companies in the transportation industry to hire CDL drivers and niche maintenance positions. These roles are critical to the success of the business but because they are in such high demand, it can be challenging to reach the talent we need for the summer.”
What are some ways your team takes on those recruiting challenges?
“We have a strong referral program, we offer people the opportunity to come back and work with us summer after summer and also, we make sure that our team is set up with powerful sourcing tools, like ZipRecruiter.”
What does recruiting success look like?
“Finding good quality candidates that ideally can grow within the organization longer-term…that is success to me. And the speed of hiring is key! We definitely want to make the hiring process a positive one so getting new hires through the onboarding process quickly is important.”
How have your recruiting strategies shifted since the start of COVID-19?
“With more people relying on deliveries than ever, drivers are in high demand—even more than usual. And so securing drivers with the qualifications we need is our top priority. We have to work harder than ever to recruit them!”
Angie’s Tips for the Future of Recruiting
“With so many unknowns in the world right now, it is hard to say exactly what the future of recruiting will look like but we do know that we are going to continue to serve the business by filling key roles across the organization. We’re always going to need great talent so it’s important that recruiters stay ahead with innovative tools like ZipRecruiter.”
Join the Reddy Ice team! Committed to providing employees with opportunities for internal growth, Reddy Ice is a company that puts employees first. In fact, over 20% of their employees have been promoted within the last two years.
Angie is connecting people with great opportunities at Reddy Ice every day! Check out some of the roles her team is hiring now.
