Goodyear rolls out hiring opportunities

Topeka Capital-Journal, May 15, 2008

Amid a slow economy, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. put out the word it is hiring.

In recent days, the company's Topeka manufacturing facility advertised for applicants over the radio, in print ads, direct mailings and at a job fair.

Goodyear human resources specialist Heather McMurphey helps Jeffery Garrett, of Burlington, determine where he will need to go for the next part of the application process after he passed the first online screening during Wednesday's job fair.

Select International staffing manager Kay Krueger helps Darel Jackson with his online application for employment during Topeka Goodyear's job fair Wednesday.

The Topeka plant has three major production areas — mixing, truck radial tire and off-the-road. OTR recently added a fourth shift. The other two already had been running four shifts.

But as hundreds of job seekers came to Wednesday's job fair at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center, the tire maker wasn't saying how many people it would add to the payroll.

About the only thing definite Goodyear would say is it added a fourth shift for its off-the-road department in the first quarter of the year. The fourth shift isn't fully staffed yet, said Lisa Spangler-Ignoto, spokeswoman for Goodyear. Demand for OTR tires is strong, especially in the mining sector.

Another reason for vacancies is a significant number of employees are retiring this year. In fact, at least 23 people retired in March alone.

"We have been and continue to recruit to fill current vacancies, as well as future vacancies, caused by anticipated retirements and other typical attrition," said Spangler-Ignoto. "In addition to the hourly production and maintenance positions, we also have ongoing recruiting efforts for salary positions, such as engineers, production supervisors and other professional staff."

Spangler-Ignoto declined to be specific about the number of employees Goodyear was hiring this spring. She said Goodyear needs a large applicant pool, which the company pulls from when there are openings. The job fair will help increase the number in the pool.

At the end of April, Goodyear had 1,600 employees in Topeka, with about 1,400 in production and maintenance and about 200 in the offices.

Spangler-Ignoto declined to say whether the new hires would result in a net increase in Goodyear's Topeka employment base.

Calls to the United Steelworkers, which represents production workers at Goodyear, weren't returned Wednesday.

Darel Jackson, owner of Village Lawn & Landscape in Oskaloosa, said he was applying for a job at Goodyear because the economy has gotten tough for independent business owners like himself. He said he has heard a lot of good things about Goodyear.

"This company provides the growth I'm looking for," Jackson said. "It's big enough."

Jackson said high fuel prices have made it difficult to make a profit in the landscaping business.

"Our costs have gone up tremendously," he said. "We're spending $300 to $400 per day on fuel for mowers and trucks."

Mildred Jo Arreola said she previously lived in California but moved to Topeka to help an uncle who was ill. She decided to stay.

"This opportunity came up," she said. "I'll apply. I'm willing to work. I've heard the benefits are good and there are a variety of shifts to work."

Goodyear hired Select International, of Pittsburgh, to advertise and recruit potential candidates.

Kenneth Klinvex, of Select International, said the firm uses an extensive process to screen people for jobs. It starts with an online application. If they pass that, they take a three-hour assessment to see if they are qualified to work in a manufacturing setting. The assessment measures mechanical aptitude, attention to detail and ability to work in teams.

The hiring process also includes an interview and a production exercise to see if the applicant really wants to work in a manufacturing setting, where it is hot and loud with all the machinery and equipment operating almost constantly. Applicants must pass a drug test.

The starting wage is $13.08 per hour. After three years, employees are qualified to bid for jobs that pay $20 to $24 per hour.

Klinvex said many applicants are students who dropped out of college and would prefer a job requiring mechanical skills.

Goodyear, based in Akron, Ohio, is an international company with 60 percent of its sales coming from overseas.

So far this year, Goodyear profits have improved. The company said it earned $147 million, or 60 cents per share, in the quarter that ended March 31, compared with a loss of $174 million, or 96 cents per share, in the same period in 2007. First-quarter sales rose to $4.94 billion from $4.5 billion a year ago.

Shares of Goodyear (NYSE: GT) were up 53 cents to close at $28.53 on Wednesday. The stock has climbed considerably since it was around $17 per share during the union strike in fall 2006.