14 Mar GM Financial “drives” a great information session
Have you dreamed of working for a company that is voted one of the “Best Places to Work” by readers of the Charlotte Business Journal, or wins a Sloan Award for Excellence in the Workplace for Effectiveness and Flexibility? A company doesn’t earn those accolades easily unless employees live the company’s core values every day, both at work and in their communities.
Charlotte Works recently added GM Financial to the Employer Series line-up of new companies coming to present employer hiring intelligence to job-seekers. On Feb. 25, representatives from both human resources and the consumer service center offered a company overview and demonstrated living their values by educating 59 clients.
Here are some interesting statistics to know about GM Financial:
- The average age of employees is 40.
- Fifty-five percent of employees in Charlotte have tenure of more than five years.
- Want a life/work balance? Community involvement is so important to the company that it offers employees eight hours per quarter to volunteer (Come give back with Charlotte Works when you land!).
As Lacy Gabor, vice president/human resources relayed to me before the sessions, “GM Financial is a workplace where dedicated people have the opportunity to work together and celebrate their successes. Our people care about each other, listen to and respect ideas, leave egos at the door – because they have no place here – and champion teamwork. For the privilege of playing on this team, they practice and protect these principles with the utmost sincerity.”
Rita Wilson-Smith, human resources generalist; JaDesha Tharpe, consumer services training specialist; Dee Tingle, team leader; Henry Austin, vice president, Charlotte Collection Center; and Jerri Baxter, assistant vice president, Charlotte Collection Center, spoke about GM Financial’s culture, company history, application process, benefits and team environment and answered questions.
They team dispelled the stereotypical image of a collections center as they described GM Financial’s approach to collections: they believe, from a branding standpoint, that handling collection calls in a professional manner and helping customers problem-solve generates future business via good word-of-mouth. Success is measured not by the quantity of calls made, but by the quality and efficiency of those calls. GM Financial even has coaches who help employees develop these skills!
So what does GM Financial look for in candidates? Some soft skills include having the right attitude; an approach to customers that is relaxed, yet professional; and empathy for customers while keeping the business’s needs in mind, especially where credit collections is concerned. The company strongly emphasizes teamwork and helping co-workers improve.
Some behaviors that would eliminate a potential candidate are a lack of open-mindedness about the collections process and strong-arming customers on the phones.
Do candidates necessarily have to have call-center experience to be considered? No! GM Financial considers a wide range of backgrounds including careers in any type of customer service: healthcare, administration, restaurant or any other customer-facing position.
Since GM Financial is a new participant in our Employer Series, I wanted to get feedback from both its team and our clients. “We see the partnership with Charlotte Works as an invaluable opportunity to not only share our story on why we see GM Financial as one of the best places to work in Charlotte, but also as a chance to tap into a hidden resource of talent to help bolster our company’s future growth,” said Austin. “We truly enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the Employer Series and we look forward to being involved in future events.”
One client commented, “I am just ecstatic I had a face-to-face interaction [with company representatives], not Internet with no face-to-face interaction.”
Next up in the Employer Series is human resources consulting and outsourcing company AON Hewitt on Wednesday, March 27. Its team will speak about entry-level and management positions in the insurance solutions area. Reserve your slot at one of two information sessions (9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.) and keep checking the calendar for details on future Employer Series events.
Hiring for various positions ranging from entry-level to management at GM Financial’s Charlotte Consumer Service Center, a 500-seat inbound and outbound call center that services loans, will begin in late April and early May. Learn more about these opportunities.