School Bus Fleet, November 2015

41 NOVEMBER 2015 SCHOOL BUS FLEET becoming a school bus driver is on their list of professions In fact not many adult professionals whether blue or white collar will tell you they aspire to become a school bus driver If I am fortunate to run across a candidate who aspires to be a professional school bus driver its usually because a bus driver from their past impacted their success or theyve known someone who loves being a school bus driver Quite frankly this isnt such a bad gig Moreover and this was probably my biggest aha moment This industry thrives on overachievers The driver who has a passion for safety the monitor who spent five previous years as a teachers aide and enjoys teaching and training or that driver who has the tenacity to lead these are the people who are able to move up and around in this business They become our trainers our safety managers our road supervisors and our next general managers This industry thrives on the experience our drivers nurture while being employed As a professional recruiter it is awesome to see someones career progress O Shelley Kemp is a regional recruiting specialist for Durham School Services of a parking space or picking up a piece of paper on the ground its all about safety In my world of field recruiting safety has to be one of my highest priorities as well Leaving early enough to get to my destination is a must so that I dont have to rush In field recruiting rushing to an appointment can lead to all sorts of problems accidents due to carelessness in my vehicle traffic tickets due to speeding and even accidents in parking lots such as tripping and falling Im still recovering from a recent fall in which I busted my knee open trying to hurry to a morning meeting for which I was on time Being safe in what you are doing takes precedence over getting to the appointment on time or even getting children to school or home at a certain time Id rather arrive safely conduct myself in a manner that embodies safety and hold others to the same standard than jeopardize the health safety and even lives of those around me LESSON 4 Having a working calendar is essential for a recruiters success As my 14 year old transitions to eighth grade this year his homeroom teacher has already begun teaching him the value of having an organizer Write down your homework here use the calendar to show when you have tests keep a working list of your Spanish vocabulary words and have your parents sign off on your calendar each Friday she says Managing multiple tasks starts early in ones academic experience and adults should maintain this habit throughout their careers regardless of the industry The same holds true when recruiting school bus drivers organization puts you on the right road Whether you use Outlook a spiral bound calendar or an Excel spreadsheet to manage priorities having a working calendar that shows the highs and lows for recruiting in this industry will save recruiters a lot of heartache throughout the year In the industry of school bus transportation I have learned that there is a specific season for high volume recruiting and its not when you think it is Most outsiders think my heavy work season is during the school year September through May The opposite is actually true While I continue recruiting during the school year the high volume recruiting season is April through August Having a working calendar to show the events advertising and the strategic plan for recruiting anywhere from 50 to 200 drivers each season helps me manage all of my projects and serve my internal customer While other professionals may be able to work without managing a chaotic calendar this industry requires recruiters to manage multiple priorities daily LESSON 5 Working in school transportation is really a great profession So many kids have big dreams to become teachers lawyers doctors or ballerinas when they grow up and not many of them will tell you that O Shelley Kemp who has been a professional recruiter for 20 years learned in the past year as a regional recruiting specialist for Durham School Services that this industry thrives on overachievers Benefits include Summers off Split shifts which provide a lot of freedom in the middle of the day No required weekends Extra work available if wanted Regular training and development from the company at no cost to the employee Health benefits Opportunities to work with a wide variety of people Ability to work outdoors Comfortable footwear is allowed The opportunity for retirees to earn extra income Holidays off