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‘îlu ijjìortlattò O bserver
November 8, 2006
Social Justice
photos by
S lan O 'C osnoh /T he P ortland O bserver
Bill Tolbert is the first person many New Seasons Market job
seekers meet. An employee recruiter, he works hard to keep the
company's culture in sync with its surrounding neighborhoods.
“ We don't have bow ties and shiny shoes," he said. "It's about
people being themselves. ”
continued
from Front
ployees and promotes the hiring of
people who live in the neighborhoods
around his stores. For example, many
o f the jobs at the Arbor Lodge store at
North Portland Boulevard and Inter
state Avenue were filled from a hiring
fairat the neighboring Peace I .utheran
C hurch. At the New S easons
Concordia store, many workers live
near the N ortheast 33rd and
Killingsworth location.
New Season's reputation for being
a good employer has resulted in the
company now receiving about 600
applications each week. Like most
jobs, who you know and word of
mouth account for many of the posi
tions filled, but beyond that, the pro
cess of hiring 40 to 60 people each
month falls on a skilled recruiter.
That's where New Seasons’ Bill
Tolbert comes in.
Rohter met Tolbert when he began
working at New Seasons in 20<M).
soon alter the first store opened in
Raleigh Hills. By March of 2004 the
pile of applications was waist high,
and Rohter knew he needed someone
who was focused on the community
and could make the critical decisions
about which applicants hiring manag
ers should consider.
“ Bill gives the thumbs up," Rohter
said.
Tolbert, a former flight attendant
for United Airlines, interacted with
a grocery store, that’s where the search
began. But Tolbert’s job is to be pro
active by using community resources
like the Portland Urban League, the
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, New
Avenues for Youth and even an in
ternship program at De La Salle High
School in north Portland.
He searches for future cashiers,
bakers and produce specialists by at
tending evening meetings and net
working with community leaders over
lunch.
After finding them his next step is
not an interview -Tolbertshunsques-
tions like “what is your greatest
strength”.
He opts instead for a conversation
with the job seeker. Sometimes these
talks might appear to be irrelevant, but
Tolbert's background in cultural an
thropology trained him to read into the
topics people choose.
In the past he's chatted with appli
cants about m edieval h isto ry ,
snowboarding and the possibility of
life on other planets. The alien talk
was not to determine whether we are
alone in the universe; it showed him
was this applicant is an open person.
Too many people get passed over, but
its about recognizing this person may not
have looked me in the eye, but that could
be a part o f their cultural background.
- Bill Tolbert, New Seasons M arket employee recruiter
thousands of people during his IK
years in flight, and honed a skill that
helps him pick the right person for
the right job. But being a recruiter
for New Seasons means he must
stay true to its philosophy - main
taining an overall diversity and re
flecting Portland culture.
In other words, Tolbert’s choices
keep each market an inclusive place,
where the faces behind the counter
reflect faces around the neighbor
hood.
It used to be if you wanted a job at
Tolbert’s experience has helped him
avoid common pitfalls that screen out
qualified applicants because of per
ceived social weak points.
"I think people get caught up in
cultural norms, like a firm handshake,”
he said. "Too many people get passed
over, but it's about recognizing this
person may not have looked me in the
eye. but that could be a part of their
cultural background.”
Tolbert does not have a breakdown
ofthe company’s diversity. While it is
true New Seasons workers represent
New Seasons markets are known for foods with the highest
quality ingredients.
nearly every continent he tends to shy
away from diversity goals that might
encourage a job recruiters to stop
once they are met. He isn't into num
bers anyway. He just understands the
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State parks are some of Oregonian's favorite places,
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OREGON
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It does good th in g s '
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advantage of broad recruitment.
“W e’re stronger when we have
more diversity,” he said. “I like my
self, but I wouldn’t want to work with
a bunch of m e's all day long.”
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