ERAC not worthy of College Grads

[twinfinz]

Did any of you ever in a million years say: "I want to rent cars when I grow up"? I bet 99.99% of you were passionate about another occupation weather it was a fireman, race car driver, pilot or nurse. Shoot, all Hank Hill wanted to do was sell propane and propane accessories when he was little (A little King of the Hill humor here folks). All of your dreams then were lofty and worthy.

Many of you recent grads are just starting to put out resumes and the first impulse is to jump at the first job "opportunity" that presents itself. Enterprise (ERAC) knows this, and this is where they baffle you with bullshit, and tell you what a wonderful addition to their "fun family" you will make." What they don't outright tell you about is the long hours, low pay and the overall dysfunctional conditions in which you are forced to work.

ERAC gets around these little nuances by telling the applicant: "you will make a prevailing wage or a competitive salary for this area" and the applicant is so star struck he doesn't ask the important questions of: "how much will I actually be making?" and "How long are my hours?"

What a new MT can really expect at ERAC are the following:

1. Pay around $11.00 p/hr
2. Long work week 55-60 hrs a week
3. Working holidays when your friends are off
4. Lots of angry customers because ERAC overbooks constantly.
5. Upper Management that has no clue what's going on because they
are out playing golf all the time
6. The constant promises of promotion
7. Mandatory seminars on selling waiver, United Way or what ever bullshit may seem relevant to upper management at the time and not get compensated for your time.
8. Company match only up to 3% of your contribution- whoopie fuckin' deal of around $21.00 a month wow!!
9. Weight gain
10. Ruining lots of clothes and shoes washing/prepping cars

These are the most glaring reasons not to work at ERAC. There are a million more intangibles not mentioned but the ones mentioned above are just the tip of the iceburg. So if your putting out resumes, and ERAC calls go ahead and interview with them. It will give you good practice for that job you really want to go for.

When ERAC offers you their glorified car wash monkey position, just tell them no thanks, you read about ERACs problems on Failing Enterprise. Tell ERAC your getting a real job worthy of a college education.

I fully agree. This ERAC is not really worthy of college graduates, as it is little more than a retail job.

However, many non-college educated workers in the retail sector would find these conditions above what they are accustomed to.

At Best Buy, for example, sales workers make $7 to $8 an hour without benefits. Many are accustomed to having more than one so-called "part time" job, so 50 hours a week at $11.00/hour is not something they would dislike.

The work of a MT at ERAC is similar to being on the sales floor of a big box store. If ERAC wanted to improve its base, it should scrap the whole "management trainee" model and just hire people from the retail sector. Like other retail companies, they should hire college graduates for real "management" positions...where important decisions are made that affect the company's bottom line. Such folks should be mostly behind a desk making decisons, not working a counter or preping cars.

Everyone does not need to start as a grunt washing cars in a suit to be a successful manager.

Originally Posted by Ex ERAC worker

I fully agree. This ERAC is not really worthy of college graduates, as it is little more than a retail job.

However, many non-college educated workers in the retail sector would find these conditions above what they are accustomed to.

At Best Buy, for example, sales workers make $7 to $8 an hour without benefits. Many are accustomed to having more than one so-called "part time" job, so 50 hours a week at $11.00/hour is not something they would dislike.

The work of a MT at ERAC is similar to being on the sales floor of a big box store. If ERAC wanted to improve its base, it should scrap the whole "management trainee" model and just hire people from the retail sector. Like other retail companies, they should hire college graduates for real "management" positions...where important decisions are made that affect the company's bottom line. Such folks should be mostly behind a desk making decisons, not working a counter or preping cars.

Everyone does not need to start as a grunt washing cars in a suit to be a successful manager.

At least at Best Buy the employees are under no illusion that they are actually working retail. Their employees get a 10% discount on merchandise. You can really get some cool shit there.

Managers at Best Buy make a lot more too! :D

[Cynical]

Originally Posted by twinfinz

Did any of you ever in a million years say: "I want to rent cars when I grow up"? I bet 99.99% of you were passionate about another occupation weather it was a fireman, race car driver, pilot or nurse. Shoot, all Hank Hill wanted to do was sell propane and propane accessories when he was little (A little King of the Hill humor here folks). All of your dreams then were lofty and worthy.

Many of you recent grads are just starting to put out resumes and the first impulse is to jump at the first job "opportunity" that presents itself. Enterprise (ERAC) knows this, and this is where they baffle you with bullshit, and tell you what a wonderful addition to their "fun family" you will make." What they don't outright tell you about is the long hours, low pay and the overall dysfunctional conditions in which you are forced to work.

ERAC gets around these little nuances by telling the applicant: "you will make a prevailing wage or a competitive salary for this area" and the applicant is so star struck he doesn't ask the important questions of: "how much will I actually be making?" and "How long are my hours?"

What a new MT can really expect at ERAC are the following:

1. Pay around $11.00 p/hr
2. Long work week 55-60 hrs a week
3. Working holidays when your friends are off
4. Lots of angry customers because ERAC overbooks constantly.
5. Upper Management that has no clue what's going on because they
are out playing golf all the time
6. The constant promises of promotion
7. Mandatory seminars on selling waiver, United Way or what ever bullshit may seem relevant to upper management at the time and not get compensated for your time.
8. Company match only up to 3% of your contribution- whoopie fuckin' deal of around $21.00 a month wow!!
9. Weight gain
10. Ruining lots of clothes and shoes washing/prepping cars

These are the most glaring reasons not to work at ERAC. There are a million more intangibles not mentioned but the ones mentioned above are just the tip of the iceburg. So if your putting out resumes, and ERAC calls go ahead and interview with them. It will give you good practice for that job you really want to go for.

When ERAC offers you their glorified car wash monkey position, just tell them no thanks, you read about ERACs problems on Failing Enterprise. Tell ERAC your getting a real job worthy of a college education.

Not to defend erac but I really hate this argument. Most of us got degrees in some hack worthless major. I'm not talking about the engineers, computer science, econ/business majors, I'm talking about the poli sci, liberal arts, psychology type majors. Where the hell did you think you were going to get a job?

[The Posleen]

Originally Posted by Ex ERAC worker

I fully agree. This ERAC is not really worthy of college graduates, as it is little more than a retail job.

However, many non-college educated workers in the retail sector would find these conditions above what they are accustomed to.

At Best Buy, for example, sales workers make $7 to $8 an hour without benefits. Many are accustomed to having more than one so-called "part time" job, so 50 hours a week at $11.00/hour is not something they would dislike.

The work of a MT at ERAC is similar to being on the sales floor of a big box store. If ERAC wanted to improve its base, it should scrap the whole "management trainee" model and just hire people from the retail sector. Like other retail companies, they should hire college graduates for real "management" positions...where important decisions are made that affect the company's bottom line. Such folks should be mostly behind a desk making decisons, not working a counter or preping cars.

Everyone does not need to start as a grunt washing cars in a suit to be a successful manager.

I agree with this in theory, but I think there would have to be a middle ground. Any management has to spend some time in the trenches. If you can't operate the business you can't run it. Personally I think one of the greatest problems enterprise has is who they promote. There is a post by dom182 in the gp54 section that really sums it up. When you promote based on sales ability and not leadership and management skills you get a staff of managers that really only look out for themselves and what they can get. They don't have the skills or the ability to train others and foster their career along. The only thing they pass on to their employees is how to memorize a bunch of information and how to sell. This extends all the way to the top. I truly believe there would be a major shift in how the company operates if they promoted by leadership instead.

[yambag]

Originally Posted by The Posleen

I agree with this in theory, but I think there would have to be a middle ground. Any management has to spend some time in the trenches. If you can't operate the business you can't run it. Personally I think one of the greatest problems enterprise has is who they promote. There is a post by dom182 in the gp54 section that really sums it up. When you promote based on sales ability and not leadership and management skills you get a staff of managers that really only look out for themselves and what they can get. They don't have the skills or the ability to train others and foster their career along. The only thing they pass on to their employees is how to memorize a bunch of information and how to sell. This extends all the way to the top. I truly believe there would be a major shift in how the company operates if they promoted by leadership instead.

excellent post and my sentiments entirely
selling dub does not make one a good leader
fuck this is a hott subject for me...my last two superiors sucked major dick as managers. showed up late, sloppy business practices, leaving early...basically unfit totally for their duties. if it was up to me (and it is now) they would have been fired the first week i worked with them.
but at one point they were able to sell DW (abliet with a lot of cheat padding) so poof! now they are managers and given a layer of forgiveness
terrible way to run a business, no wonder why market share is shrinking

You are all idiots. Market share is not shrinking. We made $9billion last year. As far as the best buy comment. My good friend manages a best buy and I make double what he makes. I like that everyone who can't sell dub now hates ERAC. What do you all do for a job now that ERAC cut you?
Anger solves nothing, remember that!

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

You are all idiots. Market share is not shrinking. We made $9billion last year. As far as the best buy comment. My good friend manages a best buy and I make double what he makes. I like that everyone who can't sell dub now hates ERAC. What do you all do for a job now that ERAC cut you?
Anger solves nothing, remember that!

Enterprise had gross revenues of $9 Billiion last year, but profits were probably less than a tenth of that.

[Jeahho]

Originally Posted by FailingEnterpriseAdmin

Enterprise had gross revenues of $9 Billiion last year, but profits were probably less than a tenth of that.

So they only made around a billion in profit last year? That is tragic… more evidence that this website is bringing them to their knees.

By the way, ????? is the sort of guy that would love to see Enterprise as a publicly traded company. He would buy a share and then start telling them how to run the company. The salaries would be too high, the Christmas party would be too expensive, and the Orlando meeting would be a waste of money. The first year they would gross 9.5 billion and have a profit of 1.5 billion instead of 1 billion and everyone would point at it and shout how well cutting unnecessary cost benefited the shareholder, not realizing they are also cutting away the incentives Enterprise has in place to keep a core staff of 'good' employees. The second year profits might be even higher, but by that point people start to realize that not only is a six figure salary a long shot, it is now impossible because paying a middle manager a six figure salary is a waste of the shareholders profits. About this time Enterprise will drop their longstanding 'promote from within' policy, because without a dream to sell prospective employees of ‘six figures in six years’ they end up with a bunch of winners who are working there for the $28k year with no drive to be promoted. Enterprise will pull a Hertz/Budget/Avis and start hiring the management from McDonald's. By year 5 Enterprise will be just another shitclone of another shitcompany who is run by people who never rented a car in their life but know exactly how it should all be done, just like our boy ?????.