Now hiring — Schaeffler holds job fair in Wooster
Schaeffler, the manufacturer based in Wooster and Wayne County’s largest employer, held a socially distanced job fair to help promote job opportunities.
You’ve probably seen the “now hiring” signs at the Schaeffler manufacturing facility on Old Airport Road in Wooster.
For months the manufacturer, Wayne County’s largest employer with more than 2,000 employees, has had a number of openings, and it recently held a socially distanced job fair to help promote these opportunities.
“We have many hourly positions for assemblers, CNC operators, forklift drivers, stamping press operators and heat treat operators,” said Cynthia Norris, Schaeffler vice president of communications and branding.
Work is available on second and third shifts and some weekend mornings.
Norris said Schaeffler offers a very competitive compensation plan including a $5,000 sign-on bonus (over 18 months), healthcare, 401K with match, tuition reimbursement, onsite cafeteria, onsite daycare, and training and apprenticeships.
“We’ve been part of this community for more than 40 years, and as we’re growing, we need qualified employees to take us to the new levels we’re reaching,” Norris said.
Schaeffler is a leading automotive manufacturer supporting large OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) including Ford, GM and FCA. It manufactures engines, transmission and chassis components and systems, and hybrid modules and solutions for electric vehicles.
Throughout the company's 40-year history in Ohio, Schaeffler has expanded the Wooster campus 20 times, growing from 27,000 square feet to over 800,000 square feet. What began as a team of six employees assembling manual clutches has evolved into nearly 2,000 highly skilled employees.
Today, the Wooster facility serves as the global center of competency for Schaeffler's torque converter product line and is the leading facility for the development and production of Schaeffler's E-Mobility solutions in the United States, according to a press release on PR Newswire.
At the job fair, applicants who had completed their applications online prior to the event were interviewed onsite.
“We talked to more than 70 people from a wide variety of career and educational levels,” Norris said. “We talked to each candidate to get a better understanding of their interests, skills, abilities and previous experience. This conversation is so important to make sure that the applicant and Schaeffler find the best career fit.”
Requirements for some of the assembler positions include maintaining productivity standards, performing changeovers, using gauges and other tools to perform their own quality inspections, and recording data into computer programs and systems. Employees must pay significant attention to detail, must be self-motivated and must be able to function as a member in a team environment, cooperating and communicating with all levels of the department and organization, according to the company website.
Norris said the company was able to successfully hire for a number of production positions at the job fair.
“We were really excited and pleased to talk to so many people on Saturday who were interested in joining the Schaeffler team,” said Shelly Flint, director of human resources. “We are still growing, hiring and building teams for the new technologies that will be made right here in Wooster. We will continue to accept applications at www.schaeffler.us/careers.
“It’s certainly challenging to try to hire during a global pandemic; however, everyone who attended was very respectful of our safety protocols including temperature checks, social distancing, wearing masks and rigorous cleaning between each candidate.”