What Arrive Logistics Looks for in Top Candidates
Branton Phillips wants everyone on his team at Arrive Logistics to check two boxes: “Work your ass off, and have fun.”
“Selling the best service in the industry is easy,” the business development manager said. “If I’m able to give the right direction in terms of sales tactics and good operational habits, the hard work pays off, and we have a blast doing it.”
Since joining the freight brokerage more than six years ago, Phillips has learned what it takes to help a business grow. He spends his workdays creating new partnerships and strengthening existing partnerships, which requires “people who have a vision, are consistent in their vision, follow direction, and figure it out.”
There are many qualities that define top talent at Arrive Logistics, including a “world-class work ethic,” according to Vice President of Talent Acquisition Kari Heyens. The company often hires recent university graduates who have demonstrated their work ethic in some way, whether that’s through an internship, a part-time job or an on-campus job.
“Our top talent believes in their own ability to execute, despite having a limited amount of ‘transferable’ experience,” Heyens said.
“Our top talent believes in their own ability to execute, despite having a limited amount of ‘transferable’ experience.”
When Carrier Capacity Manager Travis Narance vets potential new team members, he is always looking for someone with an elite work ethic. His team handles relationships with carriers in the company's network, which involves a mixture of sales and customer service skills.
Narance gets excited when candidates have two types of experience: former athletes and service industry roles. He said that athletes are well-suited for this work because they possess a level of coachability and competitive drive, while those with service industry experience know how to deal with tough customers and have strong multitasking skills.
“These are qualities that translate well to what we do here at Arrive Logistics,” he said.
About Arrive Logistics
Arrive Logistics’ digital tools are designed to help shippers and carriers manage processes more easily. With over 1,700 employees, 4,000 customers, and 40,000 carriers in its network, Arrive is one of the largest firms in the freight brokerage industry.
Arrive Logistics Interview Process: Phone Screen, On-Site Interview and Timeline
Once top job applicants are chosen at Arrive Logistics, they embark on an interview process that consists of two parts: a phone screen and an on-site interview.
The phone screen, which is scheduled following resume approval, typically lasts for 30 minutes and is conducted by the relevant recruiter assigned to the role the candidate is applying for. The second interview, which is scheduled within a week of the phone screen, takes place at Arrive Logistics’ office and involves an office tour, job shadowing and formal interviews with respective hiring managers. The final decision is made within one to two business days following the on-site interview.
According to Heyens, Arrive Logistics prides itself on maintaining a “fast and fair” interview process. She said that the company coordinates travel for those applying for a role in a different state, ensuring all applicants get to engage in an on-site interview.
With over 100 hiring managers, the company has made standardization a critical part of its interview strategy, ensuring all hiring managers receive the same interview training.
“This ensures that all of our candidates receive an interview that is structured, standardized and tailored to the role they are interviewing for,” she said.
Another key component of interviews at Arrive Logistics? Candidate feedback.
In previous years, candidates would meet with one hiring manager who wasn’t their direct supervisor once they joined the company. Seeing how candidates often reached out to their hiring managers to maintain a relationship with them leading up to their start date, the company decided to make these relationships even stronger by pairing applicants with their future manager.
“Today, candidates can expect to join their hiring manager’s team once they come on board, which makes the interview process even more valuable,” Heyens said.
In terms of communication throughout the interview process, each candidate has a single point-of-contact throughout the entire process and is in constant communication with their recruiter. Every candidate receives proactive updates and check-ins, including after they receive a job offer.
“As a candidate, you will feel supported and valued every step of the way,” Heyens said.
The Hiring Metrics That Arrive Logistics Tracks
- “Hustler Score:” A combination of carriers contacted, phone calls made and talk time. “If these young reps can show me an elite work ethic early on, I know we can turn them into great Arrive employees,” Narance said. “You can teach hungry employees anything. You can’t teach work ethic and a desire to be great.”
- Acceptance and early attrition rates: “We evaluate each termination to identify opportunity areas: Could we have explained the role more accurately? Could our hiring manager have asked better questions that could have led to a different outcome?” Heyens said. “Smart hiring is in the details, and we are committed to learning from each employee’s exit.”
- Retention: “If we keep our people happy and successful, word of mouth will work hand in hand with the recruiting strategy our talent acquisition team has, and we will continue to bring on extremely talented individuals,” Phillips said.
How Arrive Logistics Supports Candidates During the Hiring Process
Arrive Logistics aims to ensure every job candidate feels seen, supported and valued throughout the interview process.
According to Narance, this effort came into play recently when a candidate asked for more time to accept his job offer, as he was considering another job opportunity. Rather than just respond to his email, Narance decided to talk about the situation over the phone before inviting the candidate to a team outing the following week, giving him the chance to meet his potential new teammates.
“The candidate said it was that gesture that truly set our team at Arrive apart from a competitor,” Narance said. “He really felt like a member of the team and not just another employee heading into training.”
“He really felt like a member of the team and not just another employee heading into training.”
The Arrive Logistics talent acquisition team is skilled in identifying the right role for each candidate, ensuring every prospective employee is fully supported throughout the process. Heyens said that a candidate recently applied for an entry-level sales position, and while it wasn’t the perfect fit for their skill set, their recruiter advocated for them. With the recruiter’s support, the candidate landed a completely different position and is now a top performer on that team.
“This level of advocacy and talent identification ensures that each candidate is given the best opportunity possible for their unique personality and skill set,” Heyens said.
How Arrive Logistics Is Improving Hiring With AI Tools
Arrive Logistics is committed to steadily improving its hiring process over time. Currently, that means learning how to leverage AI tools to find the right candidates more quickly, and eventually, improve the interview feedback process through better transcription and summarization.
“This will allow our interviewers to focus on the candidate experience, versus capturing interview information,” Heyens said.
But the integration of innovative technology into the interview process won’t come at the expense of face-time. Narance looks forward to the addition of more on-campus career fairs, and the chance to see more new hires join the company’s Saint Paul, Minnesota office, which opened just 17 months ago.
“I feel like we are still just cracking the surface on getting our brand in front of the immense talent pool here in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas,” Narance said. “You can expect to see Arrive on campus throughout Minnesota and Western Wisconsin soon.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hiring process like at Arrive Logistics?
Arrive Logistics uses a two-step interview process: a 30-minute phone screen with a recruiter after resume approval, followed by an on-site interview within a week that includes an office tour, job shadowing and formal interviews with hiring managers. Final decisions are typically made within one to two business days, and candidates have a single recruiter as a point of contact throughout.
What traits does Arrive Logistics look for in candidates?
Leaders look for candidates with a “world-class” or elite work ethic, coachability, competitive drive and confidence in their ability to execute, even with limited transferable experience. Experience as a former athlete or in the service industry is viewed positively due to skills like resilience, multitasking and handling tough customers.
How does Arrive Logistics support candidates during the interview process?
Each candidate works with one recruiter who provides proactive updates, check-ins and ongoing communication, including after an offer is extended. The company also pairs candidates with their future hiring manager and advocates for applicants when a different role may be a better fit.
How is Arrive Logistics improving its hiring process?
Arrive Logistics is exploring AI tools to identify candidates more quickly and improve interview feedback through transcription and summarization, while maintaining in-person experiences such as on-site interviews and campus career fairs.
