Douglas Burn, regional recruiter at O’Reilly Auto PartsMeet Douglas Burn

Community partners and employers are a huge reason Goodwill of North Georgia is able to place thousands of job seekers annually. From the provision of training sites for honing on-the-job skills to the hiring of Goodwill’s participants, employers comprise a crucial part of the recipe for employment success.

A key playmaker in the employment arena is Douglas Burn, regional recruiter at O’Reilly Auto Parts. Burn has hired 20 job seekers from Goodwill of North Georgia, and he is an example of how well the relationship can work. “I utilize the staff at the different Goodwill career centers in several different ways,” he says. “I reach out to them if I have store needs in their markets, and I let the Goodwill staff know, for example, if I need a bilingual candidate or someone who has a lot of auto parts knowledge. It makes my job a lot easier in those markets.” Burn also hosts recruitment events and participates in job fairs at career centers in his region, and will occasionally hire candidates on the spot at these events. As the need for employment persists in North Georgia, relationships like these are more important than ever.

Going on two years as a recruiter, Burn knows exactly what traits to look for in a qualified job candidate for O’Reilly Auto Parts. In order to survive in the work environment in his region’s retail locations, excellent customer service is non-negotiable. Before customer service even comes into play, candidates must exemplify motivation, reliability and dependability to be considered for open positions. “Goodwill’s staff does a lot to prepare candidates for a career. It helps me a lot as a recruiter when I’m looking for professional people to staff our stores.”