My Experience with Cintas

So I went to a job fair in Buffalo back in January, and Cintas was one of the companies there. I dropped off my resume, and eventually forgot all about the company, as I had not heard anything from them.

Fast forward to about two weeks ago. I get a phone call from the Lancaster division, in regards to the Management Training Program. I immediately researched them and learned of all the negative feedback the company has received. Sadly, seeing as I am desperate for a job, I went ahead and scheduled an interview (a phone interview to be precise) that was to occur today at 10 a.m. EST. It is 11:15, and I have yet to hear anything from the HR guy that was to conduct the interview. I do not know if the company is closed as today is Good Friday or what. Either way, I find this unprofessional of them, as the guy agreed to call me today at 10 a.m. for an interview.

Furthermore, I am wondering if anyone works for the company in the New York (preferably Western New York) region, and if so, what are your opinions of the company? I have the possibility of working for these people (Assuming I ever get the call) and another company.

Thoughts?

So I had my phone interview and was ultimately scheduled for an in-person interview with one of the (then) current Management Trainees that was due to graduate this month. The phone interview went well enough, so I figured things would be fine with the in person interview.

Nope.

For starters, one of the first things I was told was that I'd have to get rid of my facial hair (extremely trimmed goatee, no wild hairs or anything of the like), as they are a clean-shaven organization. A bit retarded and nit-picky, but understandable. Still, it would have been nice if I had received that heads up during the phone portion. The guy that interviewed me seemed to be only a year or two older than me, but the poor guy looked as if he was about 10+ years my senior. I'm guessing probably due from the stress and work hours.

Speaking of which, he told me that the normal start time is around 6 a.m. and the average workday is no less than 11 hours for a management trainee. This is fine and well, since weekends are free, but he said there have been occasions where he's had to work those, as well. After the standard back-and-forth question/answer session (which I assume I excelled at, given the amount of "good answers I received."), I asked him a few questions of my own.

(Continued from previous post)

Basically, he said the work/life balance could definitely be better, and past relationships have definitely been strained because of the job. The production area is/was essentially a completely FUBAR situation and he resents that portion of the training to this day. The pay for this area for the MIT is about 35k annually, and the benefits are basic: health, dental, 401k, and vacation. Now I'd like to say two things: in regards to your "vacation(s)" you have to put in excessive hours for them (paraphrasing, here). If you don't put in the extra hours (50-60 altogether per week, minimum) then don't expect to have off on the holidays. Second, in all these benefits, there was one small portion missing: (Paid) time off.

Nowhere, during the interview or on the website is this mentioned. So basically, if you want to take a personal day for fun, emergencies, or whatever reason, you're essentially SOL.

Throughout the course of the interview, it slowly dawned on me what people from this site and others were saying about the company appears to be true. Also worth noting is the fact that the company really strikes me as a "Good Ol' Boy" organization. This is especially prevalent in the office area, as there was not a single ethnic minority to be found. This made me feel extremely uneasy, and I was more than happy to leave the place once my interview was over.

The MIT that interviewed me said I did great and I should definitely expect to hear from another MIT (albeit one that's actually graduated) for my next interview. That was two-three weeks ago.

No call yet, and to be frank, I don't really care.

I started out exactly in your position; as a management trainee (MT,not MIT) I started out at 36k and rotated through the HSE (safety) coordinator, production manager, service manager, and finally sales. It's a tough position and isn't for everyone, but with the knowledge I achieved about the company over the years, I now LOVE my job and make over 90k a year as an FS sales rep.

1.) Although you have a "neatly trimmed goatee", it's a corporation you're working for that prides itself on company image in front of the customer.

2.) You get 1 week vacation the first 3 months you are there, then 2 weeks when you are there a full year. Through my time as an MT, I took days off that weren't even logged into the system. And you're unhappy about no paid time off for "fun?" It's obvious right off the bat why you didn't receive another call back. Yes, the hours could be long, depending what rotation you are in, but it's fair.

3.) Cintas is the only company I know that counts your birthday as a paid holiday. Everyone has holidays off; most of the time the company lets everyone leave early the day BEFORE a major holiday.

I'm a living example of an MT that graduated the program and have established a great career in Sales.