This company is popularly known as the best ice cream maker in the world. Other products that it sells are frozen yogurts and sorbet. As of now, it is owned and operated by Unilever, an international consumer goods company.
This company was founded by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who are childhood friends. The business started in Burlington, Vermont in 1978. They turned the business into a franchise in 1981.
It currently has more than 1,000 employees — even though it is already a part of a huge multinational company. Two of the awards the company has gotten are the Good Dairy Award and Good Egg Award.
One of the best perks of being a fulltime employee here is that you can take home three pints of ice cream a day — part-timers only get one. In addition, you get to have great discounts on any Unilever product. And the job also comes with a matching 401(k).
On top of the great free ice cream and discounts, people love the easygoing style of work. Despite the low hourly pay, employees get to earn additional money from customer tips. And with the company culture, coworkers tend to be friendlier than usual.
How old do you have to be to work at Ben and Jerry’s?
You can find employment in this company once you reach 16 years of age. The job you can apply for if you are that young is catering personnel. Once you hit 18, you can move on to better-paying positions such as scoopers.
Ben and Jerry’s Careers
The number of jobs in Ben and Jerry’s can be too limited. Most of the time, they only require three key personnel to run a store. They are: catering personnel, ice cream scooper, and shift manager.
Catering Personnel: You will be mainly working on the floor, assisting and serving customers with their orders. You are also responsible for maintaining and cleaning the customer area. Aside from that, expect that your assistance will be always required by other personnel.
Ice Cream Scooper: You will be the one getting and providing ice cream and other frozen products. Depending on the store’s size, you might also work as a cashier and/or catering personnel. In some stores, you will also be required to make cakes.
Manager: The availability of this position may vary from store to store. Usually, the franchisee is the one who acts as a manager. If the franchisee owns multiple stores, he or she might get a manager to help out in managing stores.
Manager Trainee: To become a manager, you will need to be a manager trainee first. However, some stores accept people as managers on the get-go if they already have enough experience as a retail manager.
Maintenance Technician: This job requires you to maintain and fix the machines in a store. Typically, you will be dealing with freezers and ice cream machines. You will be doing regular checks/diagnoses and perform preventive maintenance/procedures.
Shift Leader: To get this job, you must at least have one-year experience in managing employees/people. You must be familiar with organizing shifts and schedules. You will be required to make and send reports. And you are also responsible for making sure the store is always clean and presentable.
Cashier: You will operate the cash register in the store. You will receive payments and provide the correct change to your customers. You might also work as a catering personnel or ice cream scooper if needed.
Product Manager: You will be the one who will deal with the products that the stores will sell. It may involve simple tasks like taste testing and more complex responsibilities like management of the production floor.
Assistant Product Manager: You will be there to provide assistance to the product manager. Your tasks depend on what the product manager will provide and the needs of the production area. In times when the product manager is absent, you will act on his behalf.
Production Worker: You are the one who will be working on the machines to create the products to be sold. You will work under the product manager or assistant product manager.
Ben and Jerry’s Application
Ever since Ben and Jerry’s was acquired by Unilever, applying for a job in this company must be done through Unilever’s human resource/career website. It is powered by Taleo, and you can also use it to check out other jobs available from other companies or branches under Unilever.
Ben and Jerry’s recommends applying online instead of going to the store. Once your application is seen, you will receive a call from a recruiter. If you pass the phone screening, you will be called for an interview on-site. Another method is going through LinkedIn.
For entry-level positions, you do not need to worry much about doing special things in the application form. You just need to be honest with the information you provide. And make sure that your contact information is up-to-date and correct.
The company expects that your resume will be bare, especially if you are applying for the catering personnel and ice cream scooper positions. On the other hand, if you are gunning for managerial positions, it is best that you flaunt your management experience.
Interviews can be done two to three times. The first interview is the phone screening. The second one is done on-site. And they might call you back again for another interview. The questions are fairly typical and you will be asked about your expectations.
Things to Know About Ben and Jerry’s
The culture of this company is all about light-heartedness and fun. Also, it cares a lot about its employees. Before, it even had a 5:1 policy, wherein the highest-ranking employee would not have more than five times the salary of the lowest ranking one.
The usual news you will hear from this company is the release of new flavors. On the other hand, the company founders and most of its employees tend to be really active when it comes to rallying and demonstrations.
As mentioned, the company is well-known for its ice cream products and its stance on fair trade.
It is also known for its focus on sustainability. Hence, the company fights for climate justice and the mandating of attaching GMO ingredients in food product labels.
Application Links
Company: https://www.benjerry.com/
Careers: http://www.unilever.com/careers-jobs/