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Warehouse and Operations as a Career

Sharing job and career experiences through discussion & participation

business careers

All Episodes

10:05

Fight the Feedback… or Use It

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/04/23

Let’s talk about something that many of us have experienced, but very few of us accepted well or maybe even truly understood. That moment when your supervisor says hey, can you step into the office for a minute? Your heart rate picks up. Your mind starts racing. And before you even sit down, you’re already on the defensive. You’re thinking, what did I do wrong? Why am I getting singled out? This isn’t fair. And just like that, before the conversation even begins, the opportunity for any growth or

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12:26

It’s Not a Poster, It’s a Choice We Make Every Shift

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/04/16

Let me ask you something, how many times have you walked into your facility, heard the safety message, maybe even repeated Safety is our number one priority, and then went right back to doing the job the same way you always have? Not wrong, just familiar or normal. Because that’s where most of us operate, in the familiar and routine.Just this week, at different facilities, I’ve heard about several incidents that remind us how dangerous familiar or routine can be. A loader slips inside a trailer

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11:45

Doing or Leading

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/04/09

I’m glad you’re here with me today, because we’re going to talk about something that a lot of us think we want but may not fully understand what we chased until we’re in it. Today’s topic is about reaching for frontline management in the light industrial world, what it takes, why we chase it, and the real challenges and rewards that come with it. Because let me tell you, moving from doing the work to leading the work is one of the hardest transitions you’ll ever make in your career.What brought all

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13:48

Work Life Balance

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/04/02

Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I’m Marty and It’s great to have you back this week. As I travel around to different facilities, and different regions, I’m hearing the phrase, no, not a phrase, I’m going with words, I hear the words, work life balance. Now, I’m going to tell you right up front, I believe in it. I believe in family, and I believe in taking time for the things that matter to us. Stick with me here for a moment, I’m not being negative, so bear with me for a few minutes. I

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10:30

Why Finding a Job Feels Harder Than Ever

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/03/26

I’d like to talk about something that is a struggle right now, something I’m hearing from associates, candidates, recruiters, and even hiring managers. Why is it so hard to find a job today?I had to pause for a second when this was brought up to me, that question doesn’t always make sense. We drive down the road and see now hiring signs everywhere. We hear companies are short-staffed. Warehouses are expanding, it seems like there’s new commercial complexes going up constantly, and we’re hearing how

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13:05

1, 2, 3 of the Day

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/03/19

While walking a warehouse with an old friend and ex coworker this week, he brought up what years ago we used to call our 1, 2, 3 of the day. It was a simple term we used for training new unloaders, sanitation, and order selectors. It came up as we were talking about how things are a little different in the workplace today. I won’t pick a side or even share my opinion on any right or wrong, but things are a bit different.A quick example, well, let’s take the clerk position. My first job as a clerk I

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10:03

Confidence and Earnings

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/03/12

Welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career, I’m Marty and today I thought we’d talk about something that probably is not listed on any job description, job board advertisement, or our resumes even. But I think it plays a huge role in how we perform our work and how we grow in our careers. That is confidence. Confidence is one of those qualities that quietly shape our success. Oxford languages states confidence as a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of

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11:12

AMA – 2 Important Questions – The “R” Word & Forklift

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/03/05

So, I sat down at the mic and I don’t have a clue what I’m going to talk about today! I’ve had a lot of questions come across over the last few weeks, let me look at those I guess. Oh, and I’m Marty and I appreciate you joining us here at Warehouse and Operations as a Career this week. Ok, where’s my bullet points. I’ve made a few notes on several of them, so let’s talk about a couple of those. Ok, a listener wrote that I mention retirement quite a bit. That’s an important topic so let’s start

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11:44

Short Chaser, The Last Line of Defense

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/02/26

Hi all, I’m Marty and welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career. Today we’re talking about one of the more important roles on the shipping side of things, and oddly, it’s hardly ever brought up. I find myself discussing it today only because a listener wrote in that they had applied for the position and was told they would need at least 1 year of equipment experience for the position. We’re talking about the Short Chaser. If you’ve never worked in a high-volume grocery,

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12:16

The Cherry Picker & The Position

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/02/19

Welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I’m Marty, and today we’re talking about a piece of equipment that almost everyone in our industry recognizes, but not everyone fully understands it. If you’re a long time listener you’ll remember I spent about 6 years operating it on the 2nd shift, in the outbound operations within the food service distribution arena.We’re going to talk about the cherry picker today. Now its proper name, or if your ordering one from the manufacturer, it’ll be

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12:08

What You Sign Matters, Earn from It

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/02/12

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get people excited. No machines, nothing about forklifts, and no mention of productivity or numbers. I’d like to talk about paperwork. I know I know, but this isn’t boring paperwork. This is the paperwork of life. The kind of documents that quietly follow you from your first job all the way to retirement. The kind that, when handled correctly, makes life easier, and when ignored, can create stress, delays, lost money, or even lost opportunities. I was looking

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11:37

More Than Cleaning

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/02/05

When I talk about warehouse sanitation, I often say, “It’s a great way to get your foot in the door.” And every now and then, someone pushes back and says, “I don’t want to clean restrooms or take out trash.” I understand that reaction. On the surface, sanitation doesn’t sound exciting. It doesn’t come with a forklift, a title, or a clipboard. It came up again this week so I wanted to explain a little better what the warehouse sanitation role really is, what it teaches you, and why it has launched

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10:01

The Best 3 & Top 3 Positions

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/01/29

Today’s episode comes directly from a listener’s question, and I love these because they tell me people are thinking about their futures. The listener didn’t share a name, just their email address. Anyway, their question was what are the three best jobs in the distribution field? Now, before I answer that, I want to say, and it’s the truth, in my opinion anyway, there are no bad jobs in distribution. We’ve learned that every role matters. Every position contributes to the movement of product,

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11:09

Attitude over Experience

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/01/22

Welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career. I’m your host, Marty T Hawkins. Today, I want to talk about something I’ve heard repeatedly over the years, but especially over the past few weeks, and that is the growing importance of, lets see, what am I going to call it, attitude over experience, in the light industrial world.We’ve spoke to attitude a couple of times recently but just this week, I had two different customers say almost the same thing to me. They both told me something like,

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8:53

Recruiter

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/01/15

When people think about recruiting, they often picture office jobs, LinkedIn searches, polished resumes, and candidates who know how to sell themselves. But today, I want to talk about a very different role the Light Industrial Recruiter and why I believe it can be an outstanding career path for the right person. In many cases, becoming a light industrial recruiter is not someone’s first job. It’s a next step. A progression. A role that grows naturally out of real warehouse and operations

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14:29

AMA – Not My Job & A Raise

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/01/08

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career.I’m Marty and I thought we’d get to some more questions today, another Ask Me Anything episode. We had some really good ones come in, a couple of topics I’ve been wanting to get to myself. Let’s start off with this one from Carol, a forklift operator in the distribution industry. Carol feels there’s a trend developing where managers are expecting employees to do more than they were hired to. I hear this concern fairly often

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12:30

What We’re Not Changing, We’re Choosing

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2026/01/01

Marty here with Warehouse and Operations as a Career. This has always been my favorite time of year. Not just because of the holidays, although I do enjoy a little time off and getting to spend some quality time with family and friends. It’s always been my reset or reboot time of year. I know a lot of people that look at spring as their reboot season. I don’t know, maybe because one year is closing and another one is opening, for me, reflecting on the last 52 weeks and planning on the next 52

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11:58

Looking for Work is Hard Work

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2025/12/25

I feel Looking for Work Is Hard Work. One of the biggest misunderstandings about unemployment or career change is the idea that looking for work is something you do casually, or in between other things. A few clicks here, a few applications there, maybe scrolling on some job boards late at night from the couch. And then the frustration sets in when the phone doesn’t start ringing. The truth is simple, and sometimes uncomfortable to hear but looking for work is hard work. And I think if

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12:42

Ghosting, Applicants and Recruiters Own It

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2025/12/18

Ghosting has become a two-way street in today’s hiring world. Job seekers feel like recruiters disappear after they send in their application or even after a face-to-face interview. Recruiters, on the other hand, feel that applicants vanish just as often, not showing up for interviews, not returning calls, or even skipping their first day after completing the entire onboarding process. And at the same time, recruiters are overwhelmed with applicants who apply for jobs they’re not qualified for or

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11:30

AMA – Three Great Questions

Warehouse and Operations as a Career ·

2025/12/11

Welcome back to Warehouse and Operations as a Career, I’m Marty, and today I thought we’d have another Ask Me Anything episode. I always like these because the questions don’t come from textbooks, supervisors, or managers, they come directly from real associates and warehouse workers with real concerns. Our industry welcomes so many first time job seekers, and those wanting to change career paths. Some of its rules and regulations just aren’t found in other industries and I hope talking about them

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Warehouse and Operations as a Career

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