Alex Whale went from Dominos delivery driver to corporate operations manager. Video / Dean Purcell
A woman who started as a pizza delivery driver and dishwasher and has just landed a top corporate role at the same company is urging Covid unemployed to do the same.
Alex Whale started at pizza franchise Domino's as a delivery driver and dishwasher when she was in high school.
Now, at 24, she has been appointed as the company's Corporate Regional Manager and is in charge of three stores as well as developing teams and training new franchisees nationwide.
The company is on its second recruitment drive in New Zealand this year and Whale said the positions available would be perfect for people who have lost their jobs because of Covid-19.
Learning every part of the business was key to success for Alex Whale. Photo / Dean Purcell
Hawke's Bay brothers Kaydyn and Liam Stops bought their first store in Rotorua when they were just 19 and 18, making them Domino's youngest franchisee owners.
Since then they have purchased stores in Rotorua and Taupo and, as of April this year, Domino's Whakatāne.
Both worked their way up from dishwashers to handling customers, and finally managing staff.
Kaedyn and Liam Stops recently bought their fourth Domino's store after buying their first store when they were 19 and 18. Photo / Andrew Warner
Like Kaydyn and Liam Stops, Whale said the skills learned on the job at Domino's had set her up for success and were transferable to any industry.
"There's training in food preparation and safety, customer service, inventory, marketing and profit and loss and those are skills you can use in plenty of careers," she said.
Whale didn't consider Domino's "her forever job" when she first started in 2013 but said there was so much career advancement there was never any reason to leave.
She worked at the store when studying marketing and business at university and said the flexible hours were part of the attraction.
She wanted others to see the pizza company as a long-term career option.
Domino's New Zealand general manager Cameron Toomey said more staff were needed both in-store and as delivery drivers.
He said it was "a privilege" to offer jobs to people many New Zealanders who had lost work because of Covid-19.
Just this week retailer The Warehouse announced a possible 950 job cuts and earlier this month the Herald revealed Auckland Council was planning to trim about 500 jobs due to the financial impact of Covid-19.
Toomey was humbled to have "an opportunity to give successful candidates the reassurance that they not only have a new job to go to but a possible career."
Available positions ranged from driver, pizza maker, e-bike rider, customer service or franchisee. There were full and part-time roles on offer.
"Experience and qualifications are wonderful but attitude is something you can't teach. If you've got the right attitude then we can train you in everything else," he said.
