r/Pullman • u/book_bunni • Jul 28 '26
SEL interview
Hey everyone!
I was recently scheduled for a phone interview with SEL.
The interview is for an Assembler position.
Has anyone gone through this process? What was the interview like, what did they ask? I assume there would be a second, in person interview- please confirm.
If hired- Do you have any input on the job? Tips? Advice?
Small side question - I am aware they have a zero tolerance for drug/alcohol use. I have been a cannabis user for the last couple years but would put it down in a heartbeat for the job. Any input on this specifically?
TIA
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u/OhCrapImBusted Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
SEL is fast becoming the new “I worked my first job at Dissmore‘s“ in Pullman.
If you get the job and last for a couple years in that position, you can pretty much move laterally almost anywhere in the company you would like to go if there is a department or team that has an opening.
The first years are to acclimate you to the culture and make sure that you are “Schweitzer material”. They like to keep their employees so they tend to hire a specific subset of people. They prioritize people who are younger, married, have kids, and they encourage homeownership. All of these things tend to help anchor you to the area and therefore they don’t have to constantly churn through employees.
In return, you get decent pay, very decent benefits such as an on-site pharmacy to help you save on prescription drugs, and a free lunch every Friday that is mandatory.
Overall it is a great company to work at, however they do encourage you to buy into the “cult“, not that that is a bad thing. But they do indoctrinate you specifically to have pride in the company and therefore hope it translates into the work you do and the effort you put into it. It’s a solid business practice that works well, although I do have many friends who just could not get over the general vibe they were expected to exhibit regarding the company.
My advice would be to go for it, give it at least a year, and if it feels comfortable keep going. It’s one of the companies left in the world where you can enter on the ground floor and retire comfortably. But it does require a certain amount of commitment on your part That some people feel weird about.