Sodexo is No. 6 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list
(Originally published on SodexoUSACareerBlog.com)
Otis Porritt, Environmental Services General Manager for Sodexo at Boston Children’s Hospital, is an emerging leader for healthcare services.
He offers insight about his time at the company, as well as a few tips for future candidates.
What initially brought you to Sodexo
What drew me to Sodexo was the available growth opportunities, given how big the company is and the services we offer. I started in 2011 as an Operations Manager and worked my way up to GM. Now I have experience with new accounts in the Detroit market and have been working in Prestige at Boston Children’s Hospital for several years.
What have you found is the best part about working for Sodexo
The opportunities. Being in leadership in this industry, you get exposure to many things. It’s not just the opportunity to learn from the company, but in contract management, you gain knowledge from your environment, which for me is a hospital.
I take pride in my work and am very dedicated to my career, so leadership from the client and within Sodexo offer me opportunities to learn new things through hospital committees, various trainings, etc. This allowed me to become more valuable to the account and those around me.
What would you tell potential candidates considering working for Sodexo
Growth options are boundless. If you are committed, Sodexo provides you with the resources and tools to get you to that next level. If you have a great attitude, a willingness to learn new things and understand our accounts are very fast paced, you will go far. At my location, we also partner with the client to give back to the community through the Annual Kids Walk, so employees can make a difference both inside and outside of the unit.
When candidates are applying to jobs on your team, what advice would you offer them to stand out
We know no one is perfect. Showing transparency and being honest will make you stand out. Give examples of how you learned from a situation because real life scenarios will help us understand challenges you have experienced and how they made you a better leader. It will separate you from the crowd.
What is a common myth you’d like to bust regarding Environmental Services / Housekeeping jobs:
The old clich that Environmental Services is “just cleaning.” It’s so much more than that. You get to converse and be a part of an environment where you work with individuals from different backgrounds, cultures and ideologies. You get to make an impact on the life patients and their families, while being a part of a larger community.
Tami Carter McNulty, Environmental Services Senior Recruiter, conducted the interview as part of Sodexo’s Recruiter Series.
