By Thomas A. Parmalee
Barcley Cadet, talent acquisition manager at Carriage Services, remembers the words of wisdom his first manager shared with him 11 years ago when he got his start in human resources.
“The industry does not matter,” Cadet recalls being told. “It’s always the same process. We are in the business of people – we are connecting people with jobs and managers with ideal candidates for their positions.”
With that insight in mind, he did not think twice when he had the chance to join Carriage Services a couple years ago
“I have never thought too much about the field … it’s about getting the managers exactly what they are looking for and helping them build relationships with candidates and putting those candidates into opportunities they will love over the long term,” he said.
We recently caught up with Cadet to glean his insights on hiring, what entrants to the funeral profession can do to stand out to employers, what it’s like working at Carriage Services and more.
What were you doing before you joined Carriage Services – and what led you to your current role?
Previously, I was working for a talent acquisition company that served the technology sector, but about three years ago or so, there was a downturn coming off the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of companies had over-hired, and companies were transitioning to automated solutions and letting people go, who happened to be my clients. We’re talking about the Metas, Apples and Oracles of the world.
As a result of the downturn, I was let go – not because of performance. I said to myself, ‘The next industry I want to go into is something that is recession proof and not something that is driven by what is going on in the market.’ Then, I came across an opening at Carriage Services, and I said, ‘Interesting.’
What are some of the main hiring challenges you face at Carriage Services?
The challenges in hiring vary – and every region is different. One thing I am in the process of trying to help with is identifying the gaps between emerging leaders in the funeral service profession and what may be preventing them from becoming more seasoned individuals.
Folks coming out of school have a different mindset and thought process, and there are a few different moving parts. We are working on partnering with mortuary schools and managers and explaining how there are some opportunities for growth to bridge that gap.
How much attention do you pay to hiring a diverse pool of candidates?
In an ideal world, we would have the luxury to set up a diversity hiring strategy. But the truth of the matter is we rarely have so many candidates to choose from to be able to have those conversations.
At Carriage, however whether you are a man or woman, and no matter what your orientation or background or identity, we just want to be able to connect and speak about our best opportunities.
The way we look at it, gender does not matter, and age, orientation and color do not matter.
How would you describe your role at the company?
I handle 80 to 85% of the hiring at our corporate office – everything from IT to accounting to financial to legal, marketing and operations. Everything from managing directors to interns, including placement to the closing of candidates, as well as the origination of the engagement. I do have some help from another team member, who focuses on some of our field hires, such as funeral directors, embalmers and cemetery workers.
What traits or values do you look for when deciding whether to offer a job to a candidate?
What I look for – whether it is someone in our corporate office or in the field – is very similar.
There are three things that you must have: care, compassion and professionalism. I speak about all those things in my initial conversations.
You must remember that for the most part, when someone walks through the door of the business, they are probably having the worst day of their life. So, the person who receives them must have a different level of care, compassion and professionalism. For executives who have been working in the industry for a long time, they must consistently seek out those individuals.
Regarding professionalism, I think it is a generational thing. We do have people in mortuary school who are pursuing second or third careers, but often for the vast majority, it is their first career – and they are younger from an age standpoint. What I often see, to give you an example, is someone coming to a career fair and not knowing what companies are there or not knowing who those companies are. You need to know your audience, come prepared with resumes and dress for the job you want – the little things, and you kind of notice when they are lacking.
Also, often there are tattoos everywhere and piercings everywhere, and I get it. But for a family who might be coming it, it may be off-putting.
Funeral service isn’t always seen as a first-choice career path. How can the profession do a better job of attracting young people to enter the profession?
We are engaging in more preparation and planning around lunch and learns, as well as visiting mortuary schools and universities and holding engaging events in various forms – not just career fairs but webinars and what have you. There are quite a few students who don’t know what they want to do, and if you can speak to 300 students in an auditorium … it only takes one or two, and they may encourage another one or two more to consider the profession.
How are you using artificial intelligence in your role?
I have an advertising and marketing background – and word-of-mouth advertising is the best form of advertising. There is a human element, which is paramount to what we do.
I don’t know if AI will ever be polished to the point where it can mirror the human element, but right now, it does not.
As far as I use it, I will sometimes use AI if I see a resume that looks a little too perfect. I will plug it into a program and ask if it is an AI generated resume, and if it were, that would not eliminate them from consideration, but I may dig into their experience a little bit more. I would want to know if what they are portraying aligns with their actual experience.
What are some of your tips on hiring that you recommend funeral professionals follow?
That same first manager I mentioned earlier told me to follow the KISS principle, which is, ‘Keep it simple, silly.’
That means don’t overcomplicate the process.
The No. 1 thing I would say to anyone looking to improve the process is not to skip any steps. Make sure you go through the proper vetting process to bring this individual on board – and don’t hire them because they worked for this person you know 20 years ago. All too often, people skip steps instead of doing their own due diligence, which is very important.
You also want to have an applicant tracking program: Keep track of who has interviews, take notes, etc.
Can you share any personal success stories that stick out to you?
One thing I do is look for the silver lining in any conversation. Someone who is a ‘no’ could just be a ‘no right now’ – or a ‘no’ for a particular position.
For instance, I placed someone earlier this year as a managing partner at a difficult-to-fill position in California. They interviewed a year prior, and while the candidate met with the powers that be and they liked him, he was not a great fit for a particular role.
I continued to check in with him every month, and when something came up in California eight or nine months later, I remembered the candidate. They appreciated the fact that I stayed in touch, and to make a long story short, I didn’t even have to start that recruitment process. I already had the perfect candidate in my pipeline, and we were able to plug him in – and it was a seamless process that took two weeks. But it only happened because I continued the relationship.
What do you enjoy most about working at Carriage Services?
What I enjoy most is it is collaborative – I have been in environments on the staffing side where it is dog eat dog and every man for himself. Here, it is completely the opposite. I feel I have the support of management as well as the autonomy to implement strategies. Carriage has provided me with a prime opportunity to spread my wings. Everyone has been willing to listen and lend a helping hand.
Follow FuneralVision.com on LinkedIn.
Follow FuneralVision.com on X.
Follow FuneralVision.com on Facebook.
