How Inland Kenworth Turned a Stalled Search Into a Permanent Hire with Amtec

The Challenge

Inland Kenworth sells, services, and stocks parts for commercial trucks, and its Fontana, California branch runs on a busy front desk.

The branch needed a Cashier/Receptionist, the first person customers and drivers meet when they walk in, the one handling payments and the phones. The seat had been open for about a month, and the team was struggling to identify the right candidate in the Fontana area.

This was the front of the house, and it had been empty too long.

The new Cashier/Receptionist would need to:

• Be available and ready to step in without a long ramp-up
• Stay responsive and dependable at a high-traffic front desk
• Bring the right skills for cashier and reception work
• Have the experience to handle payments, phones, and walk-ins
• Fit the culture of the Fontana facility

Why It Was Tricky

The hard part was geography. We did not have a bench of candidates in the Fontana area for this kind of role, so there was no shortlist to pull from on day one. Every name had to be sourced fresh.

And the clock was already running. The role had sat open for roughly a month before we got involved, so the branch needed the right person soon, not eventually.

What Amtec Did

We had partnered with this client before at another of their branches, so we already understood the kind of person who does well at an Inland Kenworth front desk. That history meant we could present candidates tailored to what the Fontana team actually needed, not a generic stack of resumes.

Without a local bench, we went straight to the market. We posted the role, sourced into the Fontana area, and screened for the things that matter at a front desk: availability, responsiveness, the right skills and experience, and a fit for the facility’s culture.

Candidates moved quickly from posting to interview, and the right one stood out fast.

The Results

• Search opened: February 3
• Role filled: February 12 (9 days)

From the day the search opened on February 3 to a filled seat on February 12, the whole thing took nine days, after the role had been open for about a month.

The branch did not just accept the placement, they wanted to keep her. Before her contract ended, Inland Kenworth converted her to a permanent employee, buying out the contract to make it official.

For the branch, that meant a front desk staffed by someone who fit the work and the team. For the candidate, it meant a permanent role at a company that wanted her to stay.

“I feel like the process was very smooth from start to finish. Candidates were presented swiftly and they were tailored to what we were hoping to receive. I feel like since we had worked together in one of my other branches, that you already knew what I was looking for. … I am very happy with the experience we have had and if there are future vacancies where we are looking for a temporary role or temp-to-hire, you will be my first call.”

Kami Ott

Regional Accounting Manager at Inland Kenworth

Why This Worked

We already knew their front desk. Because we had recruited for this client at another branch, we understood the role and the kind of person who thrives in it, so the candidates we presented arrived tailored to the Fontana team.

We sourced fresh instead of forcing a fit. We recruited directly into the Fontana market rather than presenting whoever happened to be on hand.

We screened for fit, not just a warm body. Availability, responsiveness, skills, experience, and culture fit for the facility were all weighed before anyone reached the client.

The match held. The branch converted a temporary placement into a permanent hire before the contract ended, the clearest sign the fit was real.

Have a Role That Has Sat Open Too Long?

Amtec has been placing talent since 1959, from specialized technical searches to the front-office and administrative people who keep a branch running day to day. If you have a seat you have struggled to fill, we would be glad to help. Reach out and let’s talk about what you need.