Spring Hiring: What USP Looks For in a Damage Prevention Associate

Spring Hiring: What USP Looks For in a Damage Prevention Associate

While we may be settled into the dark of winter, USP hiring season is right around the corner! Every spring comes with the challenge of finding the right fit candidates to join us as Damage Prevention Associates (DPA).

DPAs are the heart and soul of Utility Safety Partners and are absolutely crucial to our industry. They process locate requests for those intending to disturb the ground, playing a key role in the damage prevention process. They are on the front line, and during our busiest months they handle upwards of 100 calls a day from three provinces, each with their own unique issues and challenges. At times, the digging community can be intense with the potential for delays a possibility. As such, excellent customer service skills and a strong sense of empathy are imperative traits in any potential hire.

While customer service is a high priority for us, a solid understanding of mapping is also absolutely vital. Mapping exercises are included in our hiring process where candidates can indicate their comfortability and capabilities. Candidates are asked to demonstrate competency around complex urban intersections and rural areas, as well as decipher between commercial and residential properties. We also look for candidates who understand geographic / mapping direction, as so much of the job is interpreting and confirming directions with callers. With our member utility companies registering their lines based on our software’s mapping system, it is critical that DPAs are capable of mapping as accurately as possible in order to keep the community and underground infrastructure safe.

During the interview process we also determine a candidate’s technical ability through conducting a typing test, and observe their comfort level with different web applications used on the job. As we work remotely, DPAs must have a high level of technical competency to help navigate situations which can arise such as technical issues or the need to find outside resources. 

As the digging season is short in the prairies, we keep things as efficient as possible. This means our staffing is built around an expectation that our employees will be logged in on time for their scheduled shifts and we prioritize good attendance and availability.

Our interview process is robust and thorough with multiple steps, which over the years through trial and error we’ve learned is absolutely necessary in order to ensure we have the best people possible working to keep us all safe!

Leanne Burrows - Team Leader