Her Story
About Erica
Erica Hiner is a customer service and operations professional with experience spanning hospitality, retail supervision, sales, call center support, and security. She spent 12 years at IHOP, where she trained other servers and built a loyal customer following while declining management roles to earn higher server wages of around $22 per hour. Erica also worked at TJ Max and Ross, receiving Employee of the Month recognition multiple times, and held a role at Maximus assisting with Marketplace Medicare benefits, earning three promotions within two years before the position ended due to a tornado. Her background includes sanitation work at Maker's Pride, security positions, and daycare experience, along with supervisory responsibilities managing up to 20 people at a time. She completed some college without earning a degree and speaks some Spanish, having lived in California and Arizona earlier in life. Erica currently seeks opportunities in her rural London, Kentucky area or remote roles, drawing on her adaptable computer skills, cash handling, multitasking, and teaching abilities.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Erica
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Keep swimming. Stay strong, keep swimming, and try to smile and bear it. It can be a terrible day, but it's better than being homeless in a car for 3 years.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Keep your head up, stay strong, and keep a smile. Just keep smiling, no matter what you can do, because it takes more muscles to make a frown than it does a smile. Just try to enjoy yourself, really, because you're going to be doing whatever industry you're going to be doing for a long time. Don't ever fret, because there's always another opportunity around the corner.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Proximity and lack of local jobs in rural Kentucky area, preference for remote work over driving, concerns about AI reducing need for people, desire to work from home to be with dogs and do volunteer work.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Opportunity to move up with goals, promotions, and raises rather than stagnant positions. God first, family, then work. Treat others as you want to be treated (golden rule), forgiveness, and not becoming bitter.
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