Amazon To Hire 30,000 New Employees Through Six-City Job Fair
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Amazon is hosting a nationwide job fair, looking to hire more than 30,000 people, including 400 new jobs for its office in downtown Chicago.
The job fair will include hiring events in Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Nashville, Seattle, and Arlington,Virginia, on Tuesday. The Chicago event opens at 11:30 a.m. at Vertiport Chicago on the Near West Side. You don't have to register to take part; just show up, and bring a résumé if you can.
An Amazon spokesperson said the company has jobs for people with different skill sets, experience and education. The company is looking to fill openings in several areas, including its fulfillment centers, retail stores, and downtown tech hub.
Amazon wants to hire 500 people in Chicago and the suburbs for full-time and part-time work; including 400 jobs in cloud computing, advertising, and business development at its downtown office.
"It's just really clear to us that Chicago is a great market. and we're doubling down, we're investing, and we want to come out here and meet some new great talent that maybe doesn't know us as well," Amazon corporate communications manager Allison Leader said.
Jerry Cooper was among the dozens who started lining up early for the Amazon Career Day in Chicago.
"Amazon is doing a great thing out here. They getting people opportunity that probably never get a chance to come out to an event like this to get something going on," he said. "That's what led me here, and I'm trying to be a positive statement for the other guys that I know; that if I could get out here and do this, they could too."
Cooper said he's looking for a new job closer to home, and figured "why not Amazon?"
Amazon is the nation's second-largest employer behind Walmart.
During the job fairs on Tuesday, applicants can meet with recruiters to go over the interview process and get résumé advice.
"I would encourage any candidate … be yourself. We're really authentic. We look for people that have passions, that have taken risks, that have failed and learned things from it. Don't feel like you have to put a patina of perfection on everything you do. Ask a lot of questions. Use this as an opportunity to really understand what you want to do," Leader said.
The online retailer has said it is doubling the headcount at its Chicago tech hub with the 400 new jobs, and is adding 70,000 square feet of new office space at its office at 227 W. Monroe St.