UPS plans to hire 50,000 workers in one-day hiring blitz

The United Parcel Service has added its own holiday to the fall calendar — dubbed "UPS Brown Friday" — during which it plans to hire 50,000 seasonal workers in a single day on Friday. 

The event is part of the company's larger goal of hiring 100,000 seasonal employees to keep up with what is expected to be heavy demand for shipping services over the winter holidays. As part of that effort, the world's largest parcel delivery service on Friday is holding more than 185 hiring fairs across the country, and will make on-the-spot job offers to the best candidates, the company announced. 

Applicants can also submit their resumes online. Open positions include package handlers, truck and tractor-trailer drivers, and driver-helpers. Wages range from $14 an hour for entry-level positions to $37 an hour for roles that require more experience.

The going rate for a part-time package handler in New York is $19 an hour, according to company spokesman Dan McMackin. Seasonal workers aren't eligible for full benefits, but can receive tuition reimbursement of up to $1,300, he said. 

Over a third of workers who were hired as seasonal package handlers over the last three years later became permanent company employees, UPS said.  

"It's a trial run for both sides," McMackin said. "Maybe you don't like the kind of work — or the elements if you are out being a driver's helper. This gives you a chance to see what the work is like, and it gives the company a chance to see how hard you work."

Sought-after traits in employees include punctuality and a desire to serve, McMackin said. 

"It sounds cheesy, but we don't produce anything, we serve people, and I think you have to be willing to serve customers directly when you make deliveries, or drivers if you are someone who is loading drivers' trucks in the morning," he said.