15,000 in Valley vie for jobs at McDonald's

Applicants crowd locations seeking part-time positions
18 commentsby Megan Neighbor - Sept. 9, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic


More than 15,000 people hoping to land one of 800 to 1,000 part-time jobs available at Arizona McDonald's poured into Valley restaurants Wednesday to fill out forms and interview with store managers.

The seven-hour on-site hiring campaign was spurred by the popularity of the fast-food chain's expanded McCafe product line. The success of recently released beverages such as the frappe and smoothie has fueled employee growth for McDonald's restaurants in Arizona, area supervisor Jerry Gehrke said.


About 100 people applied in person for entry-level positions at each of the 166 restaurants in metropolitan Phoenix. Most locations had anywhere from three to eight openings, ranging from cooking to operating the cash register to performing janitorial duties. Wages begin at $7.25 per hour and increase depending on an applicant's experience, Gehrke said.

"We are seeing college students, professionals out of the workforce, moms and high-school graduates applying for these jobs," Gehrke said. "It's a little bit unusual to see so much diverse work experience."

Michael Roest, 34, of Phoenix, was among the applicants. He worked at McDonald's from 1993 to 2003, and ended his tenure in a management position, he said. From 2003 to 2009, he worked for an airline company, but was laid off nine months ago, he said. He has an associate's degree in marketing and business management, he said.

"I'm OK with working an entry-level position, because there are opportunities for advancement," Roest said. "And part-time work is certainly better than nothing."

With the state unemployment rate at 9.6 percent, people with considerable work experience and college degrees are more frequently applying for entry-level positions, said Patrick Burkhart, assistant director at the Maricopa County Human Services Department.

In a 2010 survey of people who use the county's workforce services, 25 percent of job seekers responded as having a bachelor's degree and 7 percent responded as having an associate's degree.

"The on-again, off-again nature of unemployment benefits has spurred people to accept job opportunities they normally wouldn't," Burkhart said.

Increased competition in the workforce also has led to employers seeking expanded qualifications for all positions.

Benjamin McCrady, 18, a business student at Phoenix College, was hired at a McDonald's three weeks ago. Being bilingual helped him get his job working at the cash register, he said.

McDonald's is also accepting applications online at mcdonalds.com/careers.

Employees who work 20 hours or more per week qualify for benefits and health-insurance plans. Those plans vary for each franchisee, Gehrke said.

Applicants should hear whether they received a job by Sept. 17, Gehrke said.

http://www.azcentral.com/business/artic ... s0909.html