The Home Depot is preparing to spring some new jobs on Juneau.
As part of an annual hiring wave ahead of the home improvement and hardware store’s busiest season, it was announced via a press release there are plans to hire 45 employees this year in Juneau.
“Spring is always our busiest time of the year, and we want to make sure our stores are fully staffed to enable our associates to provide excellent customer service, so we typically hire this many,” said Margaret Watters Smith, senior manager of corporate communications for Home Depot, via email. “The stores assess their needs individually and then report them to their regional HR teams. In Juneau, we expect to hire 45 associates over the course of the spring, and nationally, we plan to hire 80,000 associates.”
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Glory Hall Executive Director Mariya Lovishchuk said there have been people helped by Juneau’s homeless shelter, who have found employment with The Home Depot, but it’s more of a once-in-a-while occurrence than a regular happening.
Still, she said adding jobs to the Juneau area is always welcomed.
“I think a lot of our folks here definitely have experience, relevant experience for someone who is interested in getting a job with Home Depot,” Lovishchuk said. “To get an opportunity for more jobs is great.”
Forty-five new jobs is a significant number for Juneau.
For context, that number is more than 11 percent of the 402 people employed by Juneau’s fifth largest employer, Bartlett Regional Hospital, according to the City and Borough of Juneau’s 2018 budget.
College students, retirees and veterans are encouraged to apply, according to the press release, and applications are now being accepted.
In this October 2014 photo, Zackery Martin, left, and Will Kinser work on new deck rails at the home of Michael Leach on Thursday. Team Depot, The Home Depot associate-led volunteer force, together with Helping Hands of Juneau, worked to transform the home of the 84-year-old Korean War veteran. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Those interested in applying for a job with Home Depot must apply online at careers.homedepot.com or text “HOMEDEPOT” to 52270 to receive a link to apply for hourly positions in the area.
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“Once they apply, they can use our new candidate self-service tool to quickly complete pre-screening and select the most convenient in-person interview appointment available,” Smith said.
Smith said the new hires will fill a blend of temporary and permanent job openings, and it’s relatively common for seasonal employees to become permanent hires.
“We have both permanent part-time and seasonal positions,” she said. “Seasonal positions will be available in the front end, lot and garden departments to assist with the anticipated spring sales growth. Seasonal assignments last up to 120 days, but in years past about half of these associates have transitioned into permanent roles with the company. So, it’s a great way to get your foot in the door.”
• Contact reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.
