The line of job seekers aiming to get their resumes in front of Amazon officials stretched down the block in Arlington, Virginia, Tuesday.
The digital giant said it’s hoping to fill 30,000 full- and part-time jobs across the country through its “Amazon Career Day” events.
In addition to Arlington — the site of Amazon’s second North American headquarters — the company held job fairs in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville and Seattle.
Arlington’s event drew hundreds of people hoping to work at the so-called HQ2. Some were in business suits with briefcases; others in baseball caps with backpacks. Some were recent college graduates; others were seasoned career veterans.
#AmazonCareerDay at The Grounds 1102 S. Eads Street Arlington. Line goes all the way down 12th St S and wraps around Army Navy Drive. Parking challenging. Doors close at 8pm. @WTOP pic.twitter.com/97knsmfeZY
— Kristi King (@kingWTOP) September 17, 2019
Sheck Fofanna, who said he was interested in learning more about business analyst positions at the company, said he came all the way from New Jersey.
“It’s Amazon. I’ve gotta be here,” he said.
Recent college graduate Odener Okani, of Stafford, Virginia, said he’s interested in breaking into an IT career at the company. “I’m looking to gain a lot of advice,” he said.
Another prospective Amazon recruit, David Reed, of Fairfax, Virginia, already has an extensive resume in IT security, recruiting, business analysis and technical writing. “I’ve been at it a long time — retired military,” he said.
#AmazonCareerDay at The Grounds 1102 S. Eads Street Arlington. Doors close at 8pm. @WTOP pic.twitter.com/OukOhTV99s
— Kristi King (@kingWTOP) September 17, 2019
Tuesday’s event in Arlington, which featured “fireside chats” with Amazon leaders and opportunities to chat with Amazon recruiters, took place at The Grounds at 1102 S. Eads Street. The event started at 8 a.m. and doors close at 8 p.m.
At its peak, the line outside The Grounds stretched down 12th Street and was wrapping around Army Navy Drive. Online registration was required ahead of time and has already reached full capacity by early afternoon, according to a notice on the Amazon site.
Amazon said it’s looking for all kinds of workers, from software engineers who can earn more than $100,000 a year, to warehouse staff paid at least $15 an hour to pack and ship online orders. The company said all the positions are permanent full-time or part-time jobs that come with benefits.
“People can come in and talk to Amazonians to learn about one or any number of the 30,000 roles we currently have open across the country,” Ardine Williams, Amazon’s vice president of workforce development, told WTOP from the job fair. “There’s lot of very different opportunities within the company and we’d like people to explore.”
Earlier this spring, Amazon posted the first round of job openings for its Northern Virginia headquarters. By the end of the year, Amazon aims to fill 400 positions there. That number is expected to grow to 25,000 by 2030.
Amazon already has more than 650,000 employees worldwide, making it the second-biggest U.S.-based private employer behind Walmart Inc.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
