Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is scheduled to host a second nationwide hiring fair Sept. 16 with some 33,000 technology and corporate jobs up for grabs — nearly 1,200 slated for Greater Washington.
But this year’s event comes under radically different economic circumstances and will look almost nothing like the tented event from a year ago.
The upcoming "Career Day" will be completely online due to the coronavirus. Roughly a day after opening the 20,000 virtual seats to the public, registration for the one-on-one career coaching sessions are full. Folks can still, for now, register to view the panel discussions.
Last year, more than 5,000 people made the pilgrimage to Pentagon City and waited in lines that stretched around the block for an opportunity to speak in-person with an Amazon recruiter. The company said that something close to 17,000 people attended the six-city event in September 2019. The desire to land a tech or office job within Amazon has only grown since then.
Amazon Career Day
The Covid-19 crisis has left roughly 13.6 million people unemployed in the United States. The unemployment rate in Greater Washington area was 7.9% in July, up from 3.3% in July 2019.
“The job market is really different,” said Ardine Williams, Amazon’s vice president of workforce development at HQ2. “We have a lot of people who’ve been profoundly impacted by the pandemic on the job front. We are actually in a position to help.”
How many jobs are up for grabs?
Of those tens of thousands of Amazon job openings, just 1,157 are identified for Greater Washington. Those jobs are likely centered around HQ2 in Arlington — the company is looking to hire roughly 600 more people there before the end of the year — and in Herndon where Amazon Web Services has a massive presence. While most employees at both hubs are working remotely until Jan. 8, Amazon has made clear its intention to return to the office.
What’s to gain at the event?
Snagging a job will prove difficult during the event. Consider this more of a job prep fair than a hiring fair for those who signed up for the one-on-ones. Roughly 1,000 Amazon recruiters will coach people, for about 20 minutes, through the process of applying to work for the company. They will read resumes, conduct mock interviews and talk about what kind of jobs are available.
Williams said an attendee can use the time to talk about a potential career shift, even if they're not interesting in working for Amazon.
“It's really a chance for people of all backgrounds to take advantage of expertise whether they want to come work for Amazon or not," she said.
Who's on the schedule?
Panel speakers include business leaders who've made it their job to help other people find jobs. Among them are Ian Siegel, co-founder and CEO of ZipRecruiter, and Kathryn Minshew, CEO and founder of The Muse. There will also be some insight into the inner workings of Amazon from company officials like Cherris Armour, director of Amazon Worldwide Operations, Elizabeth Nieto, head of global diversity and inclusion, and Kara Hurst, vice president, worldwide sustainability.