Kent and his wife were among about a half-dozen local residents who showed up Tuesday to fill out applications and interview for jobs at the McDonald’s on New Germany Trebein Road in Beavercreek.
The couple filled out applications online at mcdonaldsneo.com and came into the store for interviews. McDonald’s hopes to fill about 50,000 positions nationwide, including about 300 at its 78 corporate and franchise-owned Miami Valley stores.
“It’s hard to say exactly how many people have applied so far because so many of them apply online,” said Cledith Roosa, a McDonald’s human resources supervisor who was conducting interviews Tuesday afternoon at the Beavercreek store. “But we’ve had a lot of interest from all kinds of people; college students, older workers and people who want to supplement their incomes working part time.’’
Roosa said McDonald’s needs the extra help to accommodate the demand for new menu items and extended store hours at some locations.
Starting April 29, for example, the Beavercreek store will be open 24 hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Despite the hiring frenzy Tuesday — which was as much an advertising and public relations campaign as a recruiting effort — McDonald’s officials won’t release hiring results for at least a week or two.
“The hiring process is not immediate, but that’s not unusual,’’ said Joe Woods, regional marketing manager for McDonald’s, which posted $24 billion in worldwide sales last year and employs about 650,000 at its more than 14,000 U.S. stores.
Based on Tuesday’s turnout, Woods was confident the hiring day kickoff would attract more than enough applicants to fill open positions.
“We had some restaurants where lines were out the door and some others where everyone fit comfortably inside, but we had a lot of traffic,’’ he said.
Experts say McDonald’s, which is hiring for both full- and part-time positions, has benefitted in two ways from the sour economy: High unemployment has left scores of displaced workers eager for jobs, and skyrocketing food and fuel prices have led cash-strapped families to seek more budget-friendly dining options.
But jobs at McDonald’s, which average hourly wages slightly higher than the federal minimum wage, won’t propel the economic recovery, said George Zeller, a Cleveland based economic research analyst.
“We are still not replacing the high-wage manufacturing jobs that we have already lost in such enormous numbers, especially here in Ohio,’’ Zeller said.
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