Dive Brief:
- The Chicago Sun Times reports that Amazon, the retail giant, is hiring 2,000 employees under the guidance of Kathleen Carroll, a Marine Corps veteran and native to Lincolnshire, a suburb of Chicago.
- Over the next 14 months, Amazon will bring it's numbers up to 7,000 across the state of Illinois. Full-time jobs will cover nine Amazon fulfillment centers and a corporate office.
- As part of it's effort to add 100K new full-time jobs with benefits, Amazon is well on its way by focusing on expansion in Illinois and the Chicago area. Carroll served as a platoon commander in Kuwait and Iraq, and is pursuing her MBA at the University of Washington.
Dive Insight:
Other companies should be paying attention to how Amazon is handling this growth, as it is rapid yet focused on harnessing talent through local networks. In addition to hiring for local jobs, there are opportunities for remote workers, and this will change the landscape of how Amazon and other online retailers will handle hiring in new regions around the country.
Notably, Carroll is a good example of why many companies are turning to veterans as a potential pool of talent. Veterans are lauded for their leadership skills, and are considered by many a key pool for talent to cover shortages.
