North Hollywood : Home Depot Hires 130 East Valley Residents

Of the 190 new jobs created by the new Home Depot store that opened last week in North Hollywood, about 130 were filled by residents from the east San Fernando Valley, thanks in part to a series of job skills workshops held by Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon.

Alarcon, who previously worked as an analyst in the city personnel department, held workshops in Sun Valley during September in an effort to coach job-seekers in his council district on effective interviewing techniques and how to thoroughly fill out applications.

About 35 residents participated in the workshops, and several obtained jobs at Home Depot as a result, a spokeswoman for Alarcon said.

The store, situated at 11600 Sherman Way, received several thousand applications, manager Brian Marino said. “We ended up hiring about 70% of the new employees from the east or northeast Valley,” Marino said.

Positions included sales associates, cashiers, managers and staff for the warehouse-style home maintenance store’s phone center. About 25% of the new positions are part-time and the remainder full-time spots with health and other benefits.

“If sales take off here, as we expect, we’ll be hiring even more people,” Marino added. Home Depot looks for applicants who possess experience and eagerness, he said. “We do a lot of training here, so we’re looking for people who have the ability and the desire to learn. It’s real basic.”

For more information on the councilman’s Home Depot Jobs Opportunities Committee, call (818) 756-7558.