Best Buy just announced its seasonal hiring plans and said it needs to hire for several Illinois sales jobs, among other areas.

To ensure guidance for customers who want it, Best Buy is increasing the hours of its Blue Shirts, who receive more than 40 hours of dedicated training, on average.

Best Buy also is adding 15,000 seasonal employees to help provide the quality customer service expected by customers during a busy shopping season. (more…)

Good news for sales reps: one firm said this week it is ramping up hiring for business development jobs in Illinois.

ValueClick, an online advertiser, said this week it is hiring in several markets, including for sales jobs in Chicago.

The company plans to increase its workforce by over 10 percent as part of its global organic growth strategy. Over 100 positions in the areas of sales, business development and technology are available in primary markets such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles, as well as additional positions in secondary markets across North America.
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Radioshack and PeopleAnswers are joining forces to plug sales jobs in Illinois.

PeopleAnswers now has a software licensing agreement with RadioShack Corp., expanding the retailer´s use of the PeopleAnswers talent assessment software : for all positions in nearly 5,800 company-operated stores and kiosks as well as corporate offices across the United States and Puerto Rico.

RadioShack will use PeopleAnswers to prescreen, assess and hire : job candidates for all positions including sales associates, store and district managers and corporate positions. With RadioShack attracting approximately one million job candidates per year, the web-based tool has the scale to evaluate candidates as needed, 24/7, integrate with job boards : and track candidates´ progress through the application and hiring process. Managers will also use PeopleAnswers as a guide for interview content.

“RadioShack is focused on strengthening our brand and growing our business. People make the difference in executing our growth strategy,” said Mary Ann Doran, senior vice president, Human Resources, RadioShack.

“PeopleAnswers has impressive tools to help us continue delivering our customers a high-quality shopping experience.”

RadioShack has been using PeopleAnswers for approximately 18 months as a tool to help select and hire district managers nationwide, with meaningful improvements : . For the last year, the company has used PeopleAnswers to hire its store managers and sales associates.

Customized, behaviorally based Performance Profiles : help match job candidates with the position that best corresponds with their existing traits and tendencies. The software is easy to use and establishes a consistent hiring platform across all stores and corporate offices. PeopleAnswers reduces the hiring process to a few simple steps, allowing managers to focus more on managing stores rather than hiring.

“In the competitive and fast-paced retail world, employees can be the differentiator,” said Gabriel Goncalves, CEO and president, PeopleAnswers. “By matching people with jobs they´re best suited for, customers receive better service because employees are more satisfied and productive, and RadioShack is able to improve revenues and turnover.”

A matchmaking company has secured a new matchmaker to work on sales jobs in Illinois and other parts of the US where its branches are located.

Elizabeth Falzone, professional matchmaker, has recently been appointed as Regional Director of eLove and will oversee the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey offices.

eLove is the fastest growing matchmaking firm in the country with over 50 matchmaking offices nationwide and home offices in Norwell, MA and Los Angeles, CA.
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Afni, Inc. of Bloomington will be holding a job fair to fill several customer service jobs in Illinois.
Afni, Inc. is a leading provider of contact center solutions and receivables management services to many of the nation’s largest companies. Afni is a privately-held company headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, with facilities in Illinois, Arizona, Kentucky, Texas, Missouri, and Alabama.

They’re looking to fill about 200 positions at a new facility in Leesburg, officials said. It has scheduled an on-site job fair from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at 425 N. Third St. in Leesburg. (more…)

Any job seeker aware of the current state of the economy may be wondering if a marketing, sales or service job is the way to go. Those looking for an Illinois sales job may take comfort in the fact that while the industry is expected to grow at a minimal rate, the projected high turnover rate will allow for many job openings in the near future.

According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, employment in the marketing, sales and service industries are expected to grow at a slower rate than the statewide average through 2014.

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