Make Mine a McJob

If you haven’t found the position that’s right for you in Philadelphia, maybe it’s time to consider a McJob. President of McDonald's U.S.A., Jan Fields said, "We're excited to offer 50,000 new jobs, all across America, all in one day."

On April 19th the fast food giant is going to add an influx of full and part time employees to its team. The new crew and management members manning McDonald’s 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. will raise Ronald’s roster to 700,000 employees across the country. It breaks down to about 4 new workers per store on top of the hiring McDonald’s does on a regular basis.

Across the board, McDonald’s is doing well and wants to take a leadership position to offering opportunities to people who want to work. The hiring spree is based around new jobs, not replacement positions. They are hoping to acquire talent that is open to advancement whether it is someone who has been unemployed for a while or just starting out in the working world.

Fields started out on fries in 1978 before advancing to her current position presiding over domestic operations. She is proud of her “McJob” and the career that came with it and she is not alone. About half of all McDonald’s franchise owners began behind the counter.

The average wage for new hires is just above minimum wage at $8.30 per hour but what individuals are offered depends on region, franchise and position. A part-time counter worker might not earn enough to cover what’s considered a “living-wage” of about $14 an hour but managers can bring home more than $50,000 a year. They cite the strength and continued growth of the company as additional security when considering a career with them.

According to their website other benefits (*subject to availability and certain eligibility requirements and restrictions) include:

• Competitive wages


• Free uniforms*


• Free or discounted meals


• Flexible hours


• Medical insurance*


• Prescription drug coverage*


• 24-hour nurse line access


• Vision discount*


• Available dental*


• Short-term disability*


• Term life insurance*


• 401(k)*


• Paid holidays*


• Vacation*


• Educational assistance*

Corporate staff can expect even more. Maybe it’s time to drop the stigma that has been attached to the Fry Guys and find your next career under the golden arches.

Fast food not your bag? Search for something more at PhillyJobs.com.

By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for [name of site], she is co-founder of design and promotion company, Creative Kazoo with fellow Nexxt blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.