EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — There's no snow on the Shawnee Mountian Ski Area trails near East Stroudsburg yet - just green grassy ski hills.
But soon, there may be, and with a max capacity of 8,000 guests - the mountain needs hundreds of employees to open for the season, so they're starting to hire now.
"Everything from food and beverage to lift ticket windows to our chair lift department. Without them, we don't operate, so we usually are really fortunate to get enough people, and we hope it will be no different this season," said Rachel Wyckoff, Marketing Director with Shawnee Mountain Ski Area.
Shawnee Mountain Ski Area held the hiring event at its hope lodge, looking to bring in 500 people for the season.
Those who were interested were welcomed to apply and interview; some of them, like Michael Cancel of Milford, were offered a job on the spot.
"I've come here plenty winters before, and my dad mentioned to me that they would probably be hiring here very soon, and I looked on their website to see if they were hiring, found the job, and came here and applied," said Michael Cancel, of Milford.
Others like Garaell Dennis are coming back to work, just with a different department.
She says it's been hard finding work, but events like this help.
"For people to have the opportunities to go back to work, pay their bills and everything, and have financial stability to take care of their families is a hard thing, and I hope this job fair will be able to help a lot of people," said Garaell Dennis, of East Stroudsburg.
The Ski area is also offering increased wages, up to 20%, in many departments, including other freebies.
For those returning, you'll see an increase in your rate depending on how long you've been with Shawnee.
"Whether you're returning or you're new, you become a part of the family, so we want to make sure that our returning staff is coming back, that there happy to be here, and that there getting a nice wage to do so," said Josh Urciuoli, the operations manager at Shawnee Mountain Ski Area.
Not only could you apply and interview for a position here at Shawnee, but you could also get your COVID-19 vaccine.
Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson were available for anyone looking to get their first, second, or booster shot.
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