Job fair attracts hundreds

In another sign of Sonoma County’s tough job market, more than 600 people turned out Tuesday to apply for 70 to 80 positions at Orchard Supply Hardware’s new store in Santa Rosa.

It was the biggest response ever for a job event sponsored by Sonoma County Job Link, said program manager Kathy Young.

“There are a lot of people who want to work and very few openings out there,” she said.

Job seekers waited in long lines Tuesday to be interviewed by Orchard Supply representatives.

“I’ll take anything they have,” said Jeffery Arga of Santa Rosa.

Arga, 21, is now working at a fast-food outlet. He’s getting married and needs a job with better benefits, he said. He has worked at a drug store, so he has several years’ experience in retail.

Mark Vallerga, recently laid off by a Santa Rosa book publisher, said he’s applying with Orchard Supply because it’s a solid employer.

“It’s a large company with some stability,” he said.

Vallerga, 51, has 21 years of experience in retail, he said, including running his own business.

Sonoma County unemployment has almost doubled in the past year, with 25,000 people looking for work in May, according to state labor analysts.

The county’s retail sector has been especially hard hit, losing more than 4,000 jobs since December because of layoffs and store closures. Mervyn’s, Circuit City, Shoe Pavilion, Home Depot/Yardbirds and other merchants shut their doors in recent months, and Gottschalk’s department store in Coddingtown is closing soon.

With few retailers hiring, the prospect of 70 to 80 jobs is a powerful inducement, Young said.

“People are trying to take advantage of any opportunity,” she said.

Tuesday’s turnout was “fantastic,” said Bruce Haynes, a human resources manager for Orchard Supply.

“But it’s not surprising, based on how the economy is,” he said. “I feel bad that we won’t be able to hire everyone.”

The home improvement retailer’s 35,000-square-foot Santa Rosa store is scheduled to open in October on Cleveland Avenue north of Coddingtown.

Job seekers started arriving at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday for the opportunity to interview at Sonoma County’s Job Link center on Challenger Way in Santa Rosa. More than 100 were standing in line when the doors opened at 9 a.m., Young said.

Orchard Supply is hiring cashiers, sales associates, department leads, receiving associates, price change clerks/auditors and security cashiers. Hourly pay ranges from $8 to $16.80.

The Santa Rosa positions will be filled after a second round of interviews at the new store, company officials said.

Orchard Supply is looking for candidates with good people skills, Haynes said.

“It’s all about customer service,” he said. “Do they have the willingness to help people?”

While many of the candidates had retail experience, others had different backgrounds, Haynes said.

“If we think they fit, we’ll teach them,” he said.

Orchard Supply is growing despite the economic slowdown, Haynes said. “We’re still trying to be on the offensive,” he said. San Jose-based Orchard Supply is opening another new store in Fairfield in October and will have a hiring event there Wednesday.

Part of Sears Holdings Corp., Orchard Supply has 86 stores and more than 8,000 employees in California. It has annual sales of almost $1 billion.