The leaders of a company that could possibly bring 200 or more jobs here in the next two years are wasting no time in seeking out employees.
A little over two weeks after making the announcement they would be locating in Clarksdale, the company People Shores will be hosting a job fair, looking for the first 20 to 25 employees that will make up their first hires.
“These jobs are open now. They’re being created now. Not months from now, but now, and more will be created shortly,” said Jon Levingston, executive director of the Clarksdale/Coahoma County Chamber of Commerce.
“These people are serious about what they’re doing and they’re going about the business of creating the economic and educational opportunities about which they spoke of,” Levingston said in speaking of the Dec. 14 announcement that revealed the California-based company’s plans to locate here.
People Shores is teaming up with the Mississippi Department of Employment Security for the Job Fair that will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the People Shores center at 1540 Desoto Ave. in Clarksdale. The site previously served as the home for the Clarksdale/Coahoma County Chamber of Commerce.
People Shores is looking to hire business process associates.
In addition to being a call center, People Shores also provides image processing and data services for tech firms. For insurance companies, they provide lead generation, new policy support and premium postings, policy renewals and claim processing. In retail, they provide customer segmentation, campaign management, order processing, rebate and inventory tracking. They provide services for travel and banking industries.
The company is still in the process of finalizing contracts with prospective clients, but Rural Shores and People Shores work for major corporations such as Accenture, Oracle, American Express, the Fed Ex subsidiary TNT Express, Vodafone and the Bayer Corporation. They also recently agreed to a multi-center contract with Amazon.
During visits here, People Shores’ executives have reportedly met with top leaders of companies such as C-Spire, Federal Express, Humana and St. Jude.
Those seeking positions should have at least a high school diploma or GED, excellent communication skills and computer literacy skills. The company is also asking that the prospective employee have a Career Readiness Certification level of silver.
The Career Readiness Certification comes from a test created by the ACT testing company. At the end of the approximate three- to four-hour test, the applicant is classified into one of four categories: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Each category corresponds with a certain skill level.
“The average worker is going to be in silver,” Levingston said. “They’re going to need to have some inclination toward computer skills and even if they don’t have them, they can be taught.”
Those wanting to participate in the Job Fair are asked to go to the WIN Job Center in Clarksdale and fill out an application. However, officials with the MDES will be in a mobile office at the fair to also assist applicants.
People Shores’ officials said earlier they believe the first group of employees will undergo two months of general skills training that will be followed by training for specific tasks required by the company’s clients.
“People Shores plans to put them to work on contracts by April,” Levingston said.
He doesn’t believe the company will have any problems in finding prospective employees.
He noted that during a visit to the Meraki Roasting Co. on the night of the announcement, the founders of the company were approached by a group of young men who expressed an interest in People Shores and wanted to apply.
“We’ve had people calling my office about it,” Levingston said. “We want anyone who is interested to come in and apply.”
And a key aspect of the People Shores mission is that one of the things they do is to train
people and help them acquire skills, Levingston said.
“Those skills are transferrable to other jobs,” he said. “They’ll end up learning certain kinds of things, like Java, and may include coding at some point. These will be things they can do the rest of their lives.”
Want to apply for a job?
What: People Shores Job Fair
When: Thursday, Jan. 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: People Shores Clarksdale Center, 1540 Desoto Ave. (former home of the Clarksdale/Coahoma County Chamber of Commerce)
More info: Visit the WIN Job Center at 236 Sharkey Ave., Suite 300 in Clarksdale; email clarksdalejobcenter@mdes.ms.gov; call the WIN Job Center at 662-624-9001; or visit the website www.peopleshores.com.
