Chipotle Hiring 5,000 in One-Day National Blitz

In a week of mass hiring plans announced by several national companies, Denver-based Chipotle Mexican Grill is the most recent to say it needs workers.

The embattled restaurant chain wants to hire 5,000 employees during its second annual National Career Day, set for Wednesday, Sept. 28. Last year, the fast casual eatery had a goal of hiring 4,000 workers.

The company is striving to regain customers after a norovirus and E. coli outbreak at Chipotle restaurants across the country caused diners to fall ill late last year. Illnesses linked to Chipotle food were reported in the Pacific Northwest and across the Northeast, including in Maryland, New York and New Jersey.

No experience is required to apply or be hired, since Chipotle bases its hiring on a set of 13 characteristics that the firm says indicate an applicant’s potential for success. The traits include being conscientious, respectful, hospitable, high energy, infectiously enthusiastic, happy, presentable, smart, polite, motivated, ambitious, curious and honest.

Managers of each U.S. Chipotle restaurant will hold open interviews for up to 100 applicants from 8 to 11 a.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 28. If you are interested in a job, register for an interview at your Chipotle site by visiting www.nationalcareerday.com.

“Regardless of your background or experience, you can succeed at Chipotle if you are willing to work hard to create an excellent guest experience, and have a passion for making the people around you better,” said Monty Moran, co-chief executive officer at Chipotle, in a news release.

Earlier this week, Target said it plans to hire 70,000 seasonal team members across its stores and another 7,500 workers for its distribution and fulfillment facilities for the 2016 holiday shopping season. All of the chain’s 1,800 stores will host hiring events Oct. 14 and 15, meeting with thousands of prospective candidates. You can check out positions available on the Target website.

And as part of its huge expansion plans, discount retailer Dollar General plans to hire 10,000 new employees nationwide in the next month.

Dollar General already announced an ambitious growth plan for 900 new stores in fiscal 2016 and 1,000 more in fiscal 2017. To fill those new stores, Dollar General will hold more than 600 hiring events Sept. 17-24 at stores across the country. A full list of the hiring events is available on Dollar General's website, and applicants must apply online prior to the in-store event.

Chipotle currently employs more than 60,000 people, and people who are hired into entry-level crew positions have the potential to be promoted into management positions. Over the last year, the company has promoted more than 11,000 people from hourly crew into management roles, it said.

»Patch file photo