Chipotle plans to recruit 15,000 new employees in one day

Chipotle Mexican Grill doesn’t want a global pandemic to stop them from hiring the best talent — so they’re hosting an event where they can recruit thousands in a single day.

The restaurant chain plans to host its first “Coast-to-Coast Career Day” on Thursday in hopes of staffing their U.S. locations with 15,000 more employees. Applicants can register for an interview slot online, but the interviews will be conducted at individual restaurant locations using social distancing guidelines. Masks are required for applicants and hiring managers, and many locations will hold interviews outside.

“We figured out how to do virtual interviews during the pandemic, but for a huge hiring event like this, we find it’s more helpful for applicants to see the environment they’ll be working in,” says Marissa Andrada, chief diversity, inclusion and people officer at Chipotle. “Our digital business has grown tremendously from pickup and delivery orders, and we need at least 15,000 new employees to grow our business. We’re fortifying our talent pipeline for management roles.”

Although COVID-related layoffs drove the unemployment rate to record levels, 82% of employers say they plan to hire this year and 93% say they feel confident they’ll find the right candidates, according to an employer survey by the recruitment site Monster. These employers plan to go beyond hiring for previously laid-off positions; 40% of employers plan on hiring for new roles — Chipotle is one of them.

The company says it prides itself on providing advancement opportunities for its workforce. Despite the pandemic, Chipotle promoted 11,000 employees in 2020. More than 70% of the company’s general managers resulted from internal promotions, a Chipotle spokesperson says. William Banfield, a Chipotle employee who’s been with the company for three years, says he was given the opportunity to participate in a management training program after working in a New York restaurant for six months.

“Today, I am working for corporate on the talent acquisition team, demonstrating the possibilities that exist when you join an organization that believes in individual growth and development,” Banfield said in a statement.

Applicants who make the cut will have access to a slew of benefits, including a debt-free college degree program which allows employees to earn a bachelor’s degree for free. Paul Quinn College, one of the oldest historically Black colleges in the country, was added to the program during the pandemic as an answer to calls for more diverse workplaces.

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Chipotle employees also have access to an all crew bonus, which allows its restaurant employees the opportunity to earn an extra month's worth of pay each year; access to mental health care; financial wellness programs; English as a second language for employees and their families; tuition reimbursement and free meals.

“Creating the kind of culture that’s inclusive, where people feel like they belong, is as equally important to the pay and benefits,” Andrada says. “Prospective employees also look at how we treat each other.”