YRC Freight said its aggressively looking to hire for transportation jobs in Chicago, along with a number of cities across the U.S.

The hiring is a part of an initiative to hire 200 qualified drivers for jobs in Maybrook, NY; Buffalo, NY; St. Paul, MN; Chicago, Il; Salt Lake City, UT; Akron, OH; Cleveland, OH; Cincinnati, OH; North Indianapolis, IN; Charlotte, NC; Jackson, MS: Albuquerque, NM; and Kansas City, MO.

The headcount is about 200 drivers. YRC Freight said it recruits from approximately 100 truck-driving schools across the nation.

According to its website, YRC Freight offers full paid health care benefits and vacation time. Drivers are paid union contract pay rates. All equipment is provided and maintained by the company and all fuel cost is paid for by the company.

Many daily dispatches involve minimum time away from home. With the exception of team drivers, overnight stays for drivers are provided and paid for in hotel rooms.

“YRC Freight is a great place for drivers. We work as a team to get the job done and everyone treats each other with respect,” said Wilson Meier, 11-year veteran driver with YRC Freight who was just named as the New York State Motor Truck Association Driver of the Year. “We have excellent health care benefits and our equipment is well maintained too,” added Meier.

“We are the original LTL experts and while our name has recently changed, the caliber of our workforce and our commitment to our customers remains the same as it has been for the past 85 years,” added Rogers. “Our strength is built on the talents and dedication of each and every employee. We invite safety-minded professional drivers with a strong work ethic and the desire to succeed to join our winning team.”

The rate of teenage unemployment in Chicago and other cities may be decreasing, according to a recent study.

Summer employment among teenagers is projected to increase over last year’s better-than-expected gains, according to the annual teen summer employment outlook released Tuesday by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

Last year, teen employment gains during the summer months improved significantly after falling to record lows in 2010. Non-seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show employment among 16- to 19-year-olds grew by 1,087,000 jobs from May through June last year. That was up 13.2 percent from the same period a year earlier, when the teen employment ranks grew by just 960,000.

The 960,000 teenagers added to payrolls in the summer of 2010 was the lowest level of seasonal hiring since 1949, when teen employment increased by only 932,000 from May through July.

“The teen job market definitely rebounded in 2011, with more than 1,000,000 teens finding new jobs. However, job gains among teens were still well below the levels achieved prior to the recession. While teen employment is likely to see further improvement this summer, job gains will probably once again fall short of pre-recession figures,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Teens were in high demand before the 2008 recession. From 2005 through 2007, employment among 16- to 19-year-olds grew by an average of 1.7 million during the summer months of May, June and July.

“Many of the same issues that kept teen hiring subdued over the last three years still exist. Employers are finding ways to meet demand with existing workers; states and local municipalities, which hire teenagers to work at camps, beaches, pools and parks, continue to struggle with massive spending deficits; and there are millions of Americans in their 20s, with and without college degrees, who are willing to take jobs that were typically filled by teenagers in the past,” said Challenger.

The good news is that on all of these fronts, the situation is improving. Overall, private sector employers have added nearly 4.0 million new workers to their payrolls since December 2009. Employment among 20- to 24-year-olds has experienced a net increase of 869,000 over the same period. Meanwhile, a March report http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=711 from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that state finances are indeed improving, albeit very slowly, with 10 states reporting new budget shortfalls totaling $3.7 billion.

“We are probably still several years away from teen summer hiring returning to pre-recession levels. Teenagers hoping to find employment this summer definitely want to start their searches now, if they have not already done so. And, they should not expect to find a job by simply filling out electronic applications through employer websites and online job boards. Those are great places to find opportunities, but the key is to engage in an active search that focuses on meeting with hiring managers face-to-face,” advised Challenger.

Glass Recycled has announced it has secured a key hire for design jobs in Chicago.

The company said it has hired Kate Jung for the Midwest Region that includes the states of IA, MI, OH, IN, WI, MN and IL with an emphasis in the greater Chicago area.

Jung is tasked with presenting upcycling to this region, which is the newest trend.

Glass Recycled offers custom options for kitchen countertops, backsplash ideas, flooring, walls, and landscape detailing and specialty decor items.

They use a patented process of recycling glass and porcelain combined with limitless colors of epoxy accents.

Founder and CEO, Tim Whaley stated, “I am excited to expand GLASS RECYCLED and with the success we have had over the past few years- I am proud to announce that Kate Jung will be joining our team in Chicago.”

As part of GLASS RECYCLED’s 2012 national expansion, Regional Design Consultants are being selected to promote and sell the premier products such as their GlassSLAB recycled glass countertops, GlassPLANK recycled glass flooring, GlassDECOR recycled glass tabletops and GlassSCAPE recycled glass ground cover.

“Since officially changing our corporate name to ‘GLASS RECYCLED in late 2011′ - our strategic re-branding and business model has allowed us to expand our product line throughout the world to a diverse commercial and residential design marketplace. I am pleased to announce the creation of our new ‘Design Consultant’ initiative that will strategically place GLASS RECYCLED Representatives in USA growth markets,” said Tim Whaley

QCSS Inc. said this week it is partnering with Michelle Obama’s recent initiative to hire people from military families for customer service jobs in Chicago.

First Lady Michelle Obama spoke out in Washington about the progress of the Joining Forces campaign – an initiative set out to help support military families and veterans across the U.S. The year-old campaign is actually backed by the White House and is supported by key public figures, including: Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey.

The largest area of the program is to create jobs near or around military bases or virtual (home-based) positions. The speech Mrs. Obama delivered recognized several organizations that have played a vital role in the progress of Joining Forces. A particular organization that was commended for their efforts was jobs4america.

Jobs4america is a coalition of call centers that have pledged over 15,000 jobs specifically for the spouses and families of those in the military over the next 2 years. The coalition recognized that military families are 10 times more likely to move across state lines than civilian families – and because of this, they set out to create a network of contact centers to offer flexible scheduling, easy transfers from one contact center to another in an event of relocation, as well as in-depth training and career growth opportunities.

Companies involved in the effort include jobs4america coalition members: Alpine Access, Arise Virtual Solutions, DialAmerica, Etech Global Services, Hilton Worldwide, Prosperity America, Quality Contact Solutions, Agility Marketing, Incept Results, QCSS, SP Data, and Veterans Contact Center.

Of these members – QCSS, a Chicago land call center and telemarketing firm, has made their pledge to reserve a portion of new hires specifically for this program. With an expansion underway, QCSS plans on opening a new 100+ seat smart center this summer, which may also allow the opportunity for additional remote/virtual agents.

A new company has launched with the goal of helping companies hire for Chicago jobs, among other locales.

Interviewing.com, a Chicago based startup, has announced the recent launch of www.interviewing.com, a website devoted to providing content for job seekers, hiring authorities, HR representatives, recruiters, and small business owners.

According to the website, Interviewing.com’s online presence addresses a need in the human resources industry to connect job seekers and interviewers with the necessary resources to make better, more informed career decisions in today’s economic environment.

Due to the increased number of individuals seeking employment in recent years, coupled with shifting trends in the workplace, as well as the growing changes in technology and communication, Interviewing.com serves as an outlet to provide interview tips, articles, news, events, to answer the demand for information to navigate the job search, interviewing, and hiring processes.

Since its initial launch March 1st, the site has become a destination portal for job applicants and the hiring community to access best practices, industry trends, and thought leadership. Future site enhancements can be expected in coming months to broaden the scope of resources and materials currently available.