With resumes in hand and best faces forward, thousands of local residents came to interview with recruiters from USC Auxiliary Services for jobs at USC Village.

The local hiring event, held March 8 in the ballroom at the Radisson at USC, attracted attendees who lined up around the block for interviews and information.

USC Village, the mixed-used residential and retail complex, is on schedule to open for the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year. The massive project will house 2,700 students and contain 100,000 square feet of retail space, presenting new job opportunities both at USC and with individual retailers.

More than 1,000 resumes were submitted in advance of the event, according to event organizer Lethy Navarrete, senior talent acquisition partner in USC Auxiliary Services.

Thirty recruiters from USC were on hand to conduct interviews. Throughout the course of the five-hour event, 1,500 applicants were interviewed for job openings in customer service, maintenance, building services management, custodial services and other permanent, USC Village-related positions.

“We’re really pleased to let our local community know about the job opportunities at USC. Extending the Trojan Family by including our neighbors is something we truly value,” said Thomas S. Sayles, senior vice president for university relations.

A second USC Village local hiring event is being planned; information will be posted at careers.usc.edu.

Read more here.

Job applicants wait for their interview during the USC job fair for full-time positions in retail, hospitality, customer service, and building management, Wednesday, March 8, 2017. (Photo by Gus Ruelas)
Emmanuel Salazar, 23, left and Brando Sanchez, 22, right, check their smart phones as they wait for their interview during USC job fair for full-time positions in retail, hospitality, customer service, and building management, Wednesday, March 8, 2017. (Photo by Gus Ruelas)
Janet Slater customer service representative at USC, left, greets Blake Williford, 25, before his interview as USC host job a fair for full-time positions in retail, hospitality, customer service, and building management, Wednesday, March 8, 2017. (Photo by Gus Ruelas)