By Eleanor Kennedy
StarTek is adding another 200 jobs at its Lynchburg call center — the second such expansion at the company in the past four months.
Human resources manager Linda Wilkinson said Thursday the new employees will work as customer service agents handling billing issues for a StarTek client. The company does not identify its clients.
In August, the Lynchburg center added 200 employees for the same client, a new addition at the time.
“Because of our performance, they added another 200,” Wilkinson said.
The new positions will pay $9 an hour and, after 60 days, employees will receive a full benefits package. Wilkinson said there also are some supervisor positions available.
StarTek will hold a job fair Tuesday, Dec. 4 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at their offices in the lower part of The Plaza, off Lakeside Drive. Job seekers also can apply online or visit the company in person to put in their application and schedule an interview.
“They want to come in today, absolutely,” Wilkinson said. “We’ve been interviewing all morning.”
During the last round of hiring, the company held several job fairs at StarTek and at the Virginia Employment Commission. Wilkinson said more than 100 people came to each fair.
The Lynchburg call center currently employs about 250 people. The new additions will almost double its size.
“We’ve been really excited about this,” Wilkinson said. “In August the community [support] was very good…we’re looking for a great turnout again.”
The expansion comes on the heels of strong October employment numbers for the Lynchburg area.
According to data released Wednesday by the Virginia Employment Commission, the regional unemployment rate fell to 5.9 percent in October, down from 6.3 percent in September and 6.8 percent during the same month last year.
The civilian labor force — composed of the number of people employed and those actively seeking work —grew from 124,498 people in September to 126,494 in October.