McDonald’s to hire more U.S. workers

This summer, some via Snapchat

CHICAGO—McDonald’s said it will hire more U.S. workers this summer to staff french fry stations and cash registers, and it will bring in a new way to apply in an effort to draw in more young applicants. The world’s largest burger chain said the company and its franchisees will hire about 250,000 people across its more than 14,000 U.S. restaurants for what is usually one of its busiest seasons of the year. That hiring figure accounts for typically high turnover. McDonald’s will offer applications through Snapchat, the social media platform that allows users to post pictures or videos in 10-second snippets. The chain started accepting “Snaplications” in Australia last month, allowing potential employees make video submissions with a special filter that shows them wearing a McDonald’s uniform. The video audition can then be submitted to McDonald’s Snapchat account. After that, McDonald’s will send back a link to the application and digital careers page. “We thought Snaplications was a great way to allow us to meet job seekers where they are — their phones,” said Jez Langhorn, McDonald’s USA’s senior director of human resources. McDonald’s said allowing applications through Snapchat will aid hiring efforts because many of its applicants are between the ages of 16 and 24. It will direct marketing about the application process to select Snapchat users nationwide starting Tuesday. The company, headquartered outside Chicago, also is using other platforms like Spotify and Hulu to reach potential job seekers. McDonald’s, which like the rest of the fast-food industry grapples with high employee turnover, has about 375,000 employees worldwide at any given time. A spokeswoman declined to give McDonald’s turnover rate.