Verizon Wireless plans to hire 125 customer-service representatives at its Dublin call center, said spokeswoman Laura Merritt.
That will bring the employment total there to about 1,400 and in all of central Ohio, including retail stores, to 1,700, she said.
The company recently acquired Alltel, increasing its customer base. Both companies offer cell phones and wireless service.
"What we're looking at is kind of an anomaly when you look at Verizon Wireless and how we're doing," Merritt said. "We're definitely a rarity in this economy because we're experiencing both growth and profitability."
Verizon's hiring plans are good news for Dublin. The company always has had a strong base of employees there, said Colleen Gilger, Dublin's economic development administrator.
"It's a wonderful thing," she said. "I think call centers in general in central Ohio do very well. Filling those types of jobs with qualified workers is an easy thing to do."
Dublin has been fortunate to have expanding companies within its borders. The Verizon facility is next door to the Cardinal Health expansion and just down the road from where the new Interstate Gas Supply headquarters is being built, Gilger said.
"Our diverse employment base here is continuing to add jobs in a multitude of employment sectors," Gilger said.
The Verizon center in Dublin handles customer calls from Ohio and other states.
Base salary for the customer-service positions should start around $29,000, Merritt said. Prospective employees should have strong technical skills and be able to multitask, she said.
"The company does provide extensive training. It's almost like college. They go through several weeks of extensive training, then they actually observe people handling customer calls before they handle calls themselves," she said. "We want people to feel ready before they actually hit the floor."
The positions also allow for advancement within the company. Merritt said about 90 percent of non-entry-level positions are filled from within.
"Our area president started off as a customer-service representative, and now she's a president over 15 states," Merritt said.
Verizon Wireless saw fourth-quarter wireless revenue increase by about 12 percent from the same period of 2007. Most of the company's Ohio employees received a 2008 bonus, and they can expect raises in April, Merritt said.
"The company is doing well and realizes a big piece of why is because of the employees, and we want to reward those employees," she said.
Verizon says information about the new Dublin jobs should be available soon at www.verizonwireless.com/careers.
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