15 top Companies Hiring Now

Times are tough.

And these days, it seems like everyone is looking for a job. But don’t be discouraged by all the depressing news.

Work smarter not harder. How? You just need to know where to look.

Luckily, Excelle‘s done the research for you. We’ve identified fifteen companies that are hiring near you — even now! Read the descriptions then click on the links at the bottom to apply!

Brown-Forman Corporation

Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Sonoma-Cutrer, Korbel and 31 other alcohol brands

Brown-Forman employs 4,440 people worldwide with about 1,300 located in Louisville. Brown-Forman, one of the largest American-owned spirits and wine companies and among the top 10 largest global spirits companies, sells its brands in more than 135 countries and has offices in cities across the globe. In all, Brown-Forman has more than 35 brands in its portfolio of wines and spirits.

Industry: Wine and Spirits

Corporate Offices: Louisville, Kentucky

Other Major Office Branches: North American branches include Versailles, KY; Braintree, MA; Dallas, TX; Lebanon, TN; Lynchburg, TN; Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; Hopland, CA; Newport Beach, CA; San Rafael, CA and Windsor, CA

How They’ve Handled the Recession: There hasn’t been much of a hit to Brown-Forman and its brands. Last quarter sales jumped 4.6%, posted higher earnings, and raised its fiscal year earnings. In a Reuters report, chief executive Paul Varga said “Thus far we are doing fine. These results also reinforce our belief that premium wines and spirits are an affordable luxury in both good times and bad.”

Working at Brown-Forman: At Brown-Forman, we focus on developing the people who build our brands. We begin by recruiting and hiring people of the highest quality and character and then help these talented people grow through formalized professional development programs, such as our award-winning Brand Building University. Less formal training, such as peer-to-peer coaching and our mentoring program, reinforces our guiding philosophy to constantly encourage and enable our employees to grow, learn, and realize their full potential.

Kraft


Cool Whip, DiGiorno, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, Oscar Mayer, Maxwell House, Nabisco, Planters, Ritz, and over a hundred more

Kraft has approximately 103,000 employees worldwide and more than 180 manufacturing and processing facilities worldwide.

Industry: Food and Beverage

Corporate Offices: Global Corporate Headquarters in Northfield, Illinois

Other Major Office Branches: Glenview, Illinois; East Hanover, New Jersey; Madison, Wisconsin; Tarrytown, New York

How They’ve Handled the Recession: Kraft products are present in more than 99% of U.S. households, and even in a recession, that type of figure isn’t likely to change. More now than ever, people are turning to convenient and affordable groceries, over the previously fashionable organic and high-cost foods. The Business Mirror reports, “Sales of Kraft’s boxed mac-and-cheese rose to $193.1 million in the first quarter, 10 percent over the previous year, according to Information Resources Inc., a Chicago-based market-data company.” Economist also cite Kraft’s cutting of food costs, rather than increasing prices like their competitors, as driving more sales for the company.

Working at Kraft: Each location offers extensive convenience services, including fitness facilities, banking centers, on-site dining, on-site dry cleaning, some office locations even have car oil changing services. Also, all sites observe an “appropriate attire” policy, enabling employees to choose to wear traditional business attire or less formal alternatives.
Philip-Morris
Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Merit, Parliament, and 14 other cigarette brands

PM USA has five regional sales offices, 22 sectional sales offices and a field sales force of approximately 2,700 employees located throughout the U.S. and in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Industry: Tobacco Products

Corporate Offices: Richmond, Virginia

Other Major Office Branches: Cabarrus County, North Carolina and 22 Sales offices across the country including Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Seattle, Washington; Bedminster, NJ; Mandeville, Louisiana; Berwyn, PA; Tampa, FL; Milford, OH; Wixom, MI; Indianapolis, IN; Chicago, IL; Overland Park, KS; Denver, CO; Pleasanton, CA; Los Angeles, CA

How They’ve Handled the Recession: Hermann Waldemer, chief financial officer at Philip Morris International, calls the tobacco industry “very recession-resilient.” People are willing to sacrifice a lot of luxuries during tough times, but most have a hard time cutting back on this vice. Shares of Philip Morris have fallen nearly 30% from the year’s highs, but continue to outperform the S&P 500. On December 8th, the The Montley Fool, put PMI on the top of the list “5-Star Stocks Poised to Pop.” Plus, the foreign demand for cigarettes remains strong, keeping the bottom line afloat.

Working at Philip-Morris: For three years in a row, BusinessWeek put PM USA in its list of the 50 best places to launch a career. PM USA jumped 11 spots to No. 32 in the 2008 rankings. Richmond Magazine named PM USA to its annual “Great Places to Work” list in November 2007. The magazine featured various company benefits and amenities, while highlighting “an average tenure of 17 years for salaried and hourly employees and a one-year retention rate of 97 percent in 2006.”
Abbott Labs


15 popular prescriptions, 15 popular medical products, 9 nutritional products including Ensure, Pedialyte and ZonePerfect

Abbot Labs is a 120+ year-old company. They employee 68,000 people worldwide and have more than 100 facilities worldwide. Their products are sold in more than 130 countries.

Industry: Pharmaceutical Health Care

Corporate Offices: North suburban Chicago, Illinois

Other Major Office Branches: Parsippany, New Jersey; Worcester, Massachusetts; Ludwigshafen, Germany

How They’ve Handled the Recession: Medical care is an essential area for people to spend money in, regardless of a downturn in the economy. People will still get their prescriptions, hospitals will still need equipment, sick kids will still need Pedialyte. “Our products are the kind that people rely on and need, regardless of economic conditions,” CEO Miles White says. Furthermore, Abbot Labs’ products are sold internationally. USA Today reports, “Abbott’s third-quarter sales this year soared 18% to $7.5 billion, boosted by autoimmune disorder drug Humira and drug-coated metal stents for heart-related surgery. About half of Abbott’s third-quarter sales were international.”

Working at Abbot Labs:

Abbott has been named to DiversityInc magazine’s annual “Top 50 Companies for Diversity” list for the fifth consecutive year.

Named one of America’s Most Admired Companies every year since 1984 by Fortune magazine

Ranked 96 on “The Fortune 500” list of the largest U.S. based corporations (based on 2007 earnings)

Ranked 167 on the Forbes 2000 list (based on 2007 figures)

Ranked No. 23 in 2007 ranking of world’s 100 most respected companies by Barron’s

Dow Jones Sustainability Index: Listed among world leaders in economic, environmental and social performance four straight years (2005-2008)
Home Away
HomeAway.com, VRBO.com, VacationRentals.com, CyberRentals.com, A1Vacations.com, GreatRentals.com, Holiday-Rentals.co.uk, OwnersDirect.co.uk, FeWo-direkt.de and Abritel.fr.

The HomeAway website has more than 122,000 vacation rental homes, condos, guesthouses, cottages, and cabins in 118 countries. Travelers can search vacation rental listings for free and find accommodations by the night, week or month. For calendar availability and reservations, HomeAway.com directly connects travelers with private homeowners and property managers who know their vacation homes best. Property owners who rent their vacation homes can gain valuable marketing exposure by listing their property on the website for an annual fee. HomeAway is No. 1 in the online vacation-rental sector — a $48 billion market in the USA and Europe, according to research firms PhoCusWright and Illuminas.

Industry: Travel and Hospitality

Corporate Offices: Austin, TX

Other Major Office Branches: New York, NY; London and Ashtead, Surrey in England; Kassel, Germany; Marseilles, France.

How They’ve Handled the Recession: HomeAway.com’s service is attractive for both home renters and property owners and managers, especially in a credit-crunch and mortgage crisis. Property owners and managers that would sell their vacation homes under normal economic circumstances now are stuck with their space. Utilizing a site like HomeAway.com, they can now rent or lease their travel homes to interested travelers for cheaper than the cost of a hotel. This business model has proved profitable with sales up 58% over 2007. Keeping their sights ambitious, HomeAway is aiming for annual revenue of $500 million within five years.

Working at HomeAway: The company cites one of its strongest selling points to potential employees as its awesome location in Austin, TX. Austin was ranked in CNN Money’s Top 100 Places to Live."

Costco Wholesale


Costco Warehouses: 400 locations in 40 U.S. States

Costco Wholesale is a multi-billion dollar global retailer with 526 warehouse club operations in eight countries. Membership sales jobs and marketing jobs abound. They employ 104,000 full and part-time workers in the U.S.

Industry: Supplies and Goods Warehouse

Corporate Offices: Issaquah, Washington.

Other Major Office Branches: Regional offices located in each warehouse in 40 States

How They’ve Handled the Recession: At the end of their fiscal year on August 30, 2008, they made $72.5 billion in revenue. By selling things in bulk at discounted prices, Costco is the go-to store for small to medium size business and individuals that have lots of mouths to feed and clean after. But the bargains come at a price: businesses and people become members to shop at Costco and must pay $50 – $100 a piece. And although stock prices dropped steadily through September and October, the company is on the rise again in November and December. With office supply chains like Office Depot and technology stores like Circuit City closing shop, Costco will remain (with Wal-Mart) a discount-retail leader.

Working at Costco: Costco’s career site asserts “Today, we have accountants, lawyers, buyers, and human resources personnel who began their careers as stockers or cashiers in our locations. We believe that Costco’s future officers are currently working in our warehouses, depots, and business centers, as well as in our Home and Regional Offices.” Costco was named by Washington CEO Magazine as one of the top three companies to work for in the state of Washington. According to an MSN Money report “(Employees) are paid well and enjoy generous health-care benefits.”

To find a job at Costco, look for warehouse in your area. Each one has a regional office and “Most of them are located near or inside a Costco warehouse for additional convenience” according to the Costco Employment website.

Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart stores, Wal-Mart.com, Sam’s Club, Sam’sClub.com

Wal-Mart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide, including more than 1.4 million in the United States. Wal-Mart is not only one of the largest private employers in the U.S., but the largest in Mexico and one of the largest in Canada as well.

Industry: Retail

Corporate Offices: Bentonville, Arkansas

Other Major Office Branches: More than 4,100 facilities in the United States. Walmart.com’s office are located in Brisbane, CA

How They’ve Handled the Recession: Wal-Mart is a company meant to thrive during a time when people’s wallets are thin. Plus, their brand is well recognized as a store that offers low prices and deep discounts. This brand-recognition brings cash-strapped people flocking to buy from stores all over the country. Additionally, Wal-Mart sites conservative financial and operational practices, such as tight inventory control as contributing to their current success. According to USA Today, "During an analysts’ meeting in October, CEO Lee Scott said that Wal-Mart is doing “extraordinarily well,” and that founder Sam Walton built the company to thrive during downturns…At the analysts’ meeting, even cautious Wal-Mart executives couldn’t resist a little crowing. “How many companies,” said Chief Financial Officer Tom Schoewe, “could stand before you today and say that their balance sheet is stronger today than it was a year ago?”

Working at Wal-mart: The average, full-time hourly wage for Wal-Mart associates is $10.83 and is even higher in urban areas. The average full-time hourly wage is $11.62 in Atlanta, $12.57 in Boston, $11.52 in Chicago, $11.26 in Dallas, $11.49 in San Francisco and $11.48 in New York City. (All metro figures based on MSA). Additionally, associates receive performance-based bonuses.

McDonald’s


McDonald’s franchise restaurants, Ronald McDonald House Charity

Is the leading global food service retailer. McDonald’s employs 1.6 million people in more than 30000 restaurants worldwide; it serves 52 million people in more than 100 countries each day.

Industry: Chain Restaurant

Corporate Offices: Oak Brook, Illinois

Other Major Office Branches: Bethesda, Maryland

How They’ve Handled the Recession: When times are tough, it is hard to resist the prices of a Dollar Menu. CEO Jim Skinner says the hamburger giant is “recession-resistant.” Additionally, with their expansive reach across the globe, McDonald’s is still as popular as ever with global sales up 7.7% increase in Europe and up 4.5% in the U.S. in November. Because of the international boost, third quarter earnings rose 6% from last year’s. There’s even a term called the “Big Mac Index” coined by The Economist magazine: “the comparison of a Big Mac’s cost in various world currencies can be used to informally judge these currencies’ purchasing power parity.”

Working at McDonald’s: McDonald’s trains its franchisees and others at Hamburger University in Oak Brook, Illinois.

McDonald’s Named One of 100 Best Companies for Working Moms
2001, LATINA Style Magazine recognizes McDonald’s Corporation As One Of The Top 50 Best Companies for Hispanic Women to Work for in the USA.
1998, Fortune Magazine Global Most Admired Companies, “McDonald’s Corporation was named the most admired company in the food services category”.
ComputerWorld Magazine 1997 recognized McDonald’s Corporation As One Of The Top 100 Places To Work In Information Systems.
ComputerWorld Magazine 1997 recognized McDonald’s Corporation As One Of The Top’s In Training.

Avon Products

Industry: Cosmetics

Avon Products generated $9.8 billion in revenues in fiscal year 2007, with a gross profit margin of 60%. The stocks have been on the rise in December after a deep lull in November.

Career Opportunities at Avon



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lululemon and Urban Outfitters

These two wardrobe powerhouses are far outperforming their competitors, even in tough times.

Procter and Gamble

Industry: Consumer Goods (products include Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Pantene, Bounty, Pringles, Charmin, Downy, Iams, Crest, Actonel and Olay.)

“In October, Procter & Gamble said it earned a nearly 9-percent higher fiscal first-quarter profit because of growth in emerging markets and higher prices” in a report by Forbes.

Career Opportunities at P&G


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Johnson and Johnson

Industry: Health Care Products and Pharmaceuticals

Like Abbot Labs, health care and pharmaceutical companies will continue to perform well in a recession. Furthermore, their recognizable name brand goes far with babies’ hygiene products.

Novartis

Industry: Health Care Products and Pharmaceuticals

The range of medical products – including vaccines, over-the-counter medication, and animal health tools – will keep productions from this company in high demand.

Career Opportunities at Novartis


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Silicon Valley Bank

Industry: Banking

One of the few banks that’s weathered “the storm better than most,” CEO Kenneth Wilcox said to USAToday. How? By using a different business model that requires any loans to have either a) backup from the company’s assets or b) be a long-term, 5-10 year technology or life science project, which are not as effected by a struggling economy. The USAToday report states “Silicon Valley Bank’s total loans hit a record $4 billion last year, and third-quarter deposits grew 18% to $4.8 billion from the same quarter last year.”

Career Opportunities at SVB


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Hartford Financial Services

Industry: Insurance

According to BusinessWeek, Hartford Financial Services “actually raised profit expectations, saying it expects to earn between $4.70 and $4.90 per share, up from a range of $4.30 to $4.50 previously. (HFS) has… More than $12 billion in cash and other liquid investments means “the Hartford is well-capitalized and has ample liquidity,” chairman and chief executive Ramani Ayer said in a statement.”
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