Yelp’s opens new Chicago office and announces 100 jobs

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Yelp Co-founder and CEO Jeremy Stoppelman today opened Yelp’s new Chicago office and announced that the company plans to add an additional 100 jobs in the next 12 to 18 months. These jobs are in addition to the 300 positions that Yelp committed to hiring when it announced the opening of its Chicago office in August, 2014. In addition, the company has partnered with Skills for Chicagoland’s Future (SCF), a public-private partnership partially funded by the City of Chicago, to identify and recruit qualified, underemployed job seekers for its Chicago office.

“Yelp is a globally-recognized company and their decision to open a new Chicago office, creating hundreds of new jobs, speaks to the talent we have today and the economic future we are building for tomorrow,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “By partnering with Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, Yelp will get the talented workers it wants, and residents in neighborhoods all throughout Chicago will get the job opportunities they need. It is a win-win.”

“Chicago is an ideal location for Yelp to grow our business while delivering the best online and mobile resources to help small businesses thrive and to connect consumers with great local businesses,” said Yelp co-founder and CEO Jeremy Stoppelman. “We are excited to be a part of the Chicago tech community and help create hundreds of new jobs in the city.”

Out of a commitment to make an impact on the Chicago community and to diversify its workforce, Yelp has committed to work with SCF in an effort to hire under- and unemployed Chicago or Cook County residents for its open account executive positions with potential for expanding the partnership in the future. The account executive role is a full-time, entry-level sales position with benefits and a base pay of approximately $35,000, plus commission.

SCF is tasked with sourcing and screening candidates. The company will conduct interviews to determine eligibility for the position based on criteria provided by Yelp’s human resources team. SCF will then submit candidates to Yelp’s team for review.

“Yelp has demonstrated a commitment to make an impact on the Chicago-area community,” said Marie Trzupek Lynch, president & CEO of Skills for Chicagoland’s Future. “We look forward to working with Yelp and supporting their employment needs as they grow their presence here, and we have officially started recruiting for these positions today.”

To accommodate its expected growth in Chicago, Yelp has added an additional 10,000 square feet of office space in the Merchandise Mart, bring its office to a total 60,000 square feet.

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