Home Depot hiring 600 for March-April rush

Home Depot stores on Long Island are looking to hire 600 part-timers for the upcoming "Spring Black Friday" retail season - four weekends in March and April when the home improvement stores are packed with do-it-yourselfers.

Hiring and training begin this month, part of a national drive to hire 60,000 workers.

"Seasonal associates will be assigned responsibilities based on their previous retail or home improvement experience, and depending on the needs of individual stores," the company said.

Home Depot's website lists 17 stores on Long Island.

Applicants can apply at the in-store kiosk at a local Home Depot store or online at careers.home

depot.com.

Once online, applicants should go to the Search for Opportunities tab, click the drop-down menu arrow, choose In-Store Hourly, then choose a store location and a job type.

"When most job seekers think of seasonal hiring, they usually think of the holidays," the company said. "But spring is a busy time for the home improvement industry, and a key hiring season for The Home Depot."

The world's largest home improvement retailer had 317,000 employees, including 298,000 hourly or temporary workers, as of Jan. 31, 2010, according to an annual securities filing. About 61 percent worked full-time.With Bloomberg News