Help Wanted in western New York

GETZVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) - It's not all doom and gloom when it comes to the local job front.

"And my goal is to provide you with excellent service. Anything else I can help you with tonight?"

The GEICO office in Getzville employs about 1500 people.

There's also lots of empty desks.

That's because GEICO plans to hire between one and two hundred people in the next three months in claims, service, and sales.

GEICO hiring manager Carl Camardo said, "It feels great to be that person in western New York who's adding jobs instead of taking away the jobs. And I'm also Buffalo born and raised so it makes me even feel better."

GEICO is owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

In spite of the economy, the company is growing, and the Buffalo office is taking on more responsibility.

Camardo said, "Pay is $30,000 for our evening associates. It's $27,500 to start if you're a daytime position."

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs in Buffalo is also hiring 95 claims examiners to process benefits for the new post 9/11 GI Bill.

Applicants need to have a Bachelors degree.

Wendell Fortier (Department of Veterans Affairs) said, "They start at about $38,000 a year. They're what we call term appointments. They run from a minimum of 13 months out to 48 months, four years."

The Department of Veterans Affairs will hold a job fair this Monday from noon until nine p.m. at the Millennium Hotel in Cheektowaga.

Buffalo Niagara careers