Eager to get to work

By Liz Benston

Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 | 2 a.m.

When MGM Mirage’s $8.5 billion CityCenter resort opens next month, its financial and artistic merits will be debated the world over. For the 12,000 people starting work there, its virtues are unambiguous: In a state with the nation’s second-highest unemployment rate, CityCenter is a lifeline.

With some 160,000 applicants vying for jobs, CityCenter could pick the best of the best. These six job seekers count themselves among the lucky. Their stories, edited for length and clarity, were collected at random on the day they accepted jobs at CityCenter.

Deborah Peterson

Age: 37 | Linen attendant, Aria hotel | Starts: Dec. 2

The past two years have been like riding up in an elevator and then the floor suddenly opens and you’re in free fall.

I was laid off in 2008 from Mandalay Bay as a linen supervisor. It wasn’t a surprise. Business had been falling off. Before this, I never had a problem finding a job. So I was picky at first. Then I was looking for anything. I was filling out 50 to 100 job applications a week. I applied at hotels, retail stores, grocery stores. I felt like my application was thrown in the trash. Or they were hitting the “delete” button. I would say, “Is there a human being I can talk to?” I’d rather get a “no” or “you’re not right for the position” than nothing at all.

I thought about moving out of state but I knew it wouldn’t be much better anywhere else. My sister moved to Washington state and got an accounting job but was laid off six months later.

I like living here. I’ll go to Wal-Mart in the middle of the night and walk around, not buying anything. That’s my thinking place, where I organize my life. There aren’t too many other places where you can do that, at any hour.

I’m two months behind on my mortgage payment and my ex-husband isn’t paying child support. I’ve been the sole provider for my kids since they were 2 and 3 and now they’re 11 and 12.

This is an entry-level job, but I’m hoping to move up. My work ethic and track record speak for themselves. When I left Mission Linen for more career advancement at Mandalay Bay, they hired two people to replace me.

I count myself lucky. Being out of work is one thing. But looking for a job has been a horrible experience. People treat you like you’re not even there. That was the worst part of all — feeling invisible.

Alicia Mikkelsen

Age: 44 | Pit clerk, Aria hotel | Starts: Dec. 7

I had opened a call center and worked for the Transportation Services Authority. I figured I had the skills to get a decent job. I was out of work for more than two years. I even applied at McDonald’s — and didn’t get the job.

I felt like my skills worked against me. I was either unqualified or overqualified. They thought, “We’re going to train her and she’s going to move on.”

My problem is that when I was working at TSA, my hand got caught on a heavy bag as it went down a conveyor belt. I’ve lost much of my ability to form a grip. Looking for work became a full-time job. My husband, who also worked for the TSA, got a job with Southwest Airlines more than a year ago and was supporting us both.

I began my search looking for jobs that at least matched my previous salary. I contacted hotels and gaming technology companies. I broadened my search. I put my resume all over job sites. I sent e-mails and knocked on doors. My cover letters went from hopeful to desperate. I was almost begging people for a job.

In two years I got three interviews. You just want to get an interview, and then you at least have a chance.

Then, in March, I got a screening interview at CityCenter. I checked my excitement. I knew I was one of thousands — a speck in the crowd. I got a second call back in July. I’ll be looking up player ratings for comps and issuing credit to gamblers. It’s my first job on a casino floor. I’m left-handed, which is the hand I injured. But I can still type with it — I’m a good typist. This is a new beginning for me.

Dionica Hernandez

Age: 57 | Kitchen worker, Aria hotel | Starts: Nov. 30

I started from the ground up. I moved with my husband to Las Vegas from Oregon in 2005 and I set to work on my goal of managing a kitchen, which is where I belong.

I went to JobConnect and was told to sign up for the Culinary Training Academy. After I got my certificate, I went down to the Culinary hall to look for jobs.

I found a lot of sad people there with no jobs. The jobs seemed to be gone by the time they were posted. If you really want something, you have to make it happen yourself because no one is going to make it happen for you.

I showed up at the Sands Expo Center and went into an employee area. There was a supervisor there who was impressed by my experience. I got a job clocking in employees and moved up into a supervisor job a few months later. It lasted only a year because business got to be so bad.

I took a part-time job as a security officer, which helped pay the bills after my husband got laid off.

I applied for a kitchen job at CityCenter early this year. I have a lot to offer. I worked my way up from a dishwashing job at an Oregon restaurant. I planned menus, stocked and prepared food and scheduled shifts. The owner gave me the keys and I ran the place. I’m not shy about my talents. The people who interviewed me at CityCenter told me I was the top candidate for this position.

This job is only a part of me. I have helped many people find work. I motivate them and I sympathize.

My real happiness comes from helping others, which is why the Lord put me on this earth.

Terry Price

Age: 51 | Sign shop supervisor, Aria hotel and convention center | Started: Oct. 1

Of the thousands of people working at the Aria hotel, there’s only one sign shop supervisor: me. I beat out hundreds of candidates, including my husband, who’s still looking for work.

I’m an artisan who owned a laser engraving business with my husband. We engraved images on stone, glass and other hard surfaces.

Getting here wasn’t easy. I’d been looking for a job for about a year.

I was a graphic artist and sign maker for many years. My husband and I got jobs with the Tropicana’s sign shop in 2005 then left to start a home-based business using new laser technology. We began selling engraved art in 2006. Business was good for a few years. Then the bottom fell out of the economy.

We began looking for jobs last November. We combed through newspapers, posted resumes on the Web and filled out online applications. We broadened our search to marketing and graphic artist jobs. Hundreds of people in the sign business had been laid off across town. The job market was flooded with people like me.

It was the worst possible time for job-hunting. I was also concerned that my age and experience might work against me and employers would seek younger people for entry-level pay. Instead, I’ll be moving up the pay scale at a time when many people are making less.

And I’ll be working for the newest property on the Strip after working at the oldest.

Steve Clemmons

Age: 57 | Guest room attendant, Aria hotel Starts: Dec. 9

After 25 years working as a plumber on construction sites, I would never have believed that I’d be cleaning rooms in a hotel.

My last construction job was a time-share tower near the Strip, which stopped construction last year after the money ran out. It was a bad sign. My father passed away the same month I was laid off. I was so discombobulated it took me awhile to get up the energy just to look for a job.

I began calling plumbing companies. Most said they weren’t accepting applications. So then I showed up in person and got odd jobs and piecemeal construction work. I’d work for a discount.

The local plumber and pipe fitters union told me not to bother paying union dues. They had no jobs and at least 100 people on a waiting list.

What does a construction worker do when there’s no construction jobs? I wasn’t going to go on the road for work and live out of a suitcase, like some people do, moving from one job to the next.

My wife saw ads for CityCenter jobs this year. That’s when I said goodbye to construction.

I used to be all gray. I wore my long hair in a ponytail — it was part of this tough-guy look I had as a construction worker. I cut it off and dyed my hair. My friends say I look at least 10 years younger.

I made a beeline for the Culinary Training Academy. I knew they were training workers for CityCenter jobs.

I hope to get a maintenance job, where I can use my experience. But I will work my way up. There’s no shame in that.

Jose Alvarado

Age: 45 | Baggage handler, Aria hotel Starts: Dec. 10

I was a bell captain at the Plaza hotel downtown for 11 years before I was laid off in January.

I loved everything about that job. When you’re bell captain you’re at the top of the ladder. Now I’m starting at the bottom.

I have three young children, and my in-laws have been living with us since they lost their jobs. My wife and I would have date nights, like Friday night at the movies. Not anymore. Now, we just have bills, bills and more bills.

That’s all we think about these days — bills.

My pride, that hurts, too.

Before getting this job I helped my wife, who has a small catering business.

I went through job listings and approached the hotels for jobs in the bell department.

There were some jobs but they were entry-level, like $10 an hour — less than I was getting on unemployment.

There’s a lot of competition out there and you have to stand out. I think I do.

By the time I applied for a job at CityCenter, the management jobs had been filled. Actually, I’ve been waiting for this job for a long time. It seems promising. The hotel is big and modern. I would rather be a bell captain, but you’ve got to take what you can get and make it better.

I can’t wait to start work. I want to distinguish myself. I’m here, I look good in my suit and tie, and I’m ready to go right now, this minute.