UPS announced that it expects to sign-up nearly 40,000 seasonal employees this Friday, in a one-day hiring blitz it’s calling 'UPS Brown Friday'.

The company launched last month plans to hire 100,000 seasonal workers to support its annual holiday shipping rush, and UPS Brown Friday is part of that continuing effort. UPS is holding nearly 170 hiring fairs across the country on Friday, and will be hiring thousands of candidates on the spot. A list of local hiring events is available here.

“Just about everyone has heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but for anyone looking for a great seasonal job this holiday season, UPS Brown Friday promises the first good deal of the season,” said  Stefond Harris, Vice President, Human Resources. “Many of those who come to one of our job fairs this Friday could be signed up for a seasonal role by Monday.”

Those who are unable to attend a hiring fair can still apply easily online, at UPSjobs.com. Videos featuring employees describing their work experience at UPS are also available at the UPS jobs website.

 The full- and part-time seasonal positions – primarily package handlers, drivers and driver-helpers – have long been an entry point for permanent employment at UPS. Many senior UPS executives, including Chief Executive Officer David Abney and other members of the company’s senior leadership team, started their UPS careers as part-time employees.

Over the last three years, 35 percent of the people UPS hired for seasonal package handler jobs were later hired in a permanent position when the holidays were over. In fact, 128,000 UPS employees established their careers at the company after starting as seasonal employees – that’s roughly one-third of the company’s U.S. workforce.