A free seminar to guide Bermudian online applicants into hundreds of jobs at the Fairmont Southampton has been launched by the resort.

After the hotel announced this month that it was embarking on the largest recruitment campaign in its history, it has partnered with the Department of Workforce Development for a two-day digital campaign to guide prospective applicants through the online procedure.

More than 500 additional positions are being sought towards a final staff of roughly 700.

The resort, which is under refurbishment, is required by a government mandate for “at least 50 per cent of the positions available through this recruitment initiative” to be filled by Bermudians, said Jason Hayward, the Minister of Economy and Labour.

The announcement came as dozens of positions, ranging from bartending and culinary jobs to housekeeping and guest services, were advertised across three pages in The Royal Gazette, with a closing date of September 30.

Two “digital application support” sessions are offered on Monday and Tuesday at the workforce development training facility in the West Hall of the Bermuda College, from 10am to 7pm and 8am to 11am respectively.

Staff from both the department and the Fairmont Southampton will be on hand.

The support days are aimed at would-be workers with limited computer access, or who are unfamiliar with using online hiring platforms.

A hotel statement said: “The event is designed specifically for prospective candidates who would benefit from in-person support completing their online application — operating on a walk-in basis, with no appointment or preregistration required.

“Workforce development is providing the training space and computer stations, with Fairmont Southampton supplementing with additional laptops so every candidate has access to a device.”

The job opportunities can be found through the resort’s website or at careers.accor.com, and can also be accessed by scanning a QR code.

The hotel advised candidates to bring a copy of their CV, and be prepared to access their e-mail account to complete the application and register on the department’s Bermuda Job Connect site.

The completed resort, which opened its Palmetto Beach Club to the public on August 13, is to feature 593 guestrooms and suites.

The Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda’s biggest hotel, was acquired by Gencom, a Miami-based investment firm, when the company purchased the site’s owner, Westend Properties, in 2019. It has been closed for more than six years.

Although a reopening date for the Fairmont Southampton as a whole has not been given, Kiaran MacDonald, a regional vice-president with the hotel management company, said last month that “everyone is working very hard to try and make that happen before the end of the year”.