If you've been champing at the bit to work at the Pittsburgh casino, your moment is coming.

At a time when many employers are shedding jobs, the Rivers Casino is making its first big push to fill 1,082 positions, more than 900 of them full-time, at the North Shore slots venue.

A "very diverse" group of jobs awaits applicants, including accountants, slot technicians and attendants, cooks, chefs, waiters and waitresses, dishwashers, porters, bartenders, busboys, valets, security officers, electricians, landscapers, and marketing and human resource employees.

Pay will range from $7 to $8 an hour (for jobs that involve tips) to as much as $30 an hour, General Manager Ed Fasulo said. The full-time jobs come with full medical, dental and vision coverage as well as other benefits.

Officials hope to hire about 800 people between June 15 and August 1, just before the casino, being built west of the Carnegie Science Center, is set to open.

"It's a good time to be opening up and creating jobs in this environment when companies are cutting back," Mr. Fasulo said. "It's nice to be able to do this."

The casino will get things rolling with a career day April 29 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. There will be two sessions, at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Mr. Fasulo billed the event as an orientation and introduction to the casino industry. Visitors will be able to meet with managers representing various job categories. There also will be presentations on state licensing requirements and background checks and "some of the other things unique to the gaming industry," he said.

No hiring will take place at career day. In fact, the casino is encouraging job seekers to apply on line at www.theriverscasino.com for the work they want, although it won't reject paper applications.

The on-line process will enable the casino to log, document and track the applications and make it easier for managers to access them, Mr. Fasulo said.

"It's a lot easier, a lot more efficient, and it's better for the potential team member because they're assured of getting in the system and being reviewed," he said.

The casino has made arrangements with the Northside Leadership Conference, the North Shore Community Alliance, state CareerLink centers, the Career Development Center, and the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh to provide people without computers access to them to fill out applications.

So far, the casino has hired 38 people. It also did face-to-face interviews with more than 200 people referred to it by the Northside Leadership Conference as part of an agreement that gave people from the North Side and other low-income areas a first crack at jobs.

The casino already has hired a couple people from that group and will extend more offers in the next few weeks, Mr. Fasulo said.

In some cases, people applying for casino jobs will face more stringent requirements than those in other fields. For example, those working on the gambling side must be licensed by the state.

Those who have a felony conviction can't work on the gambling end until 15 years after the end of the sentence but that does not bar them from taking a job elsewhere in the casino. All employees are subject to a background check or fingerprinting.

Mr. Fasulo urged job seekers to be "completely upfront and honest" in filling out the application even if it's bad news.

"If you had a felony 12 years ago, put it in there. If you don't have full disclosure, you'll get knocked out of the box," he said.

While some jobs require more specialized skills, the vast majority are governed by the 80/20 rule -- 80 percent enthusiasm, attitude and personality and 20 percent skill, Mr. Fasulo said.

"It's easier to teach people how to do something than to smile and be pleasant," he said. "If you come in with a great attitude and a good personality, that gets you one foot in the door."