CATHY McCARTHY Metro Business asked Cathy McCarthy, a senior vice president at Henrico County-based SnagAJob.com, an hourly and part-time job-listing Web site, about the holiday hiring season: “We are right in the heart of the holiday hiring season, and now is a good time to look for part-time supplemental work. “SnagAJob.com recently completed a survey of hourly hiring managers, and what they told us was that it is going to be a tough year for holiday hiring. They are looking to hire about 16 percent fewer workers than they did last year.

Henrico County-based SnagAJob.com is one of the nation’s best small businesses to work for, according to a human-resource group and a consulting firm. For the second straight year, the company, which operates a job-search Web site, was ranked third-best among businesses that employ up to 250 people. The annual rankings, compiled by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Great Place to Work Institute, include the top 25 small and top 25 medium-sized companies in America.

With temperatures yesterday reaching the low 90s, thousands worked up a healthy sweat while sampling from 22 Virginia wineries at the 18th annual James River Wine Festival. Wine was plentiful, but shade was not on the festival grounds at the Innsbrook Corporate Center in western Henrico County. Putting their Army skills to use, retired Lt. Col. Justin Porto, 54, and retired Master Sgt. John Modrich, 49, fashioned a tent out of umbrella chairs, a quilt and PVC pipe found in nearby woods. Army Capt. Heather Andrews, 36, and Christina Bleck, 50, took refuge from the sun beneath the makeshift shade.

Teenagers and college students who are planning to get a summer job should expect a highly competitive market this year. “Last year’s summer hiring season was not a good one for teenagers, either, and this one will be even more tough,“ said Shawn Boyer, president and chief executive officer of the Henrico County-based job-search Web site SnagAJob.com.

SnagAJob.com last night won the Young Professional Workplace Award for fostering a dynamic, supportive environment for young professionals. The award, in its first year, recognizes a firm that attracts and retains young employees, promotes a work-life balance, offers development and leadership opportunities and encourages volunteerism.