NEW YORK -- Besides packages, UPS is promising to deliver something else fast: job offers.

       The package delivery company said Thursday that it plans to hire more than 100,000 people for the busy holiday shipping season, many of whom will get job offers within 30 minutes of applying.

       UPS needs to snap up workers as fast as it can because of the tight job market. Competition for hourly workers is fierce, and many companies are offering higher pay, sign-on bonuses and even lowering their requirements, such as hiring those without a high school diploma. Take too long to hire, and an applicant can go elsewhere.

       “Candidates want instant gratification,” said Matt Lavery, UPS’s global director of sourcing and recruiting. “We wanted to take away as many barriers as we could.”

       The speedy hiring applies to its most common jobs for seasonal workers: package handlers and driver helpers, who take a package from a truck and deliver it to doorsteps, but don't drive the vehicle.

       The company said it whittled down its hiring decisions to half-an-hour by having applicants submit all their paperwork online and forgoing interviews. Applicants could be working as soon as a day or two. Before it would take up to two weeks with all the scheduling that had to be done for interviews, according to Lavery.

       Atlanta-based UPS said it pays between $15 per hour and $22 per hour, depending where in the country the job is. In some areas of the country, where it's tougher to find workers, it offers bonuses that could hike up the hourly rate, the company said.