MCB Quantico -- Job fairs may seem daunting at first, but a lot of good information can be gathered from them. Knowing what employers are looking for in a military resume just might give you an edge over other applicants. Employers at job fairs often conduct interviews and hire applicants on the spot.
Private companies and government agencies participate in job fairs dedicated to military members and veterans, like the Hiring Our Heroes job fair that was held at The Clubs at Quantico in the fall for those transitioning out of the military. Often, job fairs also offer seminars to job seekers as well as panel discussions that can help in a job search.
A variety of employment opportunities are available at job fairs —everything from bank tellers to scientists needed to research the Zika virus can be found. Military recruiters recently shared why hiring veterans is a good idea.
Taylor Sias, talent acquisition coordinator with Bozzuto (a real estate development company) said military members and veterans hold a lot of the qualities her company is looking for in an employee. For example, they have leadership attributes, they are reliable, dependable, very flexible and you can “always count on them to go above and beyond. I think everyone is looking for this in an ideal candidate,” she said.
Mark Yackel, who is in charge of military recruiting locally for PNC Bank said, “Our job is to help the individual find out if PNC is right for them,” he said. “We explain to them how the skills they obtained in the military apply to the public sector. Reading a job description we may put out is sometimes like reading a foreign language.” He went on to say that when management gets a resume from a former military member his job is to decipher it for them. “We are able to look at it differently. For example, one thing I look for is problem-solving ability. If you have been dropped into the desert in Afghanistan, that’s a real problem. If they can handle that problem they can handle our problems,” Yackel said.
The one key point that Yackel brought up is that military members are loyal. “On others we spend six months training them, then they walk out the door. You don’t find that in the military,” he said.
The Arlington Virginia Police Department Representative for military recruiting, Sgt. A. Cromer, said that she likes the life experience gained in the military and it is the key to why her organization likes to hire veterans.
“They are self-starters and they have initiative and discipline,” she said. “It’s an easy choice. The life lessons they have learned in the military are priceless.”
Hiring Our Heroes has a list of upcoming job fairs in Virginia and all over the United States. Visit https://events.recruitmilitary.com/exhibitors/schedule.