More than 155 employers showed up at the annual Operation: Hire A Hoosier Vet Career Fair on Wednesday, hoping to match their available jobs with those who have given so much to serve their country.
The sixth annual event was sponsored by the Indiana Employment Support of the Guard and Reserve, the Department of Labor, Department of Veteran Affairs, Indiana National Guard Transition Assistance, the Military Family Research Institute and a host of other organizations. Held at a hanger at Indianapolis’ Stout Field, the event attracted nearly 1,000 job-seekers, who came dressed in crisp suits and professional attire to complete applications, network with human resource managers, and learn about career opportunities with local, regional and national organizations.
All of them were veterans.
“It’s like it was last year – it’s top notch,” said Calvin Thurman, an Indianapolis Army veteran who says the military helped make him the man he is today. “It’s great. I hope they keep it going, and if the right job opportunity came up, I would snatch it up in a minute.”
Providing meaningful employment for the nation’s service members and veterans continues to be a key issue for Congress, the Obama Administration, and American employers. But barriers to hiring remain, and many employers do not receive the benefits that they could receive if they did so. In fact, a survey conducted by the Military Family Research Institute found that 58 percent of responding employers do not take advantage of available tax credits provided for those who hire veterans.
But in opening remarks, Major General R. Martin Umbarger, Adjutant General of Indiana, said that the employers who attended Wednesday’s event demonstrated an admirable commitment to military families.
“I am so thankful here in Indiana to have employers who are working to hire service men and service women,” he said. “It’s the number one issue as I talk to men and women who come back. They are looking for jobs and you’re here today, so thank you so much.”
Volunteers made the job fair possible. Some of them were students from IUPUI’s Tourism, Conventions and Event Management program, who earned service hours for their participation.
Since 2009, MFRI’s Operation Diploma initiative has collaborated on multiple employment-related events across Indiana. This includes job fairs and career-skills and job-preparedness workshops.
At each one, Operation Diploma has gathered information from employers about the kinds of skills that they value. A recurring theme: employers value “soft skills” (inquisitiveness, initiative, and good communication skills, for example) – the very ones that military service wwwelops in the men and women who serve. Organizational behavior, leadership, supervision, and interpersonal communication are among the skills gained through military training, according the American Council on Education.
Still, some employers have trouble accurately interpreting veterans’ résumés if the documents are laden with military-specific job descriptions or terms. This can make it difficult to translate an applicant’s veteran skillset to the civilian workplace. Megan Frew, human resource coordinator representing St. Vincent Healthcare at the job fair, has advice for employers who have difficulty deciphering the military terms they encounter in applicants’ documents.
“It’s worth investing the time to find out, instead of just saying, ‘I don’t know what this means,’” she said. “We are here to reach out to service men and women. When we hire veterans, those are the folks who last, because they are dedicated individuals.”
Frew said it was her second year participating, and noted that St. Vincent took applications for a wide variety of careers – nursing, respiratory therapist, food services, clerical and administration.
Last year, St. Vincent’s participation in the Career Fair yielded important results for the organization.
“We had a ton of people come through here and we had some hires from it,” Frew said. One in particular works at the St. Vincent facility in Lafayette. “She got deployed, but she’ll be back. And we look forward to having her back.”
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-IN, sent a letter of support that was read at the opening ceremony.
“From the Revolutionary War to the current Global War On Terror, Hoosiers have faithfully answered the call to military service,” he wrote. “At a time when the unemployment rate for returning veterans is unprecedented, I am pleased to see the extensive network of employers that recognize the unique capabilities of our veterans and I am hopeful that many will find jobs as a result of this career fair.”
One veteran obtained a job offer on the spot. The offer was issued by Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc., which wwwelops, manages, builds and owns multi-family rental housing and storage facilities throughout the Midwest and Gulf region.
Brittany Patrick, of Whiteland, served for five years in the Marine Corps, including a seven-month deployment to Iraq. An Ivy Tech Community College student set to graduate this semester, she has hit the job market in hopes of securing a job prior to leaving school. She said she felt like the one thing the job fair lacked were jobs targeting women veterans.
“There were quite a few employers who would have been interesting to work for, but they didn’t have openings that fit who I am,” she said. Still, she made efforts to hand out her résumé in hopes that employers might have positions available in the days and weeks ahead.
One organization attending aims to help disabled veterans through the services it offers. WorkForce Diversity provides job placement services in Miami County. An upcoming open house for veteran and military families there will be held on April 25 in Peru. For more information, call 765-454-5997. Other job fairs and preparedness workshops can be found on MFRI’s event page.