The transition process from service member to civilian is tough on many fronts—and for some, the most difficult part is finding meaningful employment. When I returned home from Iraq, I worked at a local news station in New York from 3:30 to 9:00 AM and attended school full-time. I could only maintain this schedule for so long until I traded in the early morning shifts for waitressing at night. While it was work, I wanted something more—especially after college.

At VA, we are collaborating with U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the White House to help Veterans find meaningful work through the “Hiring Our Heroes” program. Below you’ll find a list of hiring events located throughout the country from July 19 to July 30, 2012. If you don’t see your state listed, don’t worry! I’ll continuously update the blog with new dates and locations throughout the year—so be sure to check back.

July 19, 2012 – Irving, TX from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM at the Irving Convention Center

July 19, 2012 – Eugene, OR from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the Lane County Armed Forces Reserve Center

July 24, 2012 – Florence, KY from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the American Legion Boone Post #4

July 24, 2012 – Joint Base Lewis- McChord, WA – Military Spouse Event from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the Club at McChord Field Bldg 700

July 26, 2012 – Philadelphia, PA from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM at the Lincoln Financial Field

July 26, 2012 – Glen Ellyn, IL from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the College of Dupage

July 27, 2012 – Romney, WV details to come.

July 30, 2012 – Butler, PA from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the VA Butler Healthcare Auditorium

July 30, 2012 – Fredericksburg, VA from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the American Legion Post #290

If you’re thinking about attending one of the hiring fairs, stop by VA for Vets Career Center to see how your military skills translate and to build or update your resume. You can find a complete list of upcoming hiring events on Chamber of Commerce’s website.

Best of luck!

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7 Comments

  1. Jose Mateo July 20, 2012 at 21:47

    I attended a few job fairs and didn’t get any results. I’m a young veteran and when I inquired about a Secret Service job at one of this job fairs, the agent looked at me like I was crazy and basically implied that the position was available for someone with a masters degree in criminal justice. The job fair targeted E-5 and below personnel, and honestly I do not know that many that hold a Masters Degree to begin with… My college has been more efficient at finding me job opportunities than these “job fairs”. I really appreciate the help and I understand the organizations that hold these job fairs have good intentions, but the companies are not really helping.

    Jose Mateo

  2. Christiana Nielson July 18, 2012 at 14:07

    Thanks for helping veterans find employment! Hopefully this problem will lessen when the Association of American Railroads hires 5,000 vets this year. Check out Veterans United’s blogs here: http://www.veteransunited.com/channels.html.

  3. Ted Scott July 18, 2012 at 09:09

    Please consider getting the job fair dates and location information on the street earlier in the process. This would help several of the companies I know make plans to get involved. Thanks.

  4. Alex Bravo July 17, 2012 at 20:56

    These job fair do nothing to get veterans employed. I have been to some of these job fairs in Southern California. Most companies will not take your resume and tell you to apply on their website. This is just lip service, the fact is that most veterans that attend these events will not be even considered for any open positions even if the veterans actually qualifies for it. Veterans do not enjoy the experience most these companies want and therefore not much is done for veterans. These companies do not provide a reference number or direct contact to help veterans to get employed in their companies. They send their human resources department representatives and sincerely they do not know very much. They do not provide any real help, this is mainly a waste of time and gas. You can do most of the application process from home. I have run into few veterans in the same job fair and that is very discouraging. I am sorry to sound negative but that is the reality. Companies want experience and we as veterans are a disadvantage there. Any ways, good luck and hopefully your experience will be different from many veterans who are still trying.

  5. reginal lewis July 17, 2012 at 17:06

    I am not getting my meds,that come from the VA hospiyal in Loma Linda,can anyone help me?

    • reginal lewis July 17, 2012 at 17:08

      The post is not delivering my mail.

    • Kate Hoit July 18, 2012 at 08:16

      Good morning,

      Have you contacted VA Loma Linda? They should be able to tell you what is going on. Maybe the RX ran out? Need another appointment? Someone there should be able to point you in the right direction! Here’s their number: (909) 825-7084

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