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LATHAM, N.Y. – About 185 military veterans, Guard members, and service members turned out to find jobs or hone their job-seeking skills at a Hiring Our Heroes Veterans' Job Fair held at the New York National Guard armory here March 5.
The event transformed the normally quiet state facility into a busy marketplace of job-seekers, who met and networked with about 85 potential employers in booths that took up the entire drill shed floor. General Electric, which sponsored the event, also held a workshop on resume writing and interviewing in an armory classroom.
A U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation initiative, Hiring our Heroes helps veterans, serving National Guard members and Reservists, and military spouses find meaningful employment through nationwide hiring fairs, according to the chamber’s website. Since it began in 2011, Hiring our Heroes has helped 25,000 individuals find jobs, a chamber spokesperson said.
The March 5 event was the second job fair held at the armory here, and one of five held in the capital region since the program began. The New York National Guard has also hosted events New York, Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Farmingdale, Peekskill and Binghamton.
Companies including Global Foundries, CAP COM Federal Credit Union, Albany Molecular Research, Inc, Arnoff Moving & Storage of Albany, NAPA Auto Parts, and Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation took part in the fair.
Along with other organizations, Hiring our Heroes partnered local chambers of commerce to attract employers to the event, according to Kathryn Poynton, an Iraq veteran, retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel, and director of events for Hiring our Heroes.
About 70 organizations came to the last Latham event in 2013, and the partner organizations were instrumental in drawing potential employers to the current fair, Poynton stressed.
Due to limited space, there were 36 more employers on a waiting list, she added.
“We’re giving back to the veterans, and that’s what this all about,” Poynton said. “We’re giving back to those who have given so much.”
Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, the Adjutant General of New York, kicked off the fair with gratitude and praise for the potential employers.
“Thanks to all those that have come to offer jobs,” he said. “This obviously wouldn’t be an event with any success if we didn’t have as part of this.”
Each of the companies and organizations have a job to offer, Murphy emphasized.
“If it’s filled with a veteran or current serving member, all the better,” he said.
Retired state sergeant major Robert Van Pelt, transition assistance advisor who helped organize the event , capped Murphy’s remarks with stern advice for job hunters.
“Don’t be bashful,” he told the job seekers. “Tell the employers what you can do.”
Spc. Paul Neaton, a Soldier with C Company, 1st Battalion, 108th Infantry, echoed Van Pelt’s sentiments. Neaton, who is finishing his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, said he was “overwhelmed” by the amount of potential employers at the fair.
“I see a lot of opportunity here, for everybody,” said Neaton, a Cohoes, N.Y. resident.
He encouraged veterans and service members to reach out to employers at events like the job fair.
Brandon Wynn, an Army veteran from Albany, attended the workshop as well as the fair. The event was a learning experience, with refreshing, face-to-face contact.
“It was good to talk to someone from the company, to find out how to enhance my resume,” he said. “At the very least, I’m learning what jobs are out there, and building my network.”
The workshop and fair gave him some homework to do, Wynn said with a smile.
“I have good solid hour of work to do on my resume, then I have a lot of companies to do research on,” he said.
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| Date Taken: | 03.05.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.05.2015 16:28 |
| Story ID: | 156098 |
| Location: | LATHAM , NY, US |
| Web Views: | 153 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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