Job fairs planned for holiday season

The American Legion, in coordination with various organizations, will conduct around 15 career fairs for veterans, servicemembers and their families throughout the holiday season. From now until the first week of 2013, Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) job fairs will span out across the country, reaching locations like Camp Pendleton, Calif., Phoenix, Ariz., and Orlando, Fla. A full listing of them are available on the Legion’s career fairs calendar.

The holidays push for job fairs will begin Dec. 6 with three HOH events in Houston, Springfield, Va., and Annville, Pa. Held at Camp Pendleton's Warrior Hope & Care Center, the Dec. 15 event in Camp Pendleton will cater especially to wounded warriors and those with service-connected disabilities.

Hiring Our Heroes is an initiative led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to connect veterans with employers. The American Legion has provided full support for the program, often arranging for HOH job fairs to be held at Legion posts and helping find veteran-friendly employers who are willing to attend the events.

This year, around 300 job fair nationwide have been coordinated under the Hiring Our Heroes banner, with employers like Amazon, Lowe’s, the FBI and the Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs having steady attendance.

Attendees to the career fairs are asked to wear business professional attire and submit their résumés beforehand through the electronic registration link provided for each job fair. Pre-registration is not required and walk-ins are accepted. Registration, however, is encouraged to allow attendees to get an opportunity to familiarize themselves with employers who will be on hand and to give employers access to the attendee’s résumé beforehand.

To find a veterans career fair in your area, see the Legion’s job fairs calendar or the U.S. Chamber’s full listing of Hiring Our Heroes events.