'I'm looking for a career'

Since leaving the Air Force eight years ago, Veronica Brown said she hasn’t been “100 percent employed all the way through” her post-military time. On paper, she said, most companies probably won’t grant her an interview.

That’s why Brown, 29, came to The American Legion-Hiring Our Heroes Career Fair Feb. 24 at the Washington Hilton. Getting a chance to meet prospective employers face to face is critical to Brown.

“I know that when I meet a person face to face that I can make an impression and that I can sell myself,” Brown said. “The problem is getting into the door. There’s absolutely no way that I can see that I would be able to get a job without building some type of network.

“I can get a job working retail … or I can get a job working at McDonald’s. I can do those things. But I’m looking for a career. I think that’s the important distinction. Jobs are everywhere. You need to be able to find a way to get your foot into the door so you can really work toward your life’s goals. That’s what I’m trying to do right now.”

More than 170 veterans, active-duty military and military spouses attended the job fair, which featured 53 employers from private sector, federal government and local municipalities. Accenture, Lockheed Martin, MassMutual, Southwest Airlines, Home Depot, and the departments of Justice, Labor, Customs and Border Protection, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs and State all had tables at the job fair. Nearly 50 job offers were made during the event.

Also present was PNC Bank. Joyce Louden, an Accel Associate for PNC, actually got her job through a military focus event in 2016.

“(PNC) really feels the quality and caliber of candidates that they meet at these events really fits the overall niche that they’re trying to fill,” said Louden, who spent nine years in the Army. “They’re looking for outgoing people who … can communicate with others with a very service-focused outlook. A lot of that, I think, goes with the military. That service focus is really what PNC is looking for and is something that they can find easily in this pool.”

American Legion National Commander Charles Schmidt, in town for the Legion’s annual Washington Conference, attended the hiring fair. He said one of the reasons the Legion was founded was to ensure that veterans were taken care of when they returned home from war – including returning to the jobs they once had or getting the training needed to start a new career.

“We do have men and women still in uniform … who will be coming home,” Schmidt said. “A lot of them are citizen-soldiers who will be going back to work or perhaps need work. It’s our opportunity to work with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help give those veterans an opportunity to pursue employment.”

Cara Cooke, senior manager of events for the Hiring Our Heroes Foundation, said that in 2016 25,000 job-seekers attended similar job fairs and events. Almost 6,000 received job offers.

“Most employers release employees because of character flaws,” Cooke said. “The military is pretty good at ironing out character flaws. They’re not trained to fail. They’re trained to succeed.”

Verna Jones, executive director of the Legion’s D.C. office, said employers who send representatives to military and veteran job fairs “get an opportunity to talk to and to bring into (their) companies our American heroes. You just don’t get any better than that. These men and women have sacrificed, they have served our country with blood, sweat and tears and will do the same thing for your organization.”

Tim Green, a director within the Department of Labor’s Veterans Employment and Training Service and 27-year Air Force veteran, said those same employers want to hire veterans for their skills. “You’ve just got to show them that you’ve got the right stuff to get that job,” Green said.

For Brown, the opportunity provided by the Legion’s job fair was invaluable. “I have to meet with the person and I have to say, ‘This is what I can do for you … and if you train me whatever it is you need, I'm going to deliver for you,’” Brown said. “Being able to actually meet a person, look them in the eye and say ‘I’m here for you, and I’m capable of doing what you want me to do’ --- I think is essential.”