Hiring our Heroes Review

I would first like to apologize for the tardiness of this post. I had originally wanted to write and publish about the Hiring our Heroes career fair within a day or so of the event, but technical difficulties foiled my plans. All that being said, here is the last of several attempts.

During my time transitioning from the Army, being in an underemployed workforce, and in business school, both in Florida and here in California, I have been to more than my share of career fairs. Some were military specific, some business specific, and some were little more than outright scams. The Hiring our Heroes veterans job fair in Los Angeles, however, was above and beyond. It was easily the most organized, professional, and well run career event that I have attended. I attribute much of this to the national level of the organizations behind it, the staffing from Blue Star Families – a non profit organization made up of military spouses and dependents which provided much of the staff and volunteers for the event, and also the international attention that Hiring our Heroes due to the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

There were around 200 companies represented in Hanger 15 of Sony Pictures Studios (Hollywood aficionados might know this as where they filmed much of the Spider man movies, as well as the Wizard of Oz, and numerous others) making it large, but not the largest of the career fairs I have attended. Employers ran the gamut of the mechanical and skilled labor jobs, to security and law enforcement that are staples of any military hiring event, all the way to corporate and financial positions that are typically reserved for graduate programs. I was particularly pleased to see organizations like Bank of America (a main sponsor of the event) and JP Morgan Chase offering military specific recruiting websites, acknowledging the flexibility, leadership, and technical skills of military veterans that seem to go unnoticed by many others. (It should be noted that upon further investigation, many of the “entry level” positions offered at these companies still required 3-5 years of financial experience... something not typically learned at Ft. Benning by a newly transitioning veteran. Full marks for effort though)

The highlight of the fair, however, was the appearance by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate. They were there basically for the closing ceremony of the event, many of the companies stayed for a while afterward to get maximum exposure. The prince was very humble about his own service, but spoke about the sacrifices made by soldiers of both nations, and the need to assist returning veterans when they get back home – with education, employment, and all around reintegration. Maybe I am an optimist, or hope to believe the best in people, but I still tend to believe that Americans know the value of their returning veterans, and they know the skills and experiences that they can bring to the table, it is, unfortunately, only the current economic climate that keeps veteran unemployment numbers hovering around 30% or so (again, this might simply be my optimistic opinion)

Meghan Weiten-Scott, Left, of Blue Star Families,
 discussing military families with Princess Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

My friend Meghan Weiten-Scott (wife of my USMA roommate, CPT Drew Scott) of Blue Star Families, spoke at length with the new Duchess Catherine about being a military wife, and it seems that the Duchess may work to implement similar programs with British troops and their families once she returns – it is, after all, a full time job being a military wife.

Note: in the time between the event and publishing this post, I have sent in dozens of applications, set up a few interviews, gone on one, and have still put in countless man-hours in the search for a career that does not require body armor. It is hard work being unemployed (for a Republican anyway) and remember to go after the companies you want to work for – you cannot just wait for them to come to you.