FORT SILL, Okla. (June 6, 2013) -- Military personnel who have completed or are about to complete their military service can attend the Oklahoma Military Connection's Hiring Event beginning at 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Fort Sill Reserve Center.
More than 50 representatives from companies and agencies are scheduled to attend, such as Chesapeake Energy, City National Bank, AFLAC, Dell Computers, Goodyear, Edward Jones Financial, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Roadmaster Driving, New York Life and the State of Oklahoma. Organizers say this is more than a typical career fair.
"This is not a job fair, it is a hiring event," said James Taylor, Intensive Services coordinator for Veterans Services, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. "We are focused on getting veterans employed. To do that, we required that every employer who will be present at the hiring event had to validate that they have jobs available.
"We have pre-registered over 175 veterans and have paired them with these employers, so that they will have the best chance at being hired," Taylor said.
He added there would be on-site registration at the event for anyone who has not already registered. "This event is open to all veterans, not just those who have gotten out of the service in the past 30 days," he added. "There could be some veterans who will be looking for their first job after serving in the military, while others will be looking for re-employment, to find a better career opportunity."
Robert Phillips, local veterans employment representative (LVER) for OESC said that the event is open to all U.S. military veterans, Guard and Reserve members, and current service members transitioning out of the military.
"We know the challenge veterans face in finding a job, so we are doing everything possible to connect them with these prospective employers," Phillips said. "Some of the job openings are local, while others are on the other side of Oklahoma and a number of them are in other states for veterans who are willing to relocate. Veterans can schedule one-on-one interviews with prospective employers, so that they can find the best fit possible. And they should remember to bring extra copies of their resume," he added.
"When we started putting together these events, we realized that there needed to be better job options for veterans, with a higher quality of employers, because just having a job isn't enough if doesn't provide better opportunities for the job seekers," Taylor said.
The hiring event is sponsored by OESC, the Oklahoma Department of Career Tech and the Department of Commerce. The Reserve Center is south of the Mow-Way Shoppette, near the corner of Sheridan and Mow-Way roads.
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