Maj. Andrea Tarrance, Reynolds Army Community Hospital Urgent Care officer in charge, will be retiring from the Army soon. She plans to work as a physician's assistant temporarily, but said she's eventually interested in becoming an entrepreneur.
Tarrance was one of the hundreds of service members, military spouses and family members, and veterans who attended the Oklahoma Military Connection Hiring Event Sept. 8, at the Fort Sill Armed Forces Reserve Center.
"I thought it was a great opportunity to see what's available," said Tarrance. "I went to the Boots-to-Business, and the New York Life booths and both of them were very helpful for anyone trying to open their own business."
About 50 companies were represented and had to be hiring as a condition to participate in the four-hour venue, said David Crow, Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development information officer. Attendees could talk to a variety of employers from many sectors.
"We want the job seeker to come away with a job, an interview, a chance to follow up with an employer -- just an opportunity," Crow said. "In our surveys, we've found that people who attend these events have very good odds to get an interview."
The event was co-sponsored by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, Oklahoma National Guard, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development, Crow said. It was the fourth Oklahoma Military Connection Hiring Event here since 2013.
At a vendor table, Dell (computer), Inc. Technical Support manager Chetika Jackson said Dell is big into hiring veterans. She said she was getting many inquiries about positions, qualifications and degree or certification requirements.
Juan Salguero, Federal Bureau of Prisons senior officer specialist, manned a booth to recruit corrections officers. He said the field is wide open and that he was getting a lot of interest.
"We can now accept resumés and take them to our human resources office directly," said Salguero, who works in Oklahoma City. "Before you had to apply (online) at USAJOBS and that process could take months."
Military spouse Claudia Gallo filled out a hard-copy application for a customer service representative position at the Fort Sill National Bank. She also got website information where she could apply online with medical and transportation companies. She said she liked the face-to-face interaction with company representatives.
"It's nice to see the person, talk to them and find out what they're looking for," said Gallo, who volunteers at the Fort Sill Family Member Employment Readiness Program.
Pfc. Orlando Cruz, 75th Field Artillery Brigade radar operator, will leave the Army this year, and plans to get into law enforcement. He said he came to the hiring event to check out employment options.
"Law enforcement is in high demand and they go for veterans," said Cruz, who plans to move south. "It's always good to see who's hiring and what kind of benefits they offer."
Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard recruiters manned booths to inform transitioning Soldiers about their opportunities if they wanted to continue to serve. Tech. Sgt. Jerry Vaughn, Oklahoma Air National Guard 137th Special Operations Wing recruiter, said their hot jobs are in security forces (military police), intelligence and communications.
"We're just looking for quality individuals both prior service and non-prior service, who want to join," Vaughn said. "We're definitely getting a lot questions about qualifications, and about full-time opportunities as air guard technicians."
Fort Sill Garrison Commander Col. Samuel Curtis, and his wife, Anne, visited the hiring event. He noted the event was important because transitioning from the service is one of the hardest things Soldiers will do. He added that it is just one of the initiatives here to aid with the transitioning.
"We also have the Soldier for Life (SFL) Transition Campus that provides training and a job with national partner businesses," he said.
Jane Cunningham, SFL Transition Assistance Program's Transition Services manager, helped coordinate the hiring event. She emphasized the event was a hiring event, not a job fair.
"Anybody can get a job," she said, "but you want a job that has a potential for a career, that's enhancing and that you're passionate about, and that has benefits, especially if you have a family."
She said many of the employers told her they had met a lot of good candidates and will follow up with interviews.
SFL Transition Campus Transition Services specialist Thomas Miller worked at a booth as part of their outreach effort. The booth drew interest not only from transitioning Soldiers, but also senior leaders and others who received information to pass on.
"We've noticed that a lot veterans and military spouses that talk to us share this information with Soldiers they know," he said.
Veteran and small business owner Joe Cimmino, of SolivSolar in Lawton, was at the event looking to hire installers and an electrician for his new, home solar-panel business.
"I've been getting a lot of interest," said Cimmino. He said there are few requirements requirements for a basic installer because it can be on-the-job training. However, he does require employees to possess the 10-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration Training, and construction experience is helpful.
There were a few training program representatives on site, including heavy equipment operator, professional truck driving and welding.
Will Roberts, Oklahoma School of Welding co-owner, provided information about his VA-approved training program, which is offered at campuses in Del City and McAlester, Okla. He said veterans possess qualities that employers want.
"Veterans are dependable, they show up for work on time and perform on a daily basis" he said. "They've already got that work ethic down, so it's great to work with them."
Col. Warren Griffis, Oklahoma National Guard Employment Coordination Program director, has been in charge of Oklahoma Military Connection Hiring events for five years. He said employers have repeatedly told him the event is a way for them to give back to veterans.
"The employers want to participate in the hiring event and to hire veterans to show how much they appreciate them," he said.
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