FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — More than 2,000 job seekers met and spoke with potential
employers, representing a plethora of career fields, Jan. 28 at the Lone Star Conference Center at Fort Cavazos.
The biannual Mega Career fair, hosted by the Fort Cavazos Transition Assistance Program, aims to connect transitioning service members with employers in order to assist them in their shift from military to civilian life. The job fair also connects military dependents and anyone else with installation access with job opportunities.
At the Mega Career Fair, 180 employers representing organizations from multiple states and industries were offering a combined 75,000 positions to job seekers.
“With a Mega Career Fair it is opened up to a wider variety of employers,” said Owen Alexander, TAP liaison officer. “Not just from Texas or the Killeen, Harker Heights
(or) Copperas Cove area, but from across the United States. We have employers that come from Colorado, Arizona, just to name a few.
“The reason we call it ‘mega’ is because of the volume, the quantity of employers that come to provide employment opportunities,” he continued. “Not just for transitioning service members, but their dependents and anyone who’s able to get on the installation. So the surrounding community benefits from the mega fair by the volume of positions and employers that’s available.”
Alexander said some job seekers could potentially leave the career fair with a job.
“There are some employers that are actually hiring on the spot,” he said. “If a Soldier came prepared, they have a resume, they have that discussion with the employer, there’s a possibility they could do an on the spot interview and actually hire that person.
Alexander continued, saying Soldiers who attended the job fair that were not close to transitioning yet had the opportunity to network and connect with resources that are available to them.
“They get the opportunity to meet various companies, various recruiters and hiring managers and get an understanding of the feel for the requirements of the profession that they’re interested in, or the skills needed for the job they are seeking,” he shared. “In addition to the employers, we also have support agencies, like ACS (Army Community Service), EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Program), just to name a few. That gives a Soldier the opportunity to meet these supporting agencies that could also assist them with resources as they transition from the military.”
Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Klatt, 7th Battalion, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, is in the process of transitioning out of the Army and attended the Mega Career Fair looking for job opportunities in the mechanical and maintenance field. He said the career fairs hosted by TAP are very important for transitioning Soldiers.
“(Soldiers) wouldn’t know all of this was out there,” he said, adding job searching online doesn’t compare to attending the job fair. “I mean, there’s a lot of opportunities.”
Alexander said the hard work TAP puts into hosting the career fairs is always palpable.
“It’s an opportunity for everyone to come together, to take care of Soldiers, to support Soldiers as they transition,” Alexander said. “Every now and again you stop and spot check a Soldier or talk to someone and you ask them … was (the career fair) beneficial, and they say, ‘I made contact,’ or ‘I was able to find a job.’ Getting that type of feedback lets you know that the effort put into it is worthwhile. You can actually see the fruits of the effort that’s put into it, knowing that Soldiers have all these resources available to them, they can make connections and actually get employed.”
For more information on TAP, visit facebook.com/FortCavazosTransitionAssistanceProgram/ or call 254-288-2227.
The TAP office is located in room B308 on the third floor of the Copeland Soldier Service Center.
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