JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Transitioning service members will find plenty of career and job opportunities from more than 30 Department of Defense agencies at the Hiring Heroes Career Fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 20 at the Sam Houston Community Center, 1395 Chaffee Road, located at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.
The career fair is free and open to all JBSA members, including transitioning, wounded, ill and injured service members, military spouses and family members, veterans, military retirees, primary caregivers. Department of Defense government civilians and DOD ID cardholders.
The Transition Assistance Program at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and the Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service, or DCPAS, are putting on the career fair. The Transition Assistance Program provides counseling and job assistance to servicemembers who are preparing to leave the military. DCPAS is the agency that develops, implements and monitors DOD civilian human resources and programs throughout the world.
Candace Hillard, Transition Assistance Program transition services manager, said the upcoming Hiring Heroes Career Fair in March will be the 27th to be held at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston since 2005. The fair is held twice a year, in March and September.
Hillard said the March career fair will be the first one, since it started at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston 14 years ago, exclusively for DOD employers. Previous Hiring Heroes fairs included employers from the private sector and from federal, state and local governmental agencies.
“One of our goals is to keep our talent pool in the DOD,” said Hillard, in explaining the fair’s focus on hosting DOD employers and agencies.
DOD agencies and components that will be at the fair include those from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. These military agencies will be offering career opportunities and positions in areas JBSA members are skilled, trained and experienced in, including cybersecurity, information technology, law enforcement, financial management, food service and medical fields.
Attendees at the fair will be given a sheet that will list the DOD employers who will be at the community center.
Hillard said job seekers at the fair are encouraged to bring several copies of their resume and come dressed in professional attire because some DOD employers will conduct on the spot interviews.
“The goal is to increase direct hiring at the fair, so that job seekers don’t have to apply at USAJobs website for the positions,” Hillard said. “There are a lot of critical and mission shortage positions DOD wants to fill.”
Out of the 610 job seekers who attended the last Hiring Heroes Career Fair in September, 30 were offered jobs on the spot and over 100 after the event, said Hillard.
In addition, transitioning servicemembers at the fair will find information about opportunities for apprenticeships, internships and certification and skill enhancement training that can help them in their post-military career through the JBSA Career Skills Program.
Also, counselors from the Transition Assistance Program and USO volunteers will be present to review resumes of job seekers, giving tips and pointers on improving resumes that give members of the military community a greater chance of being interviewed for a position. Attendees who want to make changes to their resume are encouraged to bring their laptop or other electronic devices so the changes can be made on the spot.
Hillard said counselors from the Transition Assistance Program will provide information that will be helpful to transitioning servicemembers and members of the military community as they embark on a new career or start their job search.
“We will have a wealth of resources we will gladly share,” Hillard said. “We will have information about career resources, transition, relocation, benefits and job searches.”
Registration is not required to attend the Hiring Heroes Career Fair. For more information about the fair, contact the Transition Assistance Program at 210-221-1213.