ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 1, 2014) – Wounded, ill and injured Soldiers and veterans looking for a job, or employers looking for qualified candidates, may link up with each other at the 4th Annual Wounded Warrior and Veteran Hiring and Support Conference, to be held May 28-29.
The two-day conference in Raleigh, N.C., at the Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown, builds on the Department of the Navy’s theme, “Hiring Our Nation’s Heroes,” with a call to action: “Meet the Challenge: Hire a Veteran!”
“Our goal is to increase the number of wounded warriors hired into the [Department of the Navy], the federal civil service and the private sector,” said Juan Garcia, assistant secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. “Last year, the Navy hired about 1,300 wounded warriors, and about 2,000 the year before. To put that in perspective, for every 10 new hires, one is a wounded warrior.”
The first day, May 28, is employer-focused, with sessions designed to share best practices and innovative ways to successfully recruit, hire, train and retain our nation’s wounded warriors.
Day two, May 29, features a career fair for employers to connect with veterans and wounded warriors, who are resilient, have triumphed over adversity and demonstrated personal integrity and the ability to learn new skills. The second day also offers veterans, wounded warriors and spouses the opportunity to attend workshops on career assessment and goal setting, which focus on how veterans’ skills translation to civilian jobs, and military credentialing, licensing and veteran initiatives.
The Warrior Transition Command leadership encourages attendance from Soldiers and Veterans located in areas near the conference including Fort Bragg, N.C., Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., Fort Jackson, S.C., and Community Based Warrior Transition Unit-Virginia.
“The overall purpose of the conference is to bring together government, military and industry leaders and their human resource professionals who are committed to hiring and supporting wounded warriors in the workplace,” said Jennifer Leonard, Action Officer, Warrior Transition Command Career and Education Readiness Branch.
“This conference is different from others in that the employers represented at the conference are required to have positions available in order to attend,” Leonard added. “We highly recommend an interested Soldier or Veteran upload their résumé prior to the conference because career fair coordinators are working diligently to ensure their résumé is matched with available positions and setting up interviews prior to the event.”
In addition to the on-site career fair, Soldiers and Veterans who are unable to attend or located outside the conference’s commuting distance can interview virtually.
“The virtual event is limited to 30 employers who must have a minimum of three open positions,” said Kelly Ross, the vice president of sales for Futures, Inc., the technology company who is coordinating the virtual interviews. “Employers are excited about the talent pool and the ability to employ Veterans, and they can connect with the candidates without anyone having to travel.”
Soldiers and Veterans interested in attending the conference, the career fair or interviewing should contact their Warrior Transition Unit Transition Coordinator, contact their Army Wounded Warrior Program Advocate, call the Army Wounded Warrior Program Contact Center at 1-877-393-9058, or learn more from the Warrior Transition Command’s fact sheet for this conference.