More than 750 Attend Hiring Heroes Career Fair

By Lance Cpl. Trevon Peracca, Camp Pendleton Public Affairs

The 2012 Hiring Heroes Career Fair was held at Camp Pendleton’s Pacific Views Event Center Wednesday.

The fair is designed to assist wounded warriors, veterans, active-duty military and family members in transitioning from the military life into a job that fits them in the civilian sector. 

“All job seekers were provided with extended career opportunities by talking with employers,” said Ty Redmon, a human resources specialist for the United States Department of Defense Recruitment Assistance Division. “In 2011, more than 750 job seekers attended last year’s event, and 16 were hired on the spot. However, we still consider one hire a success.”

During the fair, job seekers took their unique interests, skills or passions directly to the employer of the choice. Employers come to these career fairs seeking the unique skills military members have to offer, and gave job seekers a chance to see what positions employers have to offer.

“We have a goal of hiring 500 wounded warriors this year,” said David H. Haugland, the wounded warrior/veteran placement coordinator for Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers. “I’ve been going to these job fairs for the last few years, and personally I think this is the best one on the west coast. It’s our commitment to give back to the warriors.”

More than 75 vendors were present at the event, offering positions from sales associate at local businesses to an agent at the Central Intelligence Agency.

The first Hiring Heroes Career Fair was held at Baltimore’s Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2005. Since then, 46 Hiring Heroes Career Fairs have been held across the country, this being the fourth event held on Camp Pendleton. This has resulted in hundreds of job seekers receiving employment or benefiting from employment resources and networking skills through these events.

“The goal here for all of the job seekers is to prepare themselves for the jobs they think they have the qualifications to perform and then ask for the interviews,” said Redmon.

For additional information regarding career counseling or transition assistance, call Marine Corps Community Services Career Resource Center at (760) 725-4199.

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