How to Work Our Career and Networking Events

There are opportunities all around the room at a DAV | RecruitMilitary Veterans Job Fair — job opportunities with employers, opportunities to go into business for yourself with franchisors who value your ability to get the job done, and opportunities to advance your education via online and on-campus learning.

How do you find the opportunities that are best for you? Below are some tips on meeting with and interviewing with recruiters at a military-to-civilian job fair.

DRESS FOR THE PART. If you are on active duty or attending the event on a Reserve or National Guard drill day, wearing your uniform is great. In all other cases, you should wear the same civilian outfit that you would wear to a one-on-one interview at an employer’s place of business. And that should be, if you have it, a business suit or a business casual outfit, complete with a jacket.

STAY ENTHUSIASTIC if a recruiter asks you to email your resume to his/her company, the recruiter is not brushing you off. In fact, being asked for the email is a good sign. Many companies require their recruiters to gather resumes by email: (1) to obtain HR information as required by law and (2) so they can direct desirable job seekers to different departments.

TRY TO GET TO ALL OF THE BOOTHS, even those that may not seem as though they have any opportunities for you. An employer’s name or primary industry does not necessarily indicate what openings the company is trying to fill. For example, a drugstore chain may be recruiting for positions in transportation/distribution or accounting.

Even if you are not going to the event to discuss continuing your education, speak to the recruiters at the educator booths. Today’s educational institutions deliver learning opportunities in many ways other than traditional, full-time, daytime classes on campus. A few minutes of conversation may lead to an unexpected continuing-education solution that is right for you.

I have similar advice for job seekers who may not have considered entrepreneurship as a career option. Franchise opportunities are available in a tremendous variety of fields. Arranging for financing may be easier than you think, with surprising discounts available to veterans. Stop by the franchisors’ booths—one of them may very well have a plan that matches your interests and your situation.

MEMORIZE YOUR STORY. Before you visit any employers’ booths, create some talking points. Develop an elevator pitch and put together a 30-to-60-second “story” about yourself that includes some of your successes and areas of interest. Be ready to discuss how your military experience relates to the civilian workplace. You should also prepare yourself for a long, detailed interview—employers have hired people on the spot at our events.

Chris Newsome is Senior Vice president of candidate acquisition at RecruitMilitary and a veteran of the United States Army. He can be reached at [email protected]