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"Hiring our Heroes" stops in Montgomery

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Alexa Culbert
  • 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
09/10/2014 --  A "Hiring our Heroes" event was held at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery Ala., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sept. 9.

The "Hiring our Heroes" event is a completely free job fair and workshop that assists transitioning service members, veterans, and their spouses in finding and obtaining employment.

"Veteran job seekers will often submit a resume and let it go," said Ernie Lombardi, U.S. Chambers of Commerce Southeast regional associate. "Here they are getting face-to-face contact with the employers."

Besides a lack of one-on-one interaction, Lombardi believes another issue is miscommunication.

"Most service members have done a specific job for years and don't know how to translate the military language they've learned in a way that a civilian employer can understand," said Lombardie.

Before meeting the potential employers, "Hiring our Heroes" offers a workshop before the job fair that helps with resume building and interview techniques.

However, the employers may have something to learn, as well. There is an outreach available to employers to coach them on what to look for when hiring a veteran or military spouse.
Maurice Johnson, Montgomery Police Department Training and Recruiting Division corporal, said, "The 'Hiring our Heroes' event is our way of reaching out to the military and to offer employment to them."

The event can be helpful for those currently in the military as well.

"I want to be a [registered nurse], which is completely different from being a cop," said Airman 1st Class Corinna Stoddart, 708th Security Forces Squadron at Maxwell AFB,.

"Hiring our Heroes" gives service members a look at what the civilian world can offer when their contract is up.

"We're here to set ourselves up for success; see what kind of opportunities are here today," said Tech. Sgt. Aften Jones, with the Alabama Air National Guard's 232nd Combat Communications Squadron in Montgomery. "You never know what can happen."

To date, more than 265,000 veterans and military spouses have been employed through "Hiring our Heroes."

"Today is all about looking to the future," said Stoddart.