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Hiring our Heroes in Spokane

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Mary O'Dell
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash- --  An event that aims to change the lives of many unemployed and underemployed veterans, active-duty members, National Guard and reservists, along with their families will be coming soon to Spokane, Wash.

Open to all eligible past and present members of the Armed Forces, the 2013 Hiring Our Heroes Career Fair is scheduled to be held on Sept. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"With the amount of unemployed veterans and members of the National Guard and reservists in the area, this career fair is crucial to help them find jobs," said Keirsten Hess, American Red Cross Service to Armed Forces director. "This event will blend the job seekers and employers to benefit both parties."

Employers from local "mom-and-pop" shops to nation-wide companies will be set up at the Spokane Fair and Expo Center in individual booths for job-seekers to visit.

"Registration for both employers and job-seekers is completely free and easy to do online," said Hess. "Two months out, we already had 60 employers signed up."

Along with the career fair, an employment workshop is being held from 9 to 10 a.m.

With the help of the University of Phoenix, the workshop will focus on military skill translation, resumé writing and interviewing techniques.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is conducting this event with an initiative to hire 500,000 people by 2014, with a system in place to track their objective.

The Chamber is only one of many partners sponsoring this event. Others include, the City of Spokane, the City of Spokane Valley, the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans Employment Training Service, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, NBC News and more.

"It's great to see such a large amount of support for military members and their families," said Ness. "It's important to reach out and educate employers about the benefits of hiring this population."

For more information, visit the Hiring our Heroes Spokane Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HiringOurHeroesSpokane, or the Chamber of Commerce website at http://www.uschamber.com/hiringourheroes/spokane-wa.