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SANDY — Many veterans returning from active duty military service have a difficult time trying to find a job. Thursday in Sandy, hundreds of veterans turned out for a job fair, designed especially for them.
The job fair is called "Hiring our Heroes" and it's an effort that began a year ago by NBC News, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and various veteran's organizations and other groups.
U.S. Army Reservist, Jonathan Kewish, shook a lot of hands and picked up plenty of brochures at the job fair. He recently completed officer candidate school with the Army Reserves. But his active duty status and the pay are over now, so he took advantage of the "Hiring Our Heroes" event in Sandy.
"But, it is great because there are so many employers that are willing to hire veterans," Kewish said. "They're friendly toward the military."
Army veteran, Keith Greer, spent four years in the Army, and also did military contract work in Afghanistan.
"I've had a lot of great discussions," Greer said. "I'm honestly looking for anything. Any type of work. It's been tough."
The "Hiring Our Heroes" program began with a simple mission: give veterans and employers the opportunity to talk face to face. From Vietnam to Iraq to Afghanistan, there are many military men and women who can't find work.
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Many Utah veterans still struggle to find good jobs, while others brace for another winter living on the streets. Veterans of both kinds got community support Friday and resources to help them out."And quite frankly, some of the numbers were really staggering and we really couldn't understand why that was," said U.S. Chamber of Commerce representative, Phil Maas.
Since it was launched the program has helped more than 10,000 veterans get jobs. This job fair drew about 144 Utah employers; and each had a minimum of five positions to offer.
Some companies conducted interviews right on the spot. There were also workshops and seminars to give advice on how to handle job interviews.
"Because too many of them go in there and say 'Roger' or 'Yes sir," said Department of Veteran Affairs representative, Terry Schow. "So we have to kind of work away from the military jargon and talking in military time. 'I'll be there at 2200 hours, sir.'"
During the next five years, the U.S. military will reduce its personnel by about one million which means 15,000 to 20,000 of them will return to Utah, looking for work. Events like this are critical.
The "Hiring our Heroes" job fairs are held nationwide and the current goal is to find jobs for a half-million military men and women in 2014.
