SAN ANTONIO – Dozens of San Antonio businesses are looking to hire hundreds of military veterans this week.
RecruitMilitary and Disabled American Veterans (DAV) are hosting a free veterans job fair at the Shrine Auditorium on Thursday with dozens of companies and local employers.
“We have over 350 military veterans and spouses who have pre-registered for it, and we have 51 companies that plan on being in attendance,” said Chris Stevens, senior vice president at RecruitMilitary.
Stevens spent two decades as a crew chief in the U.S. Air Force, but it was not the smoothest transition to civilian life when it came to life after active duty.
“I spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, and my whole time in the military, I was used to writing performance reports for subordinates. But when it came time to write a resume, I’m like, ‘Oh, how do I talk about myself and my background?’ Trying to get that across on paper was probably the most difficult thing for me,” said Stevens.
In an effort to help others, Stevens joined RecruitMilitary. The organization helps veterans start a new career and connects them with meaningful employment opportunities.
“Whether it’s dress for success, ‘How do I put an elevator speech together? How do I do an interview? What can I expect at a virtual job or even a physical job fair?’ It’s a one-stop shop for military veterans and spouses,” said Stevens.
The job fair is open to all transitioning military, veterans, military spouses and dependents. There will also be several opportunities for disabled veterans.
“We have the police departments that are going to be there, fire departments. We have the finance side, schools, high-tech manufacturing. We have general dynamics contracting there. Of course, we have USAA, one of our big clients,” said Stevens. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a pilot, a cook, a chaplain’s assistant, a spouse -- we can help everybody.”
With the amount of military personnel and bases in our area, Stevens said San Antonio is a priority for RecruitMilitary, and businesses are motivated to hire veterans right now.
“Military veterans are a real good source for our clients. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t have 50-plus companies there,” said Stevens.
The job fair will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Veterans interested in attending can register for free here.
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