By Tim Cherry
Staff Writer
Thursday, January 10, 2013

Military spouses in the National Capital Region have an ally in helping them find employment.

Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Business Alliance career forum hosts a Hiring Fair and Career Forum at the Fort Belvoir Community Center, Jan. 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The fair is geared towards helping military spouses find jobs, improve their resumes and get interviewing experience.

“We noticed that military spouses were invited to the job fairs that Hiring Our Heroes was putting on, but they were very veteran oriented,” said Noreen O’Neil, Deputy Director, Military Spouse Programs, Hiring Our Heroes, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “So, our executive director saw the need to start this program.”

Companies from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, TMC Transportation, Software Performance Group Inc., The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Pentagon Force Protection Agency, Jamison Professional Services Inc., and Bozzuto Management Company are among the 35 companies that will be at the Fair, interviewing spouses and reviewing their resumes.

O’Neil said the Military Spouse Business Alliance targets companies that are dedicated to hiring military spouses.

“We have a great following of employers that have figured out one of their keys to success is a spouse,” said O’Neil.

One of the advantages of this fair, according to Laureen Dupree, Fort Belvoir Army Community Service Employment Readiness Program Manager, is that Hiring Our Heroes is a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

“The beauty of that is they can bring in these companies that have opportunities all over the United States,” said Dupree. “So, when a military spouse goes from our area to another installation, then the ability for them to continue working for a national company is greater.”

Spouses will also be informed of volunteer opportunities since military spouses take volunteer assignments at four times the national average.

“There’s always going to be a volunteer opportunity available for them to put on their resumes,” said O’Neil.

Sherryl Saunders, a Northern Virginia resident who’s attended several job fairs put on by the Employment Readiness Program office, is excited for this fair because it is always good to sit down and talk to an employer and have her resume reviewed.

“Some of the job fairs are set up so, when you register, you pick from employers that are looking for your specialty and they will pair you up for an interview with them,” said Saunders. “I’ve sat with two or three on a particular interview cycle at past job fairs.”

At past job fairs, Saunders has been advised on how to format her resume to apply for government contracting positions. She said she’s been told to keep her resume two pages or shorter, and make sure the keywords in the job description for the job she is applying for are in her resume.

“No hiring manager has time to read through more than two pages,” said Saunders. “A lot of employers put your resume through a filter, so if your resume doesn’t have those key words you’ve lost before your resume gets in front of anyone.”

O’Neil is pleased to provide another opportunity for military spouses to find employment, and is especially excited about the number of military spouses in the National Capital Region.

“We try to make sure we have the events on or near military installations,” said O’Neil. “So, we are excited to come to Belvoir. The D.C. Metro area has the highest percentage, per capita, of military spouses. So, it’s a great area to have a hiring fair.”