2 groups to team up to help veterans find jobs

Veterans who are looking for a job are invited to attend a job fair Tuesday sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2591.

The VFW and the Sedalia Career Center are hosting the event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the VFW hall, 121 S. Ohio Ave. All current or honorably discharged veterans, including National Guard and Reserve service members and their spouses, are invited to attend.

Terry Beas, a veterans employment representative with the Sedalia Career Center, expects at least 12 businesses to be in attendance.  

“A lot of employers are seeking veterans because they have good work habits,” Beas said. “I think we are going to bring some good people together.”

Gary Gill, commander of VFW Post 2591, said the focus of this fair is for young veterans, but all veterans are invited to participate.

“The quality of young people I’ve been seeing has been impressive,” Gill said. “And the desperation I’ve seen from some of the young people tells me we’re doing the right thing — I mean sheer desperation. It’s a tough economy.”

Beas expects 100 to 150 people to attend the fair. They are invited to visit with the employers and attend two workshops.

A representative from the U.S. Department of Labor will speak at 11 a.m. to discuss how to apply for federal jobs. After that, a human resources manager from Lowe’s home improvement store will discuss what hiring managers look for in applications and how to dress and prepare for interviews.

Beas suggests attendees bring a resume or a list of past employment and to dress in business attire. Those who are looking for a management position should wear a suit or trousers and a shirt with a tie. People looking for line assembly type work should wear casual slacks.

 “I just cannot believe than an employer is going to come to a job fair without having the intention, if they run across the right people, to set up interviews with them. ... They’re not going to waste that kind of time sending someone here just for looks,” Gill said.

Businesses from multiple counties will be attending and looking to fill a wide variety of jobs including management, clerical, maintenance, assembly line work and more.

Employers set to attend include Volt Workforce Solutions, a staffing company in Boonville that works with Caterpillar in Boonville and IBM in Columbia; General Electric from Slater; Cargill from Marshall and California, Mo.; Tyson Foods; Lowe’s; Wire Rope Corp.; Missouri Department of Corrections; Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall; Whiteman Air Force Base; C-1 Truck Driving Training; and State Fair Community College.

Beas and Gill both expect veterans from Benton, Saline, Henry, Johnson and Lafayette counties to attend. Veterans should bring their DD-214, and spouses must show their military identification card.

“I think it’s going to be success,” Beas said. “I’m glad they’re doing it,” he said of the VFW.

Gill hopes the post can schedule another job fair in the fall.

“If we find one veteran a job, it’s worth the effort. The goal is a lot more. We’re just trying to help,” Gill said.

For more information, call Gill at 826-4543, or Beas at 530-5627.