West Virginia University will be hosting a Veteran’s Career Fair to help ease our local soldiers from service to civilian.

The fair will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 29 in the Erickson Alumni Center.

Veterans will have access to more than 55 employers and service agencies looking to hire, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, UPMC, Mylan, KeyLogic Systems and the National Energy Technology Laboratory.

L.G. Corder, a WVU graduate and U.S. Army veteran, believes employment is essential in the transition back to civilian life.

“I really believe sitting idle is absolutely detrimental to your future,” Corder said. “I think it’s much better to come back and immediately get engaged in something.”

The Veteran’s Career Fair is WVU’s way to assist soldiers in that engagement. Recognized by G.I. Jobs Magazine as a military-friendly school for five-consecutive years, WVU holds veterans in high esteem.

“West Virginia University realizes the value a veteran brings to an organization,” said Andrea Yanego, director of WVU Employment Services. “They are extremely dedicated, very loyal, a highly skilled workforce, have leadership abilities and a strong work ethic. Veterans and their families have done so much for our country, we are proud to be able to assist them in obtaining employment.’

Sponsored by the WVU Division of Human Resources, Employment Services, U.S. Army Morgantown Recruiting Center, Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, Buckwheat Express, Marion County Transit Authority and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. the Veteran’s Career Fair will be a much needed opportunity for local veterans to start their lives back at home.

In preparation for the fair, Employment Services will be hosting a pre-event workshop. On Wednesday (April 23) veterans are invited to come to the Jerry West Lounge at the Coliseum from 1-3 p.m. The workshop will include valuable skills, such as resume writing, interviewing techniques and dressing for success. Attendance at the workshop will give veterans an opportunity to practice employer relations before attending the fair.

A current member of the United States Navy Reserve, Stephanie Hilton stresses the importance of using the opportunities available to transition once at home.

“It is important for veterans to go do things like the job fair to exhaust their options so they are able to find something right for them, and get that meaning back into their lives,” Hilton said.

Transportation to and from the Veteran’s Career Fair will be available in Harrison, Marion, Monongalia and Preston counties via the Buckwheat Express, Marion County Transit Authority and Mountain Line Transit Authority. Additionally, there will be a bus service running from the VA in Clarksburg.

WVU Transportation will also run a pickup service at the WVU Coliseum parking lot starting at 10 a.m. More information regarding transportation is available here.

For more information about the Veteran’s Career Fair, or to register for the event, visit http://employmentservices.hr.wvu.edu/veterans_career_fair.

-WVU-

ml/04/21/14

CONTACT: Andrea Yanego, WVU Employment Services
304.293.3073, Andrea.Yanego@mail.wvu.edu

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