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Carpenters have hammers and nails. Doctors have thermometers and stethoscopes. You have to have the right tools to successfully undertake a task. Even finding a job requires a certain skill set. Those on the hunt for a job must have the ability to do the job, write a good resume and interview well. Then they have to track down employers with job openings — which can be the hardest part of the equation. That’s why Fort Polk’s Army Career and Alumni Program held the ACAP Career Expo on Jan. 10 at the Warrior Community Center.
Tami Culbreath, manager of ACAP’s Transition Services, said the expo was a great resource for soldiers.
“We have lots of soldiers in transition at this time and we encourage them to come to events such as this," she said. "Transitioning from military life affects not only the soldier, but the spouse as well. When they are looking for jobs, this is a great resource.”
Many of the soldiers attending the expo were facing retirement or leaving the military sometime in the near future. Sgt. Tiwuanda Thomas said she was getting out of the service soon and was grateful to ACAP for all they do to aid soldiers in their transition to civilian life.
“This job fair is just one example of how they help us line up jobs before we even get out,” Thomas said.
ACAP is responsible for delivering both transition assistance and employment assistance services for soldiers, according to www.hrc.army.mil. It offers services that aid transitioning military personnel from Army to civilian life.
“Soldiers do an initial briefing at ACAP, which we call the informed briefing," Culbreath said. "This allows them to make a decision about what they are going to do with their career from this point forward. We discover if they want to stay in the military or get out.
“Once they make that decision, we have a two-and-a-half-day workshop that provides a self-assessment, interviewing and resume writing skills and more," she said. "We also provide Veteran’s Administration benefits briefings and disabled transition assistance briefings for soldiers. ACAP has a staff of professional counselors that work one-on-one with the soldiers to help them fill their toolbox with the skills necessary to transition into civilian life.”
The most important thing to come out of the expo is job contacts for businesses in the local, national and international community, she said.
“I think the expo is a great opportunity for soldiers and I’m glad to see such a substantial turnout," Culbreath said. "I really think these employers want to hire our soldiers. So the majority of them are going to leave here with either with an interview or a job in hand."
The job fair was packed with soldiers networking with employers. Sgt. Dontai Smiley said the expo is a good thing.
“I’m retiring in a couple of months and ACAP has provided some excellent opportunities for people transitioning out and looking to find a job," Smiley said. "I’ve gotten some feedback from several employers I’ve talked to today."
Beau Brown, an ERA helicopter recruiter, was a vendor at the job fair. He said that his company wants to welcome soldiers back home and thank them for their service.
“This expo has provided a unique opportunity for us to meet one-on-one and explain what we can offer them as far as civilian employment," he said. "An event of this magnitude is great because it attracts folks that you may not be able to meet outside of this environment. It can help build a bridge between a soldier's military and civilian employment and make their transition easier. It gives us a chance to explain how to better prepare themselves for the civilian workforce and the demands of its employers.”
Capt. Stanley Hogan is another attendee getting close to retirement.
“I’m at 18 years right now and I’m curious about what’s out there," he said. "I started out by going to ACAP and they told me about the transition briefing they offer and helping with resumes and I thought that was great. What I’ve been looking at today is furthering my education and making myself more marketable. I’m exploring a possible career in teaching through the Troops to Teachers program."
Steve Hall, Grand Canyon University military liaison for education, talked to several soldiers at his booth. Hall retired from the Air Force three years ago and said he is in the position to know what many of the soldiers are going through as they prepare to leave military life.
“I think education is an integral part of a soldier's career opportunities," he said. "I attend a lot of these fairs and though many of the employers here are pro-military, at the end of the day they are looking at resumes to find out what level of education the applicants have. So, the link here is to understand that if they want a job, they need a good education. It makes a soldier competitive and viable for employment."
Hall said he attended to offer both employment positions and educational opportunities.
“We are at this expo looking for teachers with a masters or doctorate level degree, but if soldiers are looking for education, then this is a good way to double dip," he said. "They can be employed and working toward their education at the same time.”
Hall said that often they don’t make that connection.
“In 2009, graduation rates were published from the Department of Education that encompass the entire graduating class from coast to coast in all undergrad programs in colleges and universities in the United States," he said. "It was discovered that less than four percent of those graduating comprised military. Less than one percent of that four percent was actually active duty, National Guard or Army Reserve combined. What that’s telling us is the bulk of students enrolling in school and graduating with a bachelor’s degree are veterans or retired. The military is pro-education and yet we have such a low graduation rate. A lot of that is because of the constant deployments, but I think the burgeoning industry of online education can help correct that. We are trying to get soldiers to understand that getting a bachelor’s degree will make you competitive. That’s why we are here."
Another vendor, Deborah Brown, director of wellness and employee development for Louisiana Machinery, said her employer attended the fair because they want to support the military in any way that they can.
“My company has many opportunities right now as far as different open positions all across the state of Louisiana and we are looking to hire some good people," she said. "What better place to start looking than at Fort Polk?
"We have met a couple of guys that are really interested in jobs in the positions we have to offer, so hopefully we can make that happen for them,” she said.
Carpenters have hammers and nails. Doctors have thermometers and stethoscopes. You have to have the right tools to successfully undertake a task. Even finding a job requires a certain skill set. Those on the hunt for a job must have the ability to do the job, write a good resume and interview well. Then they have to track down employers with job openings — which can be the hardest part of the equation. That’s why Fort Polk’s Army Career and Alumni Program held the ACAP Career Expo on Jan. 10 at the Warrior Community Center.
Tami Culbreath, manager of ACAP’s Transition Services, said the expo was a great resource for soldiers.
“We have lots of soldiers in transition at this time and we encourage them to come to events such as this," she said. "Transitioning from military life affects not only the soldier, but the spouse as well. When they are looking for jobs, this is a great resource.”
Many of the soldiers attending the expo were facing retirement or leaving the military sometime in the near future. Sgt. Tiwuanda Thomas said she was getting out of the service soon and was grateful to ACAP for all they do to aid soldiers in their transition to civilian life.
“This job fair is just one example of how they help us line up jobs before we even get out,” Thomas said.
ACAP is responsible for delivering both transition assistance and employment assistance services for soldiers, according to www.hrc.army.mil. It offers services that aid transitioning military personnel from Army to civilian life.
“Soldiers do an initial briefing at ACAP, which we call the informed briefing," Culbreath said. "This allows them to make a decision about what they are going to do with their career from this point forward. We discover if they want to stay in the military or get out.
“Once they make that decision, we have a two-and-a-half-day workshop that provides a self-assessment, interviewing and resume writing skills and more," she said. "We also provide Veteran’s Administration benefits briefings and disabled transition assistance briefings for soldiers. ACAP has a staff of professional counselors that work one-on-one with the soldiers to help them fill their toolbox with the skills necessary to transition into civilian life.”
The most important thing to come out of the expo is job contacts for businesses in the local, national and international community, she said.
“I think the expo is a great opportunity for soldiers and I’m glad to see such a substantial turnout," Culbreath said. "I really think these employers want to hire our soldiers. So the majority of them are going to leave here with either with an interview or a job in hand."
The job fair was packed with soldiers networking with employers. Sgt. Dontai Smiley said the expo is a good thing.
“I’m retiring in a couple of months and ACAP has provided some excellent opportunities for people transitioning out and looking to find a job," Smiley said. "I’ve gotten some feedback from several employers I’ve talked to today."
Beau Brown, an ERA helicopter recruiter, was a vendor at the job fair. He said that his company wants to welcome soldiers back home and thank them for their service.
“This expo has provided a unique opportunity for us to meet one-on-one and explain what we can offer them as far as civilian employment," he said. "An event of this magnitude is great because it attracts folks that you may not be able to meet outside of this environment. It can help build a bridge between a soldier's military and civilian employment and make their transition easier. It gives us a chance to explain how to better prepare themselves for the civilian workforce and the demands of its employers.”
Capt. Stanley Hogan is another attendee getting close to retirement.
“I’m at 18 years right now and I’m curious about what’s out there," he said. "I started out by going to ACAP and they told me about the transition briefing they offer and helping with resumes and I thought that was great. What I’ve been looking at today is furthering my education and making myself more marketable. I’m exploring a possible career in teaching through the Troops to Teachers program."
Steve Hall, Grand Canyon University military liaison for education, talked to several soldiers at his booth. Hall retired from the Air Force three years ago and said he is in the position to know what many of the soldiers are going through as they prepare to leave military life.
“I think education is an integral part of a soldier's career opportunities," he said. "I attend a lot of these fairs and though many of the employers here are pro-military, at the end of the day they are looking at resumes to find out what level of education the applicants have. So, the link here is to understand that if they want a job, they need a good education. It makes a soldier competitive and viable for employment."
Hall said he attended to offer both employment positions and educational opportunities.
“We are at this expo looking for teachers with a masters or doctorate level degree, but if soldiers are looking for education, then this is a good way to double dip," he said. "They can be employed and working toward their education at the same time.”
Hall said that often they don’t make that connection.
“In 2009, graduation rates were published from the Department of Education that encompass the entire graduating class from coast to coast in all undergrad programs in colleges and universities in the United States," he said. "It was discovered that less than four percent of those graduating comprised military. Less than one percent of that four percent was actually active duty, National Guard or Army Reserve combined. What that’s telling us is the bulk of students enrolling in school and graduating with a bachelor’s degree are veterans or retired. The military is pro-education and yet we have such a low graduation rate. A lot of that is because of the constant deployments, but I think the burgeoning industry of online education can help correct that. We are trying to get soldiers to understand that getting a bachelor’s degree will make you competitive. That’s why we are here."
Another vendor, Deborah Brown, director of wellness and employee development for Louisiana Machinery, said her employer attended the fair because they want to support the military in any way that they can.
“My company has many opportunities right now as far as different open positions all across the state of Louisiana and we are looking to hire some good people," she said. "What better place to start looking than at Fort Polk?
"We have met a couple of guys that are really interested in jobs in the positions we have to offer, so hopefully we can make that happen for them,” she said.
