Veterans attending the event had an opportunity to meet with nearly 100 employers looking to fill open positions and veteran service organizations available to assist with navigating military benefits, and create or enhance resumes.

The state departments of Labor and Veteran Affairs joined the American Legion, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and the Hero 2 Hired program to participate in the event which opened exclusively to veterans for the first few hours before students and the general public were also permitted to enter to meet employers.

“This department seizes every opportunity to participate in events that assist our veterans, who deserve our full support in finding jobs whether they returned home recently or served in past conflicts,” said Labor Commissioner Harold J. Wirths. “We have dedicated staff who work with our veteran population to offer the resources and help they need to transition their military skills to jobs that will help them to reach their career goals and support their families.”  

The event was attended by employers with a variety of open positions, including Amazon.com, Bristol-Myers Squibb and FedEx to Educational Testing Service, New Jersey State Police and PNC Bank.

Catherine Starghill, director of Workforce Field Services for the Labor Department, helped to kick off the event. For the past several years, the Labor Department has partnered with a variety of agencies, including the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, American Legion, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ESGR, and Helmets to Hardhats, to join and support dozens of veteran job fairs throughout the Garden State.

Under Governor Chris Christie’s Operation: Hire a Jersey Hero initiative, launched in 2012, LWD organized a symposium held at Prudential’s headquarters in Newark that focused on connecting employers to state and federal resources that can help them hire veterans. LWD also organized a veteran-specific job fair on board the USS New Jersey (Battleship NJ) in Camden where 350 veterans and military spouses had an opportunity to meet with 50 employers who had a combined 2,800 available positions to fill.

The state Labor Department has veteran representatives on staff, many of them veterans themselves, to assist former military people looking for assistance. Veterans looking for employment, training or help with a resume should contact the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development Office of Workforce Field Services at Jobs4JerseyVets@dol.state.nj.us or call (609) 777.1042.