AUBURN, Maine — The Maine Department of Labor's Veterans Employment Team wrapped up a busy fall of hiring events Thursday afternoon. The Hire-A-Vet campaign has connected nearly 2,000 veterans with employers since 2015.
This year, the DOL visited four cities as part of the fall hiring campaign. Thursday's event marked the last event of the fall as Maine businesses set up shop to meet potential hires at the Auburn Mall.
Leo Deon is the Veterans Program Manager for the DOL and said the goal of this campaign is to have 100 employers hire 100 Maine veterans in 100 days.
“We’re also veterans ourselves, so we understand the transition challenges that happen," he said. “We also know how hard it is to find employment that is meaningful, that has career upgrade potential.”
Businesses from all industries across the state were on hand Thursday to meet with veterans, or anyone who was looking for a job opportunity.
The hiring event also allowed employed veterans, like Nate Russell of Auburn, to explore other opportunities if they're thinking about switching careers.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity just to be able to see that there are so many employers willing and ready to hire," he said.
Deon said another focus during the Hire-A-Vet events is to let veterans know about mental and behavioral health resources and services that are available to them. Organizations like Spurwink had tables set up to share information about those resources and look for potential hires.
“The cornerstones of getting back on track are employment, personal wellness, financial wellness," Deon added.
Tracy Conley is a recruiter for Spurwink and has attended all the campaign events this year. She said these job fairs serve a dual purpose, letting veterans know that there is help out there, and seeing if the potential hires could be a good fit for her organization.
Many veterans either worked the event for the DOL or represented their businesses on Thursday. Tracey Chase has children serving in the military and was at the Auburn Mall to let veterans know about the Bonney Staffing Center.
“It’s always been important to us because we want to be able to help as many people in the community as we can," she said.
Chase added that Bonney has been at every Hire-A-Vet event since its inception.
If you were unable to attend any of these job fairs, you can click here to find more information from the Department of Labor about career opportunities or other networking events.