NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Fedcap http://www.fedcap.org/ connected 70 veterans with employment opportunities in the security and private investigations industries on Friday in a special Connect2Careers' event at Yankee Stadium - and at least 15 veterans were offered jobs on the spot!
"Unemployment among post-9/11 veterans remains inexplicably higher than the national rate," said Christine McMahon, President and CEO of Fedcap. "Veterans are educated, trained, physically fit and equipped with crucial soft skills like problem-solving and leadership. We just need to connect them with willing employers in fields that can really leverage their value."
Friday's event, made possible with generous support from the New York Yankees, brought together post-9/11 veterans with nine employers with openings in the security and private investigations areas. First, Fedcap shared the companies' information with the veterans and the veterans' resumes with employers in advance. Then, during four hours on Friday, each employer presented to small groups of veterans round-robin style, followed by two hours for open networking and interviewing.
"I've been to other job fairs where you have to prove to the vendor that you're valuable," said one veteran. The organized small-group format and pre-matching of job types to veteran candidates' skill sets is "so much better," he said. "You feel you're already valuable to the employers."
"When you send out resumes, it's like trolling and hoping for a bite," said another veteran. "When you hand your resume to someone face to face it's more like spear-fishing."
Employers also liked the format, finding the veterans well prepared and well suited to their recruitment needs.
"I sealed 15 positions today that we've been looking to fill," said one employer. "They all meet the requirements and accepted offers to move forward into our formal HR processes."
About Fedcap
Fedcap helps people break through barriers to achieve long-term economic independence. Our programs and operations bring education and the power of work to youth in transition, adults with conviction histories, veterans, individuals with disabilities and many others facing barriers to employment. We place people in jobs across a wide variety of sectors and employ 1,800 in our own businesses. Fedcap is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information or to make a donation, call 212-727-4200 or visit www.fedcap.org. Follow Fedcap on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/fedcap) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/FedcapNYC).
Media Contacts: Barbara Rosen, VP, Communications at 212-727-4260, 973-979-5912 or brosen@fedcap.org; or James Cook, Communications Coordinator, at 212-727-4375 or jcook@fedcap.org
SOURCE Fedcap
