By Angela Loston, NDG Contributing Writer
The treatment of veterans did not always sit well with Linda S. Gray when it comes to being hired. Gray, president and founder of the Greater Southwest Black Chamber of Commerce, has set out to change this by hosting a job fair to help veterans get back into the workforce. This year, Gray and the Greater Southwest Black Chamber of Commerce will host the Veteran’s Job Fair on Thursday, Sept. 20.
The Veteran’s Job Fair will take place from 2-3:30 p.m. at Cedar Valley College, located at 3030 N. Dallas Ave. in Lancaster. Approximately 13 companies will be present at the job fair. Some of the participating companies include Bell Helicopters, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas Independent School District, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Turner Construction, and Penske. Positions applicants can learn more about at the job fair range from warehouse to
upper management jobs.
The Greater Southwest Black Chamber of Commerce has hosted three previous job fairs. The event is free, but the chamber would prefer veterans register before attending the event. Attendees can register online at www.gswbcc.org now through Sept. 18. Veterans who do not get a chance to register online can also register the day of the job fair. Onsite registration will begin at 1:30 p.m.
Gray said the chamber created the job fair back in 2014 to help veterans transition from military to civilian life. Gray hopes that through the job fair they can help veterans get back to work and to help match them with positions that will meet their skill sets. During the job fair, she said veterans can receive help with their resumes to make them resume-friendly for civilian jobs.
“Veterans possess skills that are critical for any company or organization to succeed,” she said. “The benefits of hiring veterans is the training they get, the fact that veterans are disciplined and responsible. They are trained to work as a team since they are mission-driven.”
Before the job fair, an employer conference will take place at 8 a.m. During the conference, various hiring companies will have the opportunity to learn more about creating or enhancing their veteran recruiting programs. During the employer conference, they will discuss the economic value of hiring veterans, employers effectively communicating with veterans and hiring managers learning how to correctly match veterans’ military leadership skills with civilian leadership skills.
“The unique thing about the conference is that we are trying to bridge the communication gap between corporations and the hiring of veterans,” Gray said.
The Greater Southwest Black Chamber of Commerce, founded in 2008, is located in Lancaster and aims to educate and enhance the economies of Lancaster, DeSoto, Duncanville, Cedar Hill and other parts of the metroplex. The purpose of the chamber is to help minority-owned business owners gain more exposure and more revenue. They offer various events, workshops, luncheons, and annual events to benefit chamber members to help them grow their businesses. The Veteran’s Job Fair is one of the chamber’s signature yearly events.
After the job fair, the veterans will receive a survey to gauge their opinions of the event so to help the chamber make any necessary improvements to the job fair for 2019.
For more information on the job fair, contact Stephanie Broughton, Chairperson for the job fair, at 972-925-4131 or email veterans@gswbcc.org.
