CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Over 70 vendors, including the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, participated in a statewide “Veteran Only Resource and Job Expo” for West Virginia veterans Wednesday.
Goodwill Industries of Kanawha Valley, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Huntington VA Regional Office hosted the inaugural event at The Prosperity Center. The center is Goodwill’s fully refurbished employment and training facility on Charleston’s West Side.
Kathy McKinley, the Goodwill Community Relations Director, said close to 300 veterans from across the state attended the event.
“It’s exciting to see West Virginians getting ready to go back to work,” said McKinley.
McKinley said the Expo was comprised of an opportunity for veterans to not only job hunt, but to do some classroom exercises, learn about interviewing, build their resume, and practice networking skills.
She said there is a lot of different aspects a veteran is faced with while transitioning into civilian life.
Mickey Barry, of Morgantown, and a U.S. Navy veteran of nearly 8 years, traveled to Charleston to take the next step in his career. He currently attends Fairmont State University this semester and plans to continue his education at West Virginia University this fall.
“I’m doing something on my bucket list that I wish I would’ve done many moons ago and that was to go to college,” he said.
Barry said he has a disability that makes finding a job more challenging. Currently, he hopes to gain better interviewing skills because he said “they don’t teach you that in the military.”
Barry said the federal agencies caught his interest Wednesday. He said he believes veterans go for jobs that are more “structured” because it relates to what life was like in the military.
“Coming out of the military and going into civilian (life) was difficult because you have to be more of a ‘people-person.’ In the military you were more friends,” he said.
Sean McLain, a representative with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, is also a veteran. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 20 years.
“At times I think (the transition) is overwhelming because you have a lot of skill sets you can bring to the table. It’s how you communicate those skill sets to the employer,” said McLain.
At the Expo, federal and local governments, engineering, and health care employers were presented to veterans. McLain said they tried to market their employers to what the work force in West Virginia is like.
“In the next 10 years, the health care, service industry, and trade jobs are going to be the ones that are looking for opportunities,” he said.
Since this event was only open to veterans, McLain said it made them feel more comfortable knowing employers were specifically interested in their skill sets from their service.
Barry said being able to meet other veterans in his same position made him feel like he “wasn’t the only person suffering.”