Career fair and baseball

Attend Hiring Our Heroes Military Hiring Fair and receive complimentary Mariners tickets

By Gary Lott on June 22, 2017

Looking for employment can be highly stressful, especially when navigating through dozens of employers ready to hire at hiring events.

What better way to relieve the stress of looking for employment all day than to enjoy a free Seattle Mariners game after searching for your next career?

Hiring Our Heroes is hosting a Military Hiring Fair & Career Event at SafeCo Field in Seattle June 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attendees are eligible to receive two free tickets to watch that evening's game between the Mariners and Phillies.

"Our hiring events are free for our employers as well as our job seekers, and each attendee receives two free tickets to the game later that evening," said Hiring Our Heroes Sports and Entertainment Expos director Lt. Col. Gary Soldato.  "In many cases, the ballgame acts as an icebreaker and furthers the networking conversations."

This one-of-a-kind event features a hiring fair, networking opportunities and workshops tailored for veteran job seekers, active-duty military members, National Guard and Reserve members and military spouses.

"Our employers have both local and national job postings, and in our workshops, we teach, coach and mentor on three areas of the process: Building a first class resumé using our digital tool: Resume Engine (resumeengine.org); establishing a virtual presence on a platform such as LinkedIn; and most importantly, the importance of networking and navigating a job fair," Soldato said.

Hiring Our Heroes hiring events aren't just for aimlessly wandering from table to table without a real prospect, as all available employers are required to have multiple job openings available.

"Our (Hiring our Heroes Job Fairs) average twenty-two to twenty-three percent job offers," Soldato said.  "It speaks to the veterans' readiness of our corporate partners and employers, but also (to) the preparation and caliber of our veteran job seekers."

The event will feature a variety of employers such as Microsoft, Amazon, FedEx and many others.

"We typically have a great cross-section of the demand of today's job market," Soldato said. "We will have close to one hundred employers, some national, some local Veteran Service Organizations, some first-responder departments (police/fire), some federal, as well as global brands headquartered in the greater Seattle area such as our sponsors, Amazon and Microsoft."

Although Hiring Our Heroes holds dozens of hiring events across the globe each year, it is always excited to receive unparalleled support from Washington state.

"From area companies and corporate partners, to state, city and local governments, the support for the veterans both currently serving (active-duty, Guard and Reserves) as well as those separated and their families, is beyond reproach," said Soldato.  "What's more, the companies have a clear understanding and a moral obligation to support today's veterans and spouses and (understand) that they possess skills and experiences to be tremendous assets to any organization."

Initially, Hiring our Heroes focused on the amount of job fairs held every year; its focus has changed with the ever-changing military transitional climate.

"Hiring Our Heroes' vision and goals are now focused on training and preparation for our veteran job seekers as well as education for our corporate partners," Soldato said.  "We can leverage our corporate partners' best practices and their education on the knowledge, skills and attributes a veteran/spouse brings to the table."

This approach ensures that Hiring Our Heroes is providing the best support with numerous programs such as its Corporate Fellowship Program, its Transition Summits and its military spouse events.

"Regardless of what military life brings - retiring, recently separated or a career change - it is imperative for (Hiring Our Heroes) to provide the highest caliber of candidate and set them up for success," Soldato said.

Interested employers and military job seekers can register at HiringOurHeroes.org or contact jrussell@uschamber.com.