As an HR professional, finding the most qualified candidates for available positions is your job. One effective way to do this is by attending a veteran career fair. But why are veteran career fairs such a good investment for recruitment?

Veteran career fairs are a smart investment for several reasons, such as providing easier access to talent, finding qualified candidates, improving recruitment, and increasing brand awareness.

In this article, we at Hire G.I. will take a look at why veteran career fairs are a wise investment and how you can hire veterans from these events.

Benefits of AttendingVeteran Career Fairs

Veteran career fairs provide a great opportunity for HR professionals to meet and connect with many qualified veterans with valuable experience. Attending veteran career fairs has numerous advantages for HR professionals. These are:

Easier Access to Talent

Attending veterans' career fairs is a great opportunity for HR professionals to connect with a large network of job seekers in one place.Thus, they can better understand veterans' unique skills and qualifications.

By showcasing the organization's commitment to hiring veterans, HR professionals can conveniently interact with hundreds of jobseekers.

Not only do companies have access to a large number of prospective candidates, but they can also conduct first-round interviews on the spot. Therefore, they can use the job fair as an early talent screening process.

Veteran career fairs provide the chance to meet dozens of applicants in a four to five-hour event. It offers a valuable networking experience for both companies and job seekers.

Find Qualified Candidates

Veterans usually have tons of experience and knowledge that can be invaluable to an organization. Participating in a veteran career fair presents a unique opportunity for recruiters to find and interview exceptional candidates. It can be a chance to discover a hidden talent with a broad and deep skill set.

Employers attending a veteran career fair can network with a variety of individuals. Many of these individuals possess a wealth of experience, knowledge, and skills that can make them valuable additions to any company.

Improved Recruitment

Many veteran career fairs take place in person, providing a unique opportunity for HR professionals to interact with veterans in a more personal setting. These fairs provide recruiters with a unique opportunity to connect with veterans and better understand their skills and qualifications.

Recruiters and HR professionals can converse with jobseekers in person and better understand their soft skills, such as communication and interpersonal abilities that might not come through on a resume. This allows recruiters to evaluate a candidate's potential and fit for the organization.

Increase Brand Awareness

Participating in a veteran career fair is an excellent way for businesses to increase brand awareness. By participating in such an event,companies can engage in public relations and promote their brand name, reaching out to bright job seekers and other potential partners.

Employers can effectively develop brand recognition among job seekers and other companies through a veteran career fair. They can showcase their brand through compelling visuals and promotional materials thatlots of people get to see. Many companies have found that participating in a veteran career fair is crucial to increasing brand recognition.

How to Participate in Veteran Career Fairs?

Companies need a successful recruitment plan to make the most of veteran job fairs. Here are some things that an HR professional can do to recruit veterans:

Understanding of the Veteran Candidate Persona

Companies should try to create veteran-friendly workplaces by gaining an understanding of the military culture and histories of veterans.At veteran career fairs, applicants from all branches of the armed services, aswell as military family members, may be seeking employment in the civilian sector.

Some will have prior civilian work experience, while others may not. Regardless, they will all be eager and ready to begin the recruiting process. As a recruiter, it is important to be responsive in arranging interviews and providing timely feedback to ensure that the best candidates are selected.

Know Your Organization

When attending a veteran career fair, you must have a comprehensive knowledge of your company and its opportunities for service personnel and their families. A tabletop display or panel can effectively communicate these prospects to interested candidates.

This is especially important if the company extends opportunities that may not be typically associated with its brand. By highlighting distinct opportunities and showcasing the unique benefits of working for the company, you can attract top talent to their organization.

Effective Communication

Communication is crucial when it comes to recruiting at a veteran career fair. You must provide the candidates with all the information necessary to help them make informed decisions about their career paths.

Furthermore, recruiters must respond to any questions asked by the candidates promptly to ensure their concerns are being addressed.

Explain Online Application Requirements

It is important to explain to potential candidates why paper resumes cannot be submitted at a job fair if your company does not accept them.Experienced military candidates transitioning to the civilian workforce may be unaware of why employers prefer online resume submissions. This could lead these candidates to believe that your company is not interested in hiring them.

Moreover, they may think that applying for your company's employment opportunities online from their homes could save time and effort.Clearly outlining your organization's online application process or criteria is critical to avoid such misunderstandings.

Be Approachable

At veteran career fairs, recruiters should try to be friendly and approachable. This is especially important for veteran applicants who may have minimal civilian job experience and may be uncomfortable or unsure about approaching recruiters.

Wearing a badge or other form of identification that clearly marks you as a recruiter will help veteran applicants feel at ease when approaching the table. Additionally, you should stand up and actively engage applicants in conversation.

Conclusion

After reading this article, we hope you now know why attending veteran career fairs is such a wise investment when hunting for employees. These fairs provide valuable opportunities to find the most qualified candidates for available positions.

So, be sure to browse through our upcoming hiring events and contact us for an invitation. We would love to have you attend our events.

References:

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-employers-can-benefit-from-job-fairs-2014-3

https://aharecruitingexperts.com/employers-benefit-job-fairs/

‍