What a tremendous patriotic gesture!

The best events are now online. Please let employers know in your region that they can post their jobs and search resumes for free on HirePatriots.com.

Also, please do 2 more things: Let some local troops and vets know about our One Day jobs. Then let enough residents know who will post jobs around their homes and yards for our troops and vets.

Here is the location of our One Day flier: http://www.hirepatriots.com/posters.aspx

Thanks!

Doc,
I have to agree with you these days. A year ago, when we were able to attract 130 companies to our job fairs, I would not allow a company to attend if they were not actually hiring. -- When I no longer could find enough companies that were actually employing veterans now, I stopped. -- Like you said, I did not want to "waste" their time.

Sgt. West,

Excellent advice. As someone who feels responsible to find jobs for veterans, I know how difficult the job market is.

This statement of your's is especially true: "You owe it to yourself to channel your experience and knowledge from service into a worthwhile venture that is worthy of your time."

As someone who has been creating businesses for 40 years, I agree that for those so inclined, looking into beginning your own business or several is a good idea.

Do you have any more advice for such entreprenuerial people?

Do those big corporations charge veterans money for help?
Are they training job seekers on how to find jobs on the social networks?
How helpful have they been? Did they find a job for you?

Yes, Unfortunately, you are right. In a healthy, robust econmy job fairs work better. But since Novemeber \'08, companies have not had to attend job fairs to find employees. They are being swamped with resumes.

Even free government job fairs cannot fill their fairs. They literally cannot give booths away. And the number of attendees continue to dwindle because job seekers have gotten worn out, going to \"hiring events\" where no one is hiring.

I got a call for help yesterday from the DoD, asking if I would help fill their job fairs. I tried to reason with them. I suggested better ways. But they had deaf ears. -- It is so like big government to spend our money that has been earmarked to help veterans find jobs, in ways that even they are aware is a waste of time. But they keep chugging down that empty track anyway.

I am committed to providing businesses with answers for these tough times, so that they can continue hiring. And I am beginning online webinars for job seekers, so that I can teach them all that I know and show them a way to support them selves and their families.

Joe, you are absolutely right. But then one wonders: With the difficulty in getting enlistments and retaining troops, how invested are commanding officers in making it easy for their trained and ready troops to leave? On one hand they provide job fairs. With the other hand they pay huge bonuses to entice troops to stay. -- Perhaps having ineffective job fairs helps them to show troops that their only real option is to remain in the military.

Thanks for the input, Alex. Do you help them write resumes? Please continue contributing and adding anyother helpful info.

I don't know about that. -- I respect a man who can admit that he was wrong. -- To win in Vietnam, we would have had to start bombing massive civilian populations. We did not have the desire or will to do so. Therefore, the right thing was to get out. Otherwise, many more of our valiant warriors would have died. And for what? -- Our Vietnam veterans often go back to Vietnam to rebuild schools, clinics ecetera. Most soldiers enjoy helping people more than killing them.

Way to go, Walter! -- Great comment: "I am standing for each vet to live the grandest vision they have for their lives: A fully expressed life."
Hope you continue to be one of our contributing commentators.
Well said.

In this economy, anytime a job fair says that it has more than 35 \"employers,\" they must not be telling the whole truth.

The Gov\'t job fair was free for employers. They sent me several requests to help them fill it. I tried. But employers do not need to take the time and expense to come to job fairs. They are being deluged with resumes everyday.

So I strongly agree that we must take another approach. We are \"kicking a dead horse.\"

If the economy cannot create jobs, then many job seekers must either begin their own businesses or enter into sales.

I appreciate your input. Please continue to contribute your ideas.