AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine's unemployment rate inched slightly upward last month to 4.9%. Some of these Mainers without jobs are veterans. On Thursday, the Maine Department of Labor kicked off its seventh Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign with a huge job fair to help veterans find work.
The campaign is a statewide effort to commit at least 100 employers to hire at least 100 veterans and military family members during a 100-day period.
Thursday’s kick-off began at 10 a.m. with an opening ceremony with speakers from the Maine Department of Labor, Bath Iron Works, and Veterans' Services. The job fair starts at noon and goes until 4 p.m. More than 140 employers from around the state are expected to be at the fair.
The hiring event is also open to all jobseekers, not just veterans and their family.
Mark Cafiso is co-coordinator of the Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign. He says job seekers should come prepared to interview, bring a resume, and dress appropriately. He said Thursday's hiring fair is a great opportunity for vets to find a job.
“I know a lot of job seekers get frustrated with, you know, submitting online applications, and just waiting, wondering if any human has ever seen the application," Cafiso said. "This is a great way for jobseekers to really, you know, really nail down an opportunity and, you know, get an interview, and speak with the representatives from all the employers that are here.”
Since starting in 2015, the Hire-A-Vet Campaign has been successful at finding Maine veterans jobs. In the past seven years, the campaign has found work for more than 1,400 vets with more than 900 employers, according to Cafiso.