Job Fair-Con Preview with the Texas Veterans Commission

Why should veterans, transitioning service members, military spouses, job seekers, and employers attend? What free career resources are available long after the event ends?

In this episode of the FutureReady NextForce Podcast, Kelly Moreno, Chief Solutions Officer for Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (WSRCA), is joined by Isaac Marquez-Diaz and Keith Callands from the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) to preview one of Central Texas' premier hiring events while highlighting the employment services available to the military community throughout the year.

Together, they discuss:

•  What makes the upcoming Job Fair-Con unique 
•  Why veterans are such valuable employees 
•  How employers can connect with highly skilled veteran talent 
•  Career resources available through the Texas Veterans Commission and WSRCA 
•  Tips to help job seekers get the most from the event 
•  How military spouses and transitioning service members can successfully navigate the civilian workforce 

Whether you're looking for your next opportunity, preparing to transition out of military service, hiring talented employees, or simply exploring workforce resources available in Central Texas, this episode is full of practical advice you can put to work immediately.

Job Fair-Con 2026

📅 Wednesday, July 22, 2026
🕙 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
📍 Kalahari Convention Center
3001 Kalahari Blvd., Suite 5 (Lower Level)
Round Rock, TX 78665

Job Fair-Con is free to attend and open to veterans, transitioning service members, military spouses, all job seekers, their families, and employers. More than 200 employers and community organizations will be on hand with job opportunities, career resources, resume assistance, and workforce services.

Register for Job Fair-Con

🎟️ https://bit.ly/wsrcajobfaircon

Learn More

• Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area: https://workforcesolutionsrca.com
• CareerReady Central Texas:  https://careerreadyctx.com
• Texas Veterans Commission:  https://www.tvc.texas.gov

Our Thanks to Our Podcast Sponsor

The FutureReady NextForce Podcast is proudly sponsored by IBEW Local 520. Their commitment to workforce development, registered apprenticeships, and skilled trades helps make these conversations possible while supporting the next generation of Central Texas workers.

Learn more about IBEW Local 520: https://www.ibew520.org/

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Don't forget to follow FutureReady NextForce on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode exploring the people, partnerships, and ideas shaping the future of work across Central Texas.

FutureReady NextForce is proudly produced by Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area and sponsored by IBEW Local 520, supporting workforce development, apprenticeships, and skilled careers across Central Texas.

About FutureReady NextForce

FutureReady NextForce is the official podcast of Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (WSRCA), exploring the trends, partnerships, and people shaping the future of work across Central Texas. Each episode features conversations with workforce leaders, educators, employers, and community partners working to connect people with careers, businesses with talent, and communities with opportunity.

🌐 Learn more: https://workforcesolutionsrca.com

Transcript

0:04

[music] The Future Ready Next Force podcast is brought to you by [music] Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area. Developing talent for employers by coaching [music] Texans to employment.[music][music] Hello and welcome to the future ready next force podcast brought to you by Workforce Solutions World Capital Area and sponsored by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 520. Today we're going to talk about the job fair con veterans job fair in July. Today I've got joining me is Isaac Mc Marquez Diaz and Keith Collins. Could you all please introduce yourselves and tell us what you do for the Texas Veterans Commission? Sure. Um my name is Keith Collins. I am a veterans career adviser with the Texas Veterans Commission and my primary role is to assist those veterans, military spouses, and transitioning service members uh with uh resume assistance, labor market information, um interviewing skills, and um especially using the the job search uh sites that's out there, specifically work intex.com website, which is the primary source um that we um can assist them with when finding employment or opportunities within that website. Um and my primary role is just to make sure that they understand uh the dynamics of how to be gainfully employed um in the today's job market. Okay. And my Marquez uh Diaz with a veterans employer leaison with the Texas veterans commission and my primary role is the other side with I connect with the employers to make sure that I I can make a connection with the veteran to the employer make sure that the employers are successful successfully at recruiting. So that way if the the employer is successful that means that the the veterans can su successfully get hired from them and making sure that the veterans have that connection and making sure that maybe they did the application correctly do those type of events, job fairs and everything to make sure everybody in the community knows what's what's out there for them. Well, this sounds like a great resource. Um, because I the skill sets you learn in the military are tremendous. And then translating that into that is correct. The workforce speak [laughter] can be challenging because I I think a lot of people don't understand what the skills they have, how that works in a business world, a corporate world. So, you all help them make that transition and understanding how to make that cut over. And then employers, I I can't imagine a better employee than a veteran. Yes. Majority of the time when the veterans come out of the military um they go through the TAPS program which is the transitioning assistance program and um sometimes they do that uh some a year out or two years out depending on their leaders leadership roles um and they come out with that one basic resume that gives a lot of their military skills on that resume. However, just like you stated when they transition out of the service into the into the civilian world they're using that resume but to some civilians they don't understand a lot of that terminology. So that's where we come in on the outside uh through the Texas Veterans Commission to help them transition all of those skills into civilian understandable skills to make them more marketable in the job market. Yeah. And that's where I come in where I make sure that we train. It's kind of like a training for employers to make sure that they understand sometimes uh the maybe the military lingo. We try to make sure that everything is out, but not every veteran comes to our assistance. So, uh, my side is to make sure the employees understand the military side and they don't lose a good a good candidate just because they don't understand some of the stuff that comes on their resume. And I should we should say this is all free. There's no cost to the veterans or their employers. So, this service is a great service for the Texas community, especially personally central Texas counties. And, you know, we have Fort Hood just up the road, which I think is one of the largest army bases in this country. Yes, that is correct. And then most of them exit a lot exit out of that. is uncorrect. So yes, that's a great opportunity for our employers to reach some good candidates. Yes. And and and the area is um around Fort Hood, a lot of them when they transition out, they want to move to the more um more salary, high salary areas. So that's the reason why we have the Austin, the Austin community and around those surrounding communities. So we have the Williamson County um area, especially in Cedar Park, which is I can see is is growing. Um and so um we know we look at that labor market information and that's how we can assist the soldiers or those transitioning um service members or just the military community in general to let them know what's um what's around in the community. So um but yeah, that's that's our uh major responsibility. And one of the fun facts about Texas now, uh Texas became the number one state with the most veterans in the United States. And also Central Texas has the most density on veterans everywhere. So, uh, that's this is the labor market for for veterans. So, if if a employer wants to hire a veteran, this is the area for it. This is where you want to go. And yes, with all the DoD work and everything else moving to this area, veterans are primed for that, those jobs because most of them already have been through some kind of security clearance. and and not outing uh the the Fort Hood um community and as you stated the Department of Defense uh DoD um they have a whole lot of contract positions with high salaries and they try to capture those guys as soon as they come out with those skills. Um but it is it is it's it's the market. It's what's in demand, what's available. Um, and so if it's not in Fort Hood, then they try to adjust out to the Austin community area because they're looking for that salary base because some of these some of these guys are like uh four years or six years in or even just like me. I'm a 20 I'm a 22-year retired veteran. Um, and so we're we're trying to still maintain that that salary gap. Uh, even if we uh receive our disabilities at the same time, disability compensation from the Veterans Affairs Office. Um, but we still try to maintain that salary base. So that's why a lot of them try to stay around the Fort Hood community, the Austin, the Round Rock, the Cedar Park, uh the Georgetown, um that community. Um and so that and we're more than welcome to to let them know what's out there. I was just I know we're way off topic here, but Sorry. No, no, I actually brought another question up because uh as you're exiting the military, you've had this one career and now you're a certain age and you may have some other responsibilities as families and things like that and you're pretty much having to start over again. Yes. And that's got to be hard. It it is um because their skill set is is focused on that mentality of being in that job focused for about four to six years. So they're they have adapted to that and then once they get out they can't find that specific role. Um and so that's where we try to help them with um all of the other programs like the workforce um innovations opportunities act that to help them if they do transition out and they see a specific skill that they're interested in but that need that certification or whatnot. Uh that's where all of those we try to introduce them with all of those other programs to let them know hey though you was doing this in the military there is a school that we can send you to or we can get assistance that we can um have the workforce us provide to help you understand if you go into this market this is what you need so that you can understand it so that you can continue on with your lifestyle. Is there from an employer's perspective is there something they need to know about hiring a veteran that would help them? I mean, but from the employer p perspective, it's just more like if you get a veteran, you get a really strict person that learn the hard way to to earn things and uh to be disciplined in things. [clears throat] So that's one of those things that if you hire a veteran, you know, things will will get done and you will get a hard worker that can learn fast cuz when you're in the military, doesn't matter your job, you need to learn everything you have fast, which from basic training to your training, well going to like different trainings while you're in deployments, you're on the move and you need to learn things on the move all the time. So, I think a veteran will uh go against those odds all the time and so to the employer because the employer say here's a project figure it out and they're going to Yes. I like to say that veterans become an asset for a company. We're not just a worker. We're kind of become an asset for the company. I think one of the things for uh that we learned in the military is planning. Um and we have uh an objective that we always want to accomplish. We want to get to that objective. And the way that we go about getting to that objective is we have a strate a strategic plan that we like to set forth so that we have a primary and an alternate. So in case the primary doesn't work, we always have an alternate. So that's what you're getting from a military um individual that if you tell them or give them a project um the first thing they're going to do is they're going to do a quick risk assessment, but then they're going to do a plan to make sure that that that goal gets accomplished. So that's what you're gaining from a military u perspective or military great because I I mean obviously highly respect the military and I mean I know they're very structured and think but that's a skill set most people don't have you know they come into something and they're like I don't know how to do it so they just shut down but here you're going to have two options or three options they're going to already have plan BC and how to execute whatever that project is. Yes. Yes. This is open Texas veteran commission is open to any veteran. There's no time limit on when you're what's the time limit. like you're exiting in versus if you've been or three to four years out. How can you still use services if you've been out a while? Yes. Um so um we we try to cra capture those as soon as they come out, right? So that they can understand this is what's expected now that you're on the civilian side of the world, but those are those transitioning service members. But through the Texas Veterans Commissions, um like you said, I am a veteran. Um, and I used the Texas Veterans Commission uh when I was um coming out of a previous uh employer that I had been with with five years on the civilian sector. Um, and so when I went through the Texas Veterans Commission as a veteran, I was still able to use their uh their resources based off of my character of discharge. Uh so uh for those who are dishonorably discharged um though Texas Veterans Commission cannot assist them um there are other nonprofit organizations that they might be able to go to um that might be able to to assist them. Would you all be able to provide those resources to those individuals? So me as a veterans career adviser uh I can only deal with those that have those qualified employment barriers. But if you go through the Workforce Solutions offices throughout the whole entire Texas community, that staff or those American Job Center staff should be fully aware of depending on whatever nature you come inside of that center with, whether you are a civilian, a veteran, or someone that does not meet those veteran statues or those military statues, that Workforce Solutions office should still be able to um to assist you. And and that's why we are we enjoy being incorporated with the workforce solutions because uh though there might be something that we may not be able to assist them with, the workforce solution staff still will be able to assist them no matter whatever their character discharges. Well, let's turn over to the the job fair con that's coming up July 23rd. 22nd, sorry. Okay. 22nd at Kalahari. I remember that part. Yes. And Kahar has been a great partner here with you all. So, um Isaac, I know you kind of start spearheading this. So, you want to tell us about it? Uh, the TVC Joffrey come became something that I just wanted to create to to make veterans more comfortable. I was one of those veterans that when I was out, I was I ended up unemployed for a little bit and you know, job fairs are stressful because you have all these employers. You're scared to talk to people because you don't know how sometimes all you knew before was the military and in the military that you get told what to do. This one is you have to go out there and go get it. So, it was hard for for for me in that part. And then even they were say there at times that my family wanted to go with me and support me. So I wanted to create something that is family friendly and also kind of less stressful for the veterans. So it's more of like you know I'm one of those guys that grew up with comics. So you know the comic cons around you know that we have. So that's why it was it came out of that and it's where employers uh they're come for me telling them to be more relaxed with with the um with the setup like they can come in dressed up if they want to as a superhero or something or or the people uh the job seekers coming in to get jobs. They can bring their family. The kids can get dressed up. They've last couple of years we had even uh the local Comic-Con show up to with customs giving you know uh kind of gifts to kids, the local Star Wars guys and you know the the mascots and even this year we're going to be able to have like a small car show outside uh with mainly veterans bringing their classic cars and things like that. So if if um if you're kind of struggling or you it's too much stress for you cuz we're going to have over 200 employees there. uh you can literally walk out and check some classic cars to relax and then when you're you're kind of relaxed you can go back in. Also, another thing is we're gonna have what I call a makeover row, which if you feel that you're not ready for for a job fair to meet an employer, we will have people there. We'll have Indeed there to give you a free resume reviews to make sure that your resume is where you want it. And if you want to get it printed out, uh we were not going to be able to have something to get it redone there, but the workforce will be like five minutes away where you can go back to the workforce solutions office in Roundrock to get you maybe redo your resume, print it out, and come back. Then also we're gonna have a sport clips is supporting us with free haircuts for veterans that in case and then also a organization called Tripish will be there for free professional clothing in case you need it cuz we have those type of veterans that have maybe no money or time. They show up with no haircut and a jeans and a t-shirt. So if we see those type of veterans or just the community that just shows up, we let them know like we have these services for you even before they go see inside the all the employers. We can get them ready for that. get them a haircut, get them some clothes so they can present themselves better for the employer. So bottom line is no excuse why you can't come to this job fair. Um whether it be your presentation, your outfit, uh or even how to um prep your resume. So we've covered all of those bases as well as made it a relaxed job fair so that you can come in with your family um and go through and see what organizations or what employers are there that fit your role and be able to network and talk to the employers. so that you you can also learn how to market yourself as an employee so that um you you'll be able to you know hopefully secure employment. So this um is also open to the spouses of Yeah. So this all our events are open to everyone. So everybody can come in. Doesn't matter uh veteran or not, soldier, just member of the community. All our events are open to everyone cuz we want to make sure that everybody gets the the chance to see all those resources cuz you know you don't get to see over 200 employers just in one place where you can see as big uh named corporations or your local governments, the state departments. You don't really see them much together. So, you need to take advantage of this point. If you know, if you're trying to if you don't have a job or you're just trying to get a a better job, this is the opportunity for you to talk to employers, talk to recruiters, hire managers, because they already told me like there's at least four to five people going to these events, you know, rotating with hire managers there. And this is your chance to get yourself out there to make sure they know you and this is the best time because on job fairs because that's how they remember you. If they see you on a job fair, if the hire manager sees you on the job fair and then they meet you, then when you applied and then they remember your name and then you might be have a better chance because now the hire manager knows you in person and knows how your character and everything instead of just seeing a paper or seeing your application online, right? Um how do you need to pre-register? What is the processes? So we have a registration link. Uh uh so it's in in the workforce uh calendar on our Texas Venice Commission calendar. It's on the flyer. Uh so if you can scan the QR code and then we'll get you just quick sign up and then you can uh you can go there. If for some reason you cannot sign up, we can help you there. We'll have people there to help you sign up real quick so you can get inside. So we will have that link in this podcast as well. And now for employers there is a registration place as well. Yes. So we have more a control environment on that one. So, if they if there's an employer that would like to come to the to the event, they will have to contact one of our our TVC members and then they will get to to me or if they already have the link or care code, they can send it to them. Okay. And then we'll put that down there. Um, are you capped out on employers? No, I still have some spots open. I you know, we still need our employers. So, let's Okay. Um, well, we'll definitely can work you on that with the workforce team as you know, office consultants. I'm sure probably helping in that area as well. So, let's go to some questions that we have. Um, many people know that Texas Veterans Commission because of the veterans benefits, but employment is a huge part of what you do. Can you explain your mission? So, um, our mission is to, uh, to advocate, and I put I put it in a in a short, um, kind of statement. Um, basically, our whole mission is to make sure we get, uh, get veterans, military spouses, and transitioning service members job ready. Uh that means that as we stated as I stated earlier to assist them uh with what's in the demand what an employer is basically trying to focus on but to have the knowledge through labor market information uh to make sure they understand searching those specific job work sites uh such as work in Texas uh LinkedIn uh careers um and some of those other um more I can say more trustworthy job search websites because we know there's a lot of you know spam websites that goes um uh helping them with understanding, tailoring their resumes, how do they go about do that and I'm one of those ones that um I want to teach them to how to how to do their resume because I don't want to physically do your resume it yourself because you don't learn anything and you don't learn how to adjust your resume. Um and I have a basic style resume that you know I says at the minimum this is what you need to have inside of that resume. But as well as if you are struggling with interviews, we help you with mock interviews, how to answer that and um you don't have to worry about uh like we used to do in the military sitting in a chair at a very specific position saying yes sir and all this stuff but we want to make you feel more relaxed how to answer the appropriate question because we know the most norm question is tell me a little bit about yourself. What is that basically what it is that the employers are asking? So um that's in a in a in a in a short statement is to make sure um they understand what is needed to make them job ready. So that's our primary mission. And one of the thing is that uh we cannot promise you know an interview or a job but what we can promise is that we're going to try to get you the closest to that so we can get you ready for for the future because if if we just give it you know we're not a staffing agency that we have the job. So, what we do is to make sure that you're successful for yourself and then if um you're working with us and then you apply to something, I can try to go advocate for you and the employer. But like I said, we can uh the only thing that we can promise is that we're going to try the best possible to get you ready and then do the what we can to talk to the employers. And that's also included inside of our mission too is not just to make sure your job ready, but to also to advocate advocate for uh for a veteran to employers. Yes. So it was when you mentioned u set a certain way when you I was not in the military so I [laughter] said obviously I don't have to set you u but it thought to me it's like when you're in the military it's a black and white answer when and you get into corporate or and we're more gray and we're you know feel good and that I think would could be a hard transition for someone yes to understand. So, um, besides that, what other common challenges do our veterans face when they're coming back into the civilian workforce? It's it's the adjustment from a a very well structured organization into a um, and I could give you an example. Um, you can be in the military and you might mess up. You might get written up for it, but it's hard for you to get dismissed from the service because inside of the service, we will do our own corrective actions. Versus on the outside, uh, if you mess up, you might be putting on a probationary period. Uh, but then if you mess up again, that's it. You're out, cut and dry. Um, so it's it's it's more of for some veterans it's it's more of I have a job, but if it's not contracted and it's at will because we're we're Texas, um, you can be let go for no apparent reason. So, it's that can be a a a shell shock to a to a service member that's just coming out because they're so used to, well, I um I did something wrong or when I went through the board, I didn't answer a correction. I did correctly. I didn't get uh promoted, but at the same time um they're still sustaining that contract. Um because uh basically you're still staying in because you know we grew we grow groom our own leaders, right? Um but on the civilian sector, we know that well if you can't do it, there's about four or five other people uh that will be willing to do it. So you may not accept this salary, but I know this person over here will accept this salary. So it's it's more of a it's a more structured in the organization of the military versus on the civilian side that opportunity to be let go at any given moment. And I think one of the challenges is also understanding how when you get out you're understanding how to change everything from your military brain to change it to civilian. You're used to this like he says structure kind of way or just you have a mission and you have your brothers to your left and your right and we're all doing the same thing. and you come to a different side where it's just everybody's just so different or it's just everything's different wherever you go on the same side. Yes. And you're not used to it and maybe sometimes you think you got this because the military you always you know there's always a way to get things done which on the civilian side is just so much different where uh you might think you have it but you don't. That's why the T TV TVC kind of comes in in in play that you we make sure that that the veterans understand the changes and uh maybe understanding that maybe uh a lot of people think because of your military job you specifically need to do that when you get out which sometimes well we forget I was one of those veterans that forgot that I was a uh on kind of a combat side of it more a scout but I was just thinking like all I could do is like you know police or firefighter or something like that. But I forget that leadership skills and that's when I was one of those stories where TVC helped me understand and changing my resume and making sure I understood all the other skills that I had. I went to schools, you know, leadership skills and other things that I had that a lot of people a lot of uh veterans don't think about. They only think about the specific job they had and they're not looking at the full picture of what they accomplished. Yeah. That's a great tool to have to let them step back from themselves and go because you all can see it and you know when you're in the middle of it you don't always catch what's going on. It's hard to do. Let's switch to our employers and um why should employers make hiring veterans a priority? Well like we we mentioned before they should make it a priority because you know veterans have you know already the skills to kind of get things done. Okay. like uh you know it might seem that you know we come from a different world because of how we come in but if you put a veteran on on a mission they will make sure they they they accomplish it. So it's not like for for veterans and for I think for we talked for both of us if you put put us on a mission we're going to make sure that it gets done and we're not going to stop. It's like we don't get a no for an answer kind of thing. So we make sure that things get done and it's not only that it's also um on the gritty side and there's benefits for the employers like you know the work opportunity tax credit where if you have veterans working for you you get you can get a tax break and also the the TAP program uh with the with the organ with the basis where uh if before soldiers get out they can maybe if you linked up with the TAP program you can have soldiers training with you. So, training uh to become your employees before they even get out from the service and you don't have to worry about payment or anything because the the military is going to be paying them while they're training with you. So, that way when they're out of the service, they can be job ready and be trained to start working right away. Now, um let's dive a little bit more into that TAP program. Um because I think a lot of people do not, especially employers, don't understand it fully and then how to get engaged with it. And one question I did have is so if you go through the tap as exiting soldier are you do you have a job guaranteed with that company or is it just a trial period and they they can choose to hire you? Yeah, they can they can choose to hire them but uh the TAP program will it's kind of a hard progress uh process to get into with them because they want to make sure that it's not just a company trying to get free labor from soldiers when they're in that process. They want to make sure that, okay, you're going to be in our program. We want to make sure you have jobs for, you know, to our veterans. Doesn't mean that you have to hire them, but at least like I'm training them because I have these positions open and I want to train them to possibly if everything works out, they at the end they're going to end up in this position. So, do they work directly with the base or they work with DoD directly? It's more directly with with the base and uh with the actual TAP program from that specific base. Okay. And if an employer is interested in doing that, would they reach out to you? they can reach out to us so we can direct them to to the right person. But it will be the uh the tap program uh personnel that helps them go through the process and then if they qualified they can get into the program. Okay. Well, I mean, that sounds like a great program, especially if we know the amount of growth happening in this nine county region. And I I keep hearing numbers every day and I'm like, well, if you just hooked up with them, you could have a quality pipeline that's coming straight to you and you know, and also it's kind of a one for the exiting military because if if it's not a good fit, you know, you got your experience, got a skill set, but you're like that company's not for me. Yeah. So, which is good to know. It's like a win-win for both employers and soldiers because they're learning a new trade. They're learning what's to be out there as well. And if it doesn't work out, at least like you said, they had some type of training. They have something going on. But the main mission is to try to see if, you know, by the end of it, they could have a uh a job with that company. And I may put you on the spot here. [laughter] On average, how long does it take for an employer to be approved through the TAP program? Do you have any idea? I do not have much of it. Just depends on on their process and everything and it might take longer or depends of the workload but it it doesn't take that long but it's just a process that they have but that's fair. I I would just I would just say this if if an employer wants to see about being incorporated inside of that program go to the local workforce solutions office because that's where we are embedded. We are embedded in almost all of the workforce solutions office throughout the whole entire state of Texas. So if an employer wants to grab those those service members prior to them coming out based off of their skill set, just go to your Workforce Solutions office, ask to speak with a local veterans employment representative, which is a lever, uh such as my counterpart here. I love all your acronyms. Thank you. Uh we're known for them. [laughter] Um but that's that's your that's your source of contact. uh go to those uh American job centers, get in contact with those levers, uh prior to those soldiers getting out, see what's available so that you can grab that mentality, that disciplined uh soldier, those those leadership that has project management type of skills. Um and when you grab them, you're getting them fresh out of the military, just like with me. Um because the first position I got coming out of the military, it was a leadership uh leadership job. Uh but based off of I was going through the Texas Veterans Commission that I did not even know about until I went through the TAPS program. They showed me where to go. Showed me how to transition all of my skill sets while I was still in the military. And then on the verge of getting out, I had an employer waiting for me based off of me going through that TAPS program, helping me with my resume, working with an outside employer on the civilian side of it. So when I transitioned out, probably took a week off, but I was just I was just ready to go to work uh because um I could I couldn't, you know, I had that major pain effect of staying at the house. I couldn't do it. Um but that helped me understand what was expected of me on the civilian side of the world. Uh did it take me a while to adjust? Uh yes. Um because I looked at someone and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, if you was in the military, oh, you you would get this and you wouldn't be able to do that." But it was going through the taps program to help me adjust from the military to civilian. So for all of the employers, go to your American Job Centers, talk to those Texas Veterans Commission advisors, get incorporated inside of that program so you can grab those soldiers as soon as they come out so that you can hurry up and fill that job lead. And I think Keith brings up a good point that I think not only employers but job seekers and everybody they should go to to the job center the American job centers to see all the free services that that there's out there. Like I think a lot of people don't know that it's like how local employers sometimes now being in a chamber is not know is not required but being in part of the chamber gives you a lot of things going on. But it's the same thing with us. Like if you go to a workforce office there's a lot of free resources free events that people don't know. When I approach sometimes employers and I tell about what I do, they always ask me. I'm like, "Hey, so how much is that going to be?" I'm like, "There's no cost. We're not Sometimes, you know, I'm one of those guys that forgets. I'm so excited about telling them what I can do, what we can do that I forget that at the end, okay, free of cost." But, you know, there's a lot of uh free of cost services for job seekers and employers out there that they just need they just need to go to their workforce office and find out about them. [music][music] Let's go back to the job fair con and what advice would you give employers to help them engage the uh exiting mil military? I think the main point is to just if somebody's looking at your table, you should uh try to approach first cuz uh we have situations before where uh my main goal is to train them that they need to be the ones approaching cuz you know when you're unemployed you're just scared. You don't know if you should talk to you don't know if this employee is going to work out. So if you see somebody just looking at your direction, you should be the one approaching which last year more likely we're not going to be able to do this year because we have more than enough spots. But last year, the previous years, we had something called the roaming employer, which it was you didn't have a table, but you were roaming around. And if you see somebody lost, you just approach them and be like, "Hey, this is so and so from this company. This is who what we offer. Do you think you you can might fit?" So this is that the main goal of it. And I think the previous years, those roaming employees actually hire people from that because you're reaching out to them. You're not waiting for them to come to your table cuz I think a lot of things that happen that we also try to tell um our veterans is that don't just look at the name of the company. Stop at every single table. I even had a job fair where I made everybody go to every single table and a lot of them liked it because they actually didn't miss some of the opportunities. And I think a lot of people think of, oh, I want to see a big company. I want to go to like Samsung, Tesla, something like that. But they forget about all the other employers that will have that something with you. And like being our Kalahar being our partner is I use them as an example all the time because I I I tell people like, "Hey, well, have you thought about Kalahari?" And they're like, "Well, no, I don't want to clean rooms or work in the water park." Well, Kalahari is a brand. They have more. They have accounting, they have IT, administrative, everything, mechanical. So nowadays every company will have something like that and people forget about that and mainly with state agencies I like to do something called employee showcase because it's showing them giving a presentation of what they do. You know it's like another example I gave is the controller's office. Don't people don't know what the controllers office does. So this is one of the things that I want to make sure that in this type of things the employers are the ones reaching out to the people instead of that. And one of the other fun things with this job fair is that everybody's going to get a different color bracelet that means different things. Veterans will get a color bracelet. Their families are different one. Transition soldiers also get the same as veterans and also employers get a a a type of bracelet so they know who's a an employer. And also whoever is an employer that is a veteran get that same color bracelet as other veterans so they can they can so you can see who's a veteran with the employer and you feel more comfortable talking to them or also the employers can see who who their uh who their u people who they're talking to is there because also you know the general public is there is not to go against it because we know our main goal is our veterans but we have these brace the bracelets to make sure that employers and people attending know who they're talking too. I love that idea. It's a great idea. Love to I know. I'm looking forward to coming by and stopping by. Last year was a lot of fun. Actually, the I think I was startled by the Star Wars people because I walked turned the corner. [laughter] Yes. And you saw Darth Vader and Darth Vader. I need to get my lightsaber. [laughter] So, what um do you all do to help the veterans beyond the job search? We support them. And um I know we do the resume writing and stuff like that, but there's a lot of other things that go in, right? So um we I I can give you a primary example because I have I had a veteran uh that is his he's looking for something specific and I basically put him on an employ an employment plan to make sure he understand those four goals. And then after that I did after um he understood how to you know accomplish those four goals, I did a follow-up with him. Um, and then after I completed the follow-up, I make sure that I contact him afterwards and says, "Hey, how's everything going? Um, do you need any additional assistance? Um, and he continues to look for something because he has a specific some specific educational role that he's trying to pursue. Um, and some and some are like that. You can't, you know, I can't push them away. Go to this go to this career because you have those skill sets. No, I'm still focused on this." Um, but he comes inside of the work center. I sit there and I talk to him. how's everything going? Do you still need any other um understanding of this? Sometimes they see something else inside of work in Texas because it work in Texas is so huge with a bunch of information in it. Um and he stumbles across something, but at the same time I continue to speak with him. If he has questions, I try to make him understand that. Um I still do a uh every once in a while I do a one-on-one with him. Um, but we want to provide that support to let him know that I have someplace to go and I can talk to someone free of charge that will provide me with the information that I need to help me better understand something. Um, so I I know he's going to um get what he's looking for, but at the same time that continued support, that brother and sister continued support because we're there for you. We know what you're going through, but we want to make sure you understand, hey, you're not left out there. Um, but even if you want to go to school, have you tried going through our veterans readiness and educations program for veterans? Um, had you had you contact the Texas Veterans Commission Education Department? Um, are you thinking about being your own boss? Have you t thought about going through some of these entrepreneurship um uh uh events that that that they may have so that you can see this else this is other things that's out there. So even even if they talk to us and leave, we still follow up with them as long as they stay incorporated inside of work in Texas. They keep logging into that. I'll pull the report, send all kinds of information to thousands of veterans to let them know, hey, this is what's going on inside of the community. So it doesn't just stop with you coming inside of the center, talking to us or talking to anyone, and then leaving. As long as you're logged into Work in Texas, I'm still pushing information out to you to let you know what's going on, what's available inside of our local community. Hello. So on my side whenever we're doing he has a you know a veteran that he's getting helped out he I don't work directly with with the veteran but we do something called a case conference whenever they become job ready which is whenever we three we have we both of them talk to the to the veteran and talk about what they're looking for. So, he already talked to me before that, but it's like a a talk with the veteran to be more realistic on my side of the of the picture. Uh, telling them like,"Look, I know you I understand this is what you're looking for. Whatever market they're looking, some of them uh the veterans are looking for a hard market to get to. So, I explained it to them. This is what if you're trying to get this range of money, but this is how much realistically is for or this is the jobs I can actually talk to them. Maybe I already have some jobs ready for them to see this is what's it's out there." and maybe you know more realistic of like what if it doesn't work out what's your low uh you know pay rate that you will take or what is an alternative kind of position that you will take related to your career so you can stay in the same career path but it's just something a little bit different that you can still get earn some some money and some experience so you can get to that point and that's where you know Keith comes in with the resources schools and everything if a veteran is not ready for that or it needs a little bit more than what they're trying to look for they have those resources to go to schools to get certifications, but also on my side making sure that they understand the kind of the market val the market and everything that they're trying to get into. I I love that it's just a full wraparound service basically because you're saying I want to do X but the market's not taking X right now. Um not saying X won't show back up but let's get you in the door, get you working into that company that potentially could do X and then you can go and build your career. And and a lot of them don't understand that that when they and we we hear this a lot when when they see you working with them and and see what you do and they know well I have those skill sets too and the first thing they ask is well how can I do your job? Well unfortunately it's like it's not open u because I'm feeling it [laughter] um but I'm still here. Um, but to understand, you have to make sure they understand. That's the reason why we research labor market information so that you know in this geographical area, this is what's being paid based off a Department of Labor. If this is something that you want to accept, you may have to lower your value about 10 to 20% because you're trying to get your foot inside of the door. But if you have those skills and you have those those opportunities and you have those tools and resources, make sure it states that on your resume because you may not be able to get my job here, but who's to say there's something else someplace else? Are you willing to go to another location? If so, this is what this is paying in this location. What is your low ball? Just like Isaac said, will things you will not go below. This is your low ball salary. So that you know how to negotiate that. Um but at the same time um again it's if the if if that is not available maybe there's something else that you can do t in the time being until that that opportunity comes available. Get this but you're still not stopping your job search. You still can continue to search until you find your niche. Exactly. You're building your skills at that time. If you want to go to school, get that job, get that um source of income, use it to go to school, get that certification so that you can transition into the role that you're trying to pursue. I think that Yeah, you just touched on me, you said negotiations for salary, and I'm ignorant here. I'm assuming you don't negotiate your salary in the military. No. [laughter] Um but told what Yeah. Because like I said, we're on a set in the military on a set space scale. But that's the reason why again it's the same thing. It's just a a different way of looking at it in the military versus in the civilian sector. You still have to increase your skills and tools you in your bio through your performance evaluations. When you go to that job interview, that's that promotion board, whether it be in the Army um in the um Air Force, whatever the the the branch is, but that that's your interview. You're going to that interview to see if you can get that next promotion so that you can get that next paying high salary, get into that higher leadership position. so that you can start yelling at people and um not have them yell at you no tomorrow. So um when you're talking about a job posting with a veteran, uh how are you helping them to understand the civilian terms and picking out those key things in the job posting that their skill set matches up and how they can Yes, that that's a very good question. Um a lot of them are using one resume and they say this is my resume. this is what I can do. But then when I have them look at the job description and the first thing I tell them is you're trying to sell yourself to an employer to make an employer look at you. How can you go about doing that? Well, the job description is telling you what it is that they're looking for. So, if they're giving you their marketing pitch, why don't you put those skills, those keywords, those key statements, um your professional summary, highlight that with the employer's name, with the job that they're looking for, why don't you put that into the resume so that when it goes through that application tracking system, ATS ATS got a lot. [laughter] So that once you get past that ATS and they look at your and that then that hiring portion pulls your resume and looks at it, they going to say, "Flip it 5 to 10 seconds. Oh, this is what I'm looking for. Let's look more. Oh, they got all of the skills. They got all the tools. They got all the stuff exactly what's in the job description that the employer told you about." Then that's how you get to the interview. So, the job description is so important because it lays the foundation of what you need to state in your resume to make you more marketable. And we were I just did a podcast a few weeks ago with a different roof and we were talking about the same thing. And then uh also what I call playing the LinkedIn game. Yes. Uh [laughter] so yeah, it's there and that building that network is key. So, you know, really encouraging if you're interested in industry, get involved in the industry sector groups that are out there, uh, chambers. Yes. You know, economic develop group that you can get in and meet those people because, you know, you can hand your resume off to somebody. True. And they and that does help get you another look as well because so um I know at the workforce center we have a LinkedIn class that you can do virtually and that helps you play that game because it's real. Yes, for sure. So, you really want to make sure your LinkedIn profile and all your socials clean and up to date. And I do know through our workforce solutions center um in the Williamson County at Round Rock um I know that um we have a calendar both uh an analog one that we can hand out, one that's in work in Texas that you can research, one that's through the workforce solutions website, um which also includes all of our TVC related events. Um, so we give those resources to to our veteran community to let them know these are free events that you do not have to pay for. You have a free resume class. You have a free LinkedIn class. You have um a job interview class. You have all of this stuff that's free. And um I think mo the majority of them are virtual. Most of them, so that's very accommodating for those that okay, I'm kind of limited on gas right now. Um, I'm limited on transportation. So, we meet those accommodations and you have all of those resources right there on the calendar that I can just give to you and says anyone that you want to go to, go to the Workforce Solutions website, register, you're in. So, perfect. Pretty easy to do. Pretty easy to do. So, I think that puts us as we're coming up on the job fair and as our veterans and other job seekers are coming into the event, what do they need to do to prepare to be ready to go into this event? Well, they will need to check, you know, the resume or making sure that they see what industry they're trying to get into or see if they register. Uh they I'll be I'm sending out the list of employers. So, it's not that I keeping a secret, but uh if you register, you're getting that list of employers so you can get get more prepared. And if there's a specific company that you want to get into, look at their jobs. Then, like Keith said, look at that job description and then adjust your resume to that job description. probably have multiple resumes and code it, make it sure by the business so you don't give it the wrong way. So, do not be afraid of having like 100 resumes. I met a veteran that had over a 100 resumes because he if you really uh want to get that job, you want to tailor your resume to what they're talking about using the the wordage and the the the how that company uses words because sometimes uh an example I always give uh an instructor or a teacher I had in in college, he always talked about how a systems back in the day, he didn't get a job because his resume said he was a teacher and he was his teaching experience But they always said and as an instructor or we need an instructor and we need someone that is instructing. It's the same thing teaching and instructing. But sometimes systems don't don't match. Yes. Or some universities like to use instructing. Oh, we don't teach, we instruct people. So this is one of those things. Yes. You need to uh see the culture of that company. What uh you know maybe news what they're doing at the moment. So you have a little more culture based knowledge on what that company is doing. So whenever you talk to that hiring manager or recruiter there, they see that you have world knowledge and you're really interested on that company. So that way it gives you a bigger chance. Like I said, job first is the best uh thing to kind of um kind of get with people or know people that to help you get to successful to your getting a job because if you just keep doing applications, the only way that people see you is by, you know, an application or a paper. But if you go out there and talk to them and let them know how passionate you could be from a position, then they'll put you maybe they see you the next time on the application, they put you first on the list and like let's put him uh him or her on the first front of the list because we met them about the job fair and I think they should be working for the company. And if I can add on to just going on to that question, um when you come to the job fair, be willing to talk to almost all of the employers that's there. Yes. Um we're living in a digital world. Um, make sure you, like she, if you have a dozen resumes, it does not hurt bring your phone. Um, have your resume available on your phone because if you go talk to an employer, they might say, "Well, email me your resume." So, have your resume um, available on a digital platform. Have that ready. Um, dress appropriately. If if for some strange reason, um, you don't dress appropriately. We can groom you. We can give you free business attire. Um, we can also help you prep with your interview uh with your resumes. So, just be prepared to come and look for a job and a majority of the time you can get hired uh at the job because I think the first one we did three years ago um we had Indeed there and Indeed hired I think Indeed hired some some people at the job fair. Yes. Um, so, you know, don't quote me on that, but I think some of the other department um uh um I think some of the city um those city employers job fairs are uh an opportunity to get hired. Just just go for that goal. I'm going to a job fair to get hired. That's the goal that you need to have. Put that in your mind. My resume is going to get me hired today. For uh the past uh events that we had, we at least had around 50 people that got hired on the spot. Wow. And you know, not every employer kind of reports a lot of it because there's a lot of going on, but I know at least around 50 people in each one of those events prior got jobs that day. And then within the next couple of weeks, some of them reported uh more uh people getting hired. So at least an extra 100 to 150 people got hired due to that uh job fair. And we had experience with the veterans that told us that even work for the state now. And we actually had not long ago an interview that will show up soon like a like this podcast that we had a follow story of a veteran that went to the job fair. Loved it how the setup and everything and now it's working been working from the states since then. Awesome. I had two questions for quick. So we're talking about professional dress. What would you be your suggestion on professional? I mean there's so many different ways to professionally dress right now. Um professional casual. Casual. Okay. So you have some ideas about that because people like what does that mean? So, um the average the polo shirt or uh like I have on a white shirt that's but that's button button white shirt. Um I can have no tie. Um uh slack jacket. You don't have to have a jacket. You don't necessarily have to have a jacket. Um but you know it's if you want to wear a jacket, you can. Um but uh no jeans, uh no t-shirts with writing across uh inappropriate writing across the front of the t-shirt. Uh nothing um nothing ripped. um try to come groomed um you know because um you know your your first appearance is a lasting appearance. You always have to think that. Um so if you're talking to someone um you want to be in your in your best presentation. So uh you know dress uh dress pants c um khakis um uh you know polo shirt um uh what else? You if you want to wear a tie, you can wear a tie. is it's whatever you feel comfortable with there. Yes, we want you to be comfortable uh business casual, business casual, business professional because you also have to keep that in mind. Your first impression is a last impression. And I'm going to speak on the women's side because you probably all don't mind speak on the women's side. We do. We do. [laughter] But you know, uh dress pants, nice blouse not revealing, Kalahari is huge. If you've ever walked the facility, so it's okay to wear flats or have tennis shoes and then switch to flats in your purse. you know, you can always bring them cuz it is a long parking lot and we we don't recommend heels because you it's a big event and you and you pretty much be walking all day long. Um so um yes, dress or they have the slacks that they can wear. Um the the buttoned up polo, uh the blouse type shirts. Um none of the what do they call it? The strings with the the spaghetti straps. The ska straps. Yeah. You know, I would really kind of cautious against sleeveless unless you've got a jacket or it's also cold in there. Yes, it will be cold. Very cold in there. So, be aware of that. We're trying to make it we're trying to make it comfortable. Um, so that you know, when everyone comes in, um, you know, you we don't want you to sweat or anything like that. So, that's the reason why it's a comfortable environment. It is. Um, but at the same time, we want you to put on your your best dress because you're it's just like you're going to an interview at a job fair. So, when we do our workshops, that's how we tell everyone. You want to present yourself as if you're going to an interview and you want to be able to practice your elevator pitch. Okay. Right. Um, even if even if someone asks you says, "Well, what is your looking for?" Give them your elevator pitch. Um, that that will basically set you up for uh, oh, okay. Well, give me your resume. Um, um, give me your resume. I'm going to I'm going to copy your information down. And then says, "Okay, give me a business card." And who am I speaking with? Uh, is this your direct email? If it says yes, after the job fair is over, um, email them. It says, "Hey, just thank you for talking to me. Um, I am available uh through these hours or I'm just waiting for you to contact me. Again, I'm going to attach my digital resume just in case um just in case so that you know we can you can look over my skills and my tools so that we can um better associate with with each other later down the road. Thank you again. Thank you for talking to me and looking forward to speaking with you. Yeah, that followup is curious crucial. I would say the first 24 hours after the event. Um I know life happens and things but it could knock some time out. And then uh for elevators pitch, a lot of us um who've been around a long time had that. But if you're fairly new to it, what I would suggest is take your resume, put it in JT CPT or whatever AI you love and tell them to give you a two or three sentence elevator pitch and that way something that you feel kind you may have to rework it to your talk, but at least get get you started. Yes. Yeah. Make sure that you're like I would say the closest to business professional and having that ready because sometimes you don't know who you're going to meet in those job fairs because some smaller companies like even the owners show up. So I have some owners from companies and everything that have showed up and they're the ones they're recruiting. It's like they they might not really have much recruiters or high managers. There's the owners of the company that will be there. So you will meet them. You will meet the the managers and the people that you you'll be working with. So that first impression, it it just says it all. And I want to touch on that because I know we have some very large companies in this region. They get the big names, but really um sometimes the best jobs are at those smaller companies and you're going to have a lot more opportunities to learn different skill sets and things. So don't go buy those tables if you just don't know the company. Like you said, stop by every table. They all have opportunities. You said we all have it. We all have HR. Everything's all there. They may not you not may not do the product they make but they may be contracted. It may be contracted. Who knows? But you know it never it's not going to hurt you to make another connection. Don't look at the name. Look at where are you at now? Um what do you need to sustain your lifestyle? Um at the same time um you can research the company. That's the reason why we have LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the business Facebook. So you want to research the company. Um, but don't don't just, you know, look at the company themselves. I want to go work at Tesla or I want to go work at Samsung. Well, here's an another uh private business over here that's does the exact same thing, pays exactly what it is that you're looking for that has the same skill set. So this might this company over here that's uh under the under the radar 5% may be able to get in versus 5% personnels that's applying for this position versus 30 to 40% of personnel applying for this position. Um you have a much more higher a much more harder time trying to get with those that are looking for more people than this one down here that might need or I'm trying to fill this slot today. You go to the job fair give them your resume a visual line be like okay I can see the skills that you have. can you um come talk to me next week? So that's great. Um I always like you know all those big companies have suppliers. Yes. So and they network and they network. Um what is one piece of advice you'd give to someone who's nervous going into this job fair? Just mainly don't don't think about it. Just I guess just be ready. Make sure you're ready. Have uh things like that. And like I said, if you're not ready, we'll have people there to help you. And even our staff will if we pinpoint somebody that might not look ready or nervous, we walk up and talk to them cuz [clears throat] we know it's stressful. We last year I had a veteran with a baby. The the wife was working and they they were struggling and he was the one that literally contacting us and how can I bring the babies? I'm like you can. It's one of these events that you can bring anyone you want. We had other veterans that brought uh father-in-laws and and their own parents, kids, grandkids. They just doesn't matter who you bring. want to make sure that you're successful and the employers know that if you even you you bring anybody with your family, your whole family could be there, but they know that's not going to be a restriction from you getting to that position or being ready for that job. So, so just relax. Yeah, just need to relax. And if you're not there, we'll, like I said, we'll have some areas for you to relax. We even had uh the the local childcare and YMCA are going to be there for some activities for kids and things. And you have questions about their programs, you can ask that, too. And you know we if both parents show up and maybe both of them need need jobs, one of them can be taking care of the kids there while the other one go the other one goes job hunting. Yeah, that sounds I mean it it's a full support this event's going to be and it's all the we do this year long so all the support but if you're a veteran and you're wanting to go to this job fair go ahead and reach out. Well, of course all the information will be there but they can start prepping you now for this event. Yes. Get that elevator pitch. um practice your elevator pitch in front of the mirror so you know it and you feel confident saying so you just spit it out really quickly and you know have those resumes ready but this team is available to help you. I want to thank you both for your service. Thank you for having us. Really um appreciate it. Keeping our country free is, you know, very important and I appreciate what you've done. Um is there anything else you would like for the community to know about the Veterans Commission, the job fair, anything else? just just again we're in almost every workforce solutions office. Um we we want to make sure that if you just don't be scared to come in to to talk to us. Um a lot of times I people call me over the phone or or they email me. Um I I like to talk to people face to face um so that they can know that they have someone that's been in their shoes. they they want they understand what they're going through. Um but at the same time, um come to all of our events, uh the employer showcases, the workshops, the job fairs. Um and if you get that information, come to them. If you need transportation, call your local workforce solutions office, see what type of trans uh transportation is available in that area. We we want to get you hired. We want to get you back inside of the the the work environment. Um especially for our military vet uh brothers and sisters, the military community. Um um you know, you're transitioning out. How do you speak to people? Come talk to us. Um we're we're here to help uh to make that transition out of the service to get you back inside of the job. But at the same time, you got to be focused. You got to be disciplined. Um so come in with a with an attitude of how can I become better at making myself more employable. So, um, just come out and let us help you, um, get get you back inside of the work work environment. That's the goal. And I think, uh, the best thing about us is that we're open to just anything. Like we're we're like on the veteran side. We're like a brotherhood. So, don't be afraid. I think mainly veterans sometimes we're afraid to ask for assistance or help. So, don't be afraid to ask for for assistance in any side. Uh, if you're, you know, you're having maybe a moment, you know, you can come talk to one of us. Yeah. And anything. So, it's just mainly in the community that, you know, we're here to help you. And we're one of sometimes the veterans are the most stubborn guys that is like, "Oh, I don't need assistance. I'm fine." But, you know, if don't be afraid to come to us. It doesn't matter you're a veteran or not. We're going to be there to help you. We're going to be there if you have questions and everything because, you know, there's times that you just think you got it, but you you don't. And don't be afraid to just come talk to us. And then on the employer side, you're available to help them engage with the veteran community and kind of educate them on how it is to work with veterans and the expectations and things like that. Yes. If they if you're an employer and you're struggling with hiring because there's new changes. I think one of the main changes that I I haven't I don't really like nowadays is that employers haven't been putting uh the pay on on their positions. I'm kind of 100% against it. It's it's their role because I know there some employers have been telling me that they have less people applying. I'm like, well, there's a reason. I don't think mainly veterans are not just going to go uh full force on a job or a company if they don't really know how much they're going to gain or how much they're going to get paid because we still have families to take care of. And the main thing is if something is not working out, you can come talk to one of us and we can kind of pinpoint it what might be going on. If it's your job descriptions, if it's something else going on or you just need to get yourself more out there, do more marketing, more events, so we can help you with that. Okay. So, lots of opportunities for those our job seekers and employers with our veterans commission. Um, thank you so much for joining us today and we will drop all the links into this site uh below the screen and if you need ever need anything from workforce solutions, please reach out to us. We're here to support you. Thank you.[music] The Future Ready Next Force podcast [music] is brought to you by Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area. Developing talent for employers by coaching Texans to employment.