DoD Gets Stacks of Resumes at Career Fair

A recent math and physics graduate May Liang (left) chats with Karen S. Hannah, about job possibilities in the Defense Department. Hannah is a recruiting human resources specialist in the Defense Applicant Assistance Office in Arlington, Va. Photo by Rudi Williams   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

"HENAAC provides DoD the opportunity to showcase the department as an employer of choice, and the career fair is an important event during the HENAAC conference," said Clarence A. Johnson, principal director for the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Equal Opportunity.

"At the career fair, several defense components, military and civilian, had exhibits and recruiters present to answer questions and give information on DoD careers," Johnson noted.

The organization brought middle and high school students interested in becoming engineers and scientists to the conference, and attendees also included several hundred college students majoring in engineering and the sciences and professionals in those fields, Johnson said.

HENAAC officials pointed out that today's engineering and science students represent a nationally valuable resource. And they said one of the best opportunities for industry and the government to tap into this resource was the Oct. 8 HENAAC career fair.

The career fair gave potential employers a chance to meet promising students from colleges and universities across the country, as well as experienced engineers and scientists from a variety of disciplines. More than 100 companies, government agencies, universities and military organizations were on hand to recruit the best talent for their technical work force, officials noted.

Jose Martinez, 22, a senior at California State University in Long Beach, made the rounds of booths, talking to industry and DoD representatives about job possibilities when he graduates next year.

"I always wanted to go somewhere different with my mechanical engineering background," said Martinez, who is majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in applied mathematics. "I was thinking of somewhere along the lines of defense, because all these things are happening to our nation worldwide."

Some job seekers were interested in military service, like Guillerno Velasco, 25, a senior at Florida International University. After he chatted with Army Capt. Tom Higgins, an ROTC instructor at the University of California at Los Angeles, about what the Army offers, Velasco said, "it looks good to consider."

"He (Higgins) just mentioned that the Army would help me with grad studies, so that looks very good to me," said Velasco, a native of El Salvador, who is majoring in industrial engineering.

Recent college graduate Julia Park said she'd "maybe" consider joining the Navy after talking to Navy Lt. Victor Garza, an ROTC instructor at California State University at Berkeley, at the Navy's career fair exhibit.

A recent mechanical engineering graduate of the University of California at San Diego, Park said her interest in the Navy was sparked by the rolling, diving and spinning flight maneuvers of the Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron.

" I would probably want to work on aircraft carriers (or) probably help design aircraft. Anything related to aircraft or ships. I just like the idea of designing and prototyping designs," Park said.