Washington, DC - U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kay Coles James sent an OPM recruitment team to the Military Officers Association of America's (MOAA) annual recruitment fair at the Washington D.C. Convention Center on Thursday April 22, 2004. The fair attracted over 2,500 veterans, retired military and active duty personnel. The fair was designed for service men and women of all ranks (officer and enlisted), active duty, former and retired and their spouses to connect with employers that value the skills that veterans bring to the workplace.

"Our Nation's armed forces are the best in the world, and the dedication and professionalism of the free men and women who serve in them are unparalleled," stated James. "I cannot think of a better source of talent for the Federal civil service than those who have completed their military service."

At the MOAA recruitment fair, OPM highlighted over 18,000 Federal career opportunities nationwide through the usajobs.gov website and offered guidance in navigating the site to help candidates find the Federal opportunities that were of interest to them. Veterans were also trained in developing their resumes on usajobs.gov.

James continued, "We have been asking veterans to visit us and consider the civil service all over the country through our Working for America recruitment fairs and the Veteran Invitational Program. It makes sense that we go directly to them at the first opportunity."

Additionally, James, speaking at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, promised soldiers that OPM will continue "aggressive" audits to ensure veterans' preference law is upheld.

The day-long event included a personal message of thanks from Director James on behalf of the nation's 1.8 million civil servants as well as training seminars and informational workshops for the soldiers conducted by OPM experts. OPM staff also met one-on-one with soldiers about the opportunities and benefits within the government and the processes of obtaining a Federal job.

These outreach efforts were held in conjunction with a series of nationwide ‘Working for America' recruitment fairs OPM began September 23, 2003 in Los Angeles, CA. Other locations included Kansas City, Mo., San Antonio, Detroit, Tucson, Albuquerque, Miami, Denver, New York and San Diego.

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.