More than 1,300 veterans turn out in search of a job

Erik Jones left the Army in January 2011 to join the civilian work force, but the Summerville resident with a degree in computer science still hasn't landed a job.

"It's a cold world out there," he said. "A lot of companies say they are hiring more veterans, but a lot of other people are out there looking too. You have to keep your wits about you, always have your resume up to date and be ready for a potential interview at any time."

Jones, 31, sharply dressed with resume in hand, marched into the Charleston Area Convention Center in North Charleston Wednesday, along with more than 1,300 other veterans looking for a job.

U.S. Rep. Tim Scott, who first called for the Veterans Job Fair three weeks ago after seeing a Navy promotion to hire veterans, called the turnout "phenomenal" and deemed the event a success, but he cautioned that the high turnout means more needs to be done to address the problem of joblessness among veterans.

"It's still a pervasive problem," he said. "This will provide another weapon in the arsenal for employing veterans."

Unemployment among all veterans is about 13.5 percent, far above the national jobless rate of 8.3 percent, Scott said. For younger veterans coming home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the unemployment rate is 20 percent to 30 percent.

Before the doors opened at the Job Fair, nearly 500 people had gathered in the lobby, in suits, dresses and military garb.

Men and women, youthful to middle-aged, were busy filling out paperwork long before the nearly 100 prospective employers welcomed them inside. The employers dished out information on their companies and collected stacks of resumes.

Some of the busiest booths were Boeing, SPAWAR and Google, where dozens continuously gathered or stood in line to talk to a company representative during the four-hour event.

"Google is always looking to hire talented people," said Navy submarine veteran Jeff Stevenson, the global hardware deployment manager at Google's Berkeley County facility. "We like what the veterans can bring to the table. We hope to get a good crop of resumes and find some talent."

Among the first in line at Google's booth was Army veteran Bobby Knight of Moncks Corner.

The 34-year-old left the Army in 2007, worked in security for a few months and will finish his degree in information systems at Trident Technical College in May.

"I don't want to be in security," he said. "I want to find something in information systems or networking."

Nicholas Bailey, 32, of North Charleston, got out of the Army in December 2010, and has been unemployed ever since.

Wearing a pin-striped gray suit and carrying resumes in a zipped-up binder, Bailey wandered down the aisles of employers' booths, looking for a company that could use his commercial diving certification, which he received while he was out of work after more than 12 years with the Army.

"I'm hoping to walk out of here with some kind of career," the father of two pre-teens said.

Scott Owen, 32, of North Charleston, left the Air Force after nine years in 2008, worked in security for a while, then became a stay-at-home dad to his three children while working toward an online degree in management.

"I know I don't want to be a cop," he said. "I would love a job in government."

La Tanya Brooks, 40, of Ladson, got out of the Navy in 2010 after 20 years as a military police officer and landed a job on the price-accuracy team at Target in North Charleston. Her job will be phased out this year, so she's looking for another line of work.

"I'm probably not the right age for a police officer, but maybe a clerical job will work," Brooks said.

Marine veteran Guy Jones, 42, of North Charleston, works in law enforcement with the Air Force, but he wanted to check out the job fair anyway.

"I'm keeping my options open," he said. "I'm hoping for a career change."

Seth Wilcox, 22, of North Charleston, still serves in the Air Force, but he will transfer to Reserve status this summer and will be looking for a job.

"I'm looking for something in law enforcement," said Wilcox, who already has passed out his resumes to the North Charleston Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol and other law enforcement booths at the job fair.

The event offered something for just about everyone.

Among a string of hotel booths was Hope Wilkie, the human resource director for Embassy Suites and Residence Inn in North Charleston.

She was looking to fill 14 positions at the two hotels in everything from housekeeping and maintenance to cooking. "We don't have a lot in management though," Wilkie said.

One aisle over, Dave Flournoy, a program manager for North Charleston defense contractor Centurum, pointed to a list of about 20 open positions and a pile of resumes.

"We are looking for a wide variety of people," Flournoy said. "We do anything that supports the military, from running a warehouse to software development."

Tonya Lobbestael is spokeswoman for the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Charleston, which co-sponsored the event with North Charleston, Trident Tech and state job placement agencies. She said the event exceeded expectations.

"We were hoping if we had 500 we would hit a home run," she said. "We had more than 1,300 walk through the doors."

Reach Warren L. Wise at 937-5524 or on Twitter at @warrenlancewise.