The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions on Wednesday kicked off its annual Heroes Hiring Heroes event in Las Cruces, connecting veterans and other members of the public with employers across the state.
The 11th annual hiring event, hosted alongside the American Legion each week in April, will also take place in Farmington, Alamogordo, Roswell and Albuquerque. Veterans, transitioning service members, military families and the general public can all participate and connect with employers from various industries.
The first event in Las Cruces included agencies and departments such as New Mexico State Parks, Conservation Corps New Mexico, local law enforcement and government offices, as well as companies involved in security, construction and health care. Organizers also offered resume assistance for attendees.
“Veterans have the skill sets that businesses tell us are the most important, like leadership, adaptability, and strong work ethic. The Heroes Hiring Heroes events create a direct pathway to connect those strengths with employers who are ready to hire and invest in our workforce,” Department of Workforce Solutions Secretary Sarita Nair said in a statement.
Brent Jones, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 2008 to 2014, carried a folder full of copies of his resume as he checked out the different tables. He told Source New Mexico that he currently works as a juvenile probation officer but is looking for a job with more consistent hours. “Something more 9 to 5,” he said, so he can spend more time coaching youth sports in the area. Jones said he made several positive connections with employers at the Las Cruces hiring event.
“Outreach is the most important thing,” Jones said. “You figure out most of these jobs don’t even open until you talk to people.”
According to State Veterans Coordinator Albert Schimmel, the Heroes Hiring Heroes event started in Albuquerque 11 years ago, but did not expand statewide until eight years later. He told Source that he wants to continue to expand the event to include more dates in the coming years. He said his office expects to see about 60 to 70 attendees at each of the locations this month, with Albuquerque drawing the largest numbers.
Schimmel explained that when a veteran reaches out to his office, a comprehensive assessment of the person is completed to determine their skills and needs and an individualized employment plan is created. About 600 veterans are assisted each year, he said, and more than half of them are hired through connections they make with the Department of Workforce Solutions.
“It’s intensive case management,” Schimmel said. “Our job is to have all the resources … have a bag of tricks and figure out which ones you need to become successful.”
Heroes Hiring Heroes will be in Farmington on Thursday, April 9, at the Elks Lodge, 801 Municipal Dr. The event is scheduled from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
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