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Veterans Look To Land Positions At Job Fair

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By JOHN W. ALLMAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 2, 2008

TAMPA - Some military veterans who attended a career fair Wednesday in hopes of meeting prospective employers said they were disappointed in the turnout.

The job fair at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center drew about 22 companies, but not all of those had jobs immediately available. Some companies said they didn't expect to start hiring until 2009.

Hosted in part by RecruitMilitary, the American Legion and the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network, the job fair drew several well-known employers such as Raytheon, a military and defense systems company; the U.S. Secret Service; CSX Transportation; and the federal Defense Intelligence Agency.

"Could we have more companies? Yes," said Robert Walker, RecruitMilitary's southeast regional director. "The good thing is every company here is looking to hire veterans."

About 300 people attended the job fair, Walker said.

John Pulaski, 46, a senior chief fire control tech stationed at the naval submarine base in Kings Bay, Ga., said he was disappointed by the low number of employers. Pulaski said he attended a similar job fair in September in Jacksonville that drew more than 100 prospective employers.

"I am going to have a military pension when I do retire, but it's not going to afford me the lifestyle I'm accustomed to," said the Clearwater native, who hopes to move back to Florida in December after he retires. "So it's necessary I find a job."

Some companies were looking to hire immediately, such as Dallas Area Rapid Transit's police department, a Dallas-based agency. Officer Warren Mays said DART is looking to fill 52 police and 16 civilian positions.

Other companies, such as the Miami-Dade County public school district and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, hoped to gather names for consideration in 2009 when new jobs become available.

"A lot of them are looking for positions now," said GlaxoSmithKline representative Rick Osterholz, "but there are plenty of people here who are currently employed."

Luis Alicea, 28, drove from Spring Hill to meet company representatives. He received an honorable discharge from the Marines in 2005 and is working as a corrections officer at the Hernando County Correctional Institution.

"I have job security right now," he said. "I just want to see if there's something better out there."

Military spouse Edith Critelli beamed as she filled out an application with Troops to Teachers, a referral and placement assistance service that helps military personnel and their spouses become teachers.

Critelli, 39, recently moved to Seminole from Hawaii with her husband, Guy, who was stationed with the Navy. She said a friend told her 13 years ago that she would make a good teacher.

After years spent moving with the military, she said she is ready to try, especially given the rising cost of necessities such as gasoline and groceries.

"I said I'm just going to try this out and see where this takes me," Critelli said of her application. "I am surprised that there are still people and companies hiring."

Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at jallman@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7915.

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