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Updated: September 14, 2020

Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign set to kick off with virtual job fair

Hire-A-Vet job fair in Augusta. Maine. File photo Courtesy / Maine Department of Labor While this year's format will be different, the 2020 Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign has the same goal of connecting employers with veteran jobseekers.
By Renee Cordes

The 2020 Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign will start this week with a virtual event and hiring fair because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but with the same goal of connecting employers with military veterans seeking jobs.

During last year's 100-day campaign, Maine employers including Tilson, Bath Iron Works and Dead River Co. hired a total of 283 veterans for jobs paying an average hourly wage of $22.78.

Since 2015, the Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Employment Services Veterans Team, along with key partners, has connected 1,321 veteran job seekers with 881 Maine employers.

During that time, average starting wages of veterans hired through the initiative also went up, increasing more than $5 from $17.43 an hour in 2015.  

"The 2020 campaign looks a little different this year due to the COVID-19 crisis," the organizers say in an online posting.  "Although we face an unprecedented situation, we are determined to run another highly successful campaign."

Sponsors of this year's campaign include the Maine Department of Corrections, Northern Light Health, Bath Iron Works, Moody's Collision Centers and Hancock Lumber. 

Kevin Hancock, chairman and CEO of Hancock Lumber, told Mainebiz the family-owned firm is proud to support the Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign. The company has a total of 550 employees.

"Maine vets bring lot of diverse experience as a result of their service to our country that Maine businesses can benefit from," he said. "It's a pretty irresistible cause to want to be a part of."    

Northern Light Health, which employs 391 veterans in its 12,204-strong workforce, has hired veterans in every year of the Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign. That includes 32 in 2019.

"Northern Light Health appreciates the service and sacrifice of our nation's veterans to protect our democracy," said Northern Light Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Paul Bolin in a statement emailed to Mainebiz.

He added: "Throughout their years of service, in addition to many clinical and technical skills, veterans learn skills that are valuable to any employer, such as leadership, discipline, and the ability to work as a team. For these reasons, Northern Light Health is proud to be a sponsor of the Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign, and we are looking forward to another successful year." 

The 2020 Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign kicks off Tuesday with an opening ceremony in the morning, followed by a virtual hiring fair in the afternoon.

Throughout the campaign, there will also be a series of events covering topics including resume writing, interview do's and don'ts, suicide prevention awareness and strategies and tactics for employers looking to hire veterans.

This year's campaign is set to wrap up on Dec. 24.

The full program schedule is available online. 

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