BETTENDORF, Iowa — A Quad City group is trying to keep veterans employed in a unique way.
The Quad Cities Veteran's Network held a job fair Thursday, Aug. 18 at Crawford Brew Works in Bettendorf.
"As a veteran myself, I love giving back and I love hiring veterans," Jacqueline Friemel with Amentum said. "And veterans come with a set of skill-sets that are very valuable."
A handful of companies were on hand with a room full of vets.
"A lot of times I would go to interviews and be nervous," Quad Cities Veteran's Network founder Bryan Miller said. "Here, you're in a friendly atmosphere and it better helps you represent yourself to that employer."
The informal process included a meet and greet, with the opportunity for vets and employers to pitch to one another.
"Resumes and filing a resume online only gets you so far," Miller said. "The purpose here is to help people network."
"They can come and work for our company during their transition period as an internship to transition into the civilian work in hopes of eventually getting a full-time job," Friemel said.
It gives both sides a chance to hire and earn a job on the spot.
"All the little things that a lot of people don't think about, but there's people here that know how to help everybody else," Miller said.
The job sessions are hosted monthly in different locations.
"It's just like it is when we're in the military, everyone's watching each other's back," U.S. Army Veteran Jason Moncuse said.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the veteran unemployment rate was 2.7% in July 2022, which was the same as the month before. A year ago in July 2021, the jobless rate for vets was 3.9%.
To contact the Quad Cities Veterans Network, click here.