They might have endured bullets and bombs.

But job hunting can be another sort of battlefield for military veterans and their spouses.

They're entering résumé and interview territory, said Bryan Goettel, a spokesman for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which will hold a Hiring Our Heroes job fair Thursday at Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville.

Especially if they're fresh out of the service, Goettel said, "It's often difficult for them. Many of these young men and women have never interacted with an employer."

The job fair in Building 8-80 will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in partnership with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and other organizations. Toyota is the lead sponsor.

It will be the latest in more than 370 Hiring Our Heroes events conducted by the Chamber since March 2011.

The series is part of the nationwide Hiring 500,000 Heroes campaign by the Chamber, the National Chamber Foundation and Capital One to encourage businesses to hire a half-million veterans and their spouses by the end of 2014.

Previous job fairs have led to 14,100 jobs for veterans and their spouses, Goettel said.

Public- and private-sector employers from Fortune 500s to local mom-and-pops attend the fairs.

Thursday's Hire Our Heroes also will feature résumé workshops and interview practice sessions that help veterans explore their aptitudes, learn how to traverse the salary negotiation minefield and develop "that 90-second elevator pitch," Goettel said.

Chamber spokeswoman Emily Clark Munoz said the event has drawn more than 55 businesses. More than 200 job-seekers have preregistered.

"We always have a significant number of walk-ins as well," she said.

People can sign up for the fair, for free, at www.hoh.greatjob.net. Walk-in veterans must provide their military ID.

There are 35,000 local veterans, according to the Lancaster County Department of Veterans' Affairs.

The unemployment rate for the country's post-Sept. 11 veterans is about 2 percent higher than the national figure of 7.9 percent, according to Goettel.

But even though veterans are given higher preference for state and federal jobs, he noted, the unemployment rate for vets younger than age 25 is 29 percent.

Veterans of all ages are encouraged to attend the fairs.

Chamber officials say they come at a critical time, particularly for recent veterans, many of whom are returning injured from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There are a lot of younger veterans who are medically unable to work," Munoz said. "Often it is the spouse" who is seeking a job.

Munoz and Goettel said part-time and full-time jobs are out there, and that veterans should look around and sample the possibilities.

While the fairs do not usually generate on-the-spot hires, according to Goettel, "We always have several provisional or conditional job offers that are extended.

"We vet all employers that participate in our fair, and they are required to have jobs available," he said.

The fairs are "just one part of the puzzle," Goettel added. "We are engaging companies across the country."

One group alone, the International Franchise Association, has committed to hiring 80,000 vets, according to Goettel. Lancaster-based Auntie Anne's Pretzels is a local IFA member.

Spokeswoman Valerie Kinney said the company takes part in the IFA's VetFran program and offers active or retired military candidates who seek to open Auntie Anne's stores "significantly discounted" franchise fees.

Goettel said many employers become repeat recruiters at the Hiring Our Heroes fairs because they learn that veterans have special skill sets, including leadership.

"There are the real benefits of hiring veterans they recognize," Goettel said. "They're coming back because hiring veterans is working for them."
jrutter@lnpnews.com