What to Expect: Career Summit Edition
Navigating your next career move can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re unsure where to begin. While there’s no magic solution to simplify the transition, there are ways to approach the process with greater clarity and confidence.
Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) Career Summits connect you face-to-face with employers who are actively recruiting members of the military community. These events offer focused, high‑impact opportunities to strengthen your job search preparation, build meaningful connections, and engage directly with employers who understand and value military talent. You’ll leave with practical tools, new insights, and direct access to employers offering local, national, and remote roles across a wide range of industries.
Career Summits at a Glance
HOH Career Summits connect transitioning service members, veterans, military spouses, military caregivers, and working-age dependent military children with employers who are committed to recruiting military community talent. Hosted on military installations worldwide, these events typically feature career readiness workshops, industry discussions, and a hiring fair where participants can speak directly with employers.
The Career Summit Experience
Workshops and Preparation
Career Summits begin with interactive seminars and hands-on workshops covering topics such as personal branding, interviewing, understanding civilian employment benefits, salary negotiation, industry spotlights, and leveraging LinkedIn. Many summits also include mock interviews, free professional headshots, individualized LinkedIn profile reviews, and guidance on certifications needed to transition into high-demand fields. Participants gain access to tools and resources tailored to military-connected job seekers. These sessions are designed to help you feel confident and prepared as you step into the hiring fair.
Hiring Fair
The event concludes with a hiring fair featuring military-ready employers. Organizations host booths to highlight open positions, share resources, and meet candidates face-to-face. Many participants interview on-site, receive follow-up interview requests, and, in some cases, walk away with job offers the same day. This is your chance to make a strong first impression, ask thoughtful questions, and demonstrate how your skills and experience align with employer needs.
The Summit Team Wants You to Know
While walk-ins are always welcome, HOH Director of Hiring Events Crystal Kearns emphasizes the value of pre-registration. By registering in advance, participants gain access to preparation resources and personalized guidance from the HOH Career Connector team. The Career Connectors review your registration materials, introduce you to tools like Resume Engine, help you refine your resume, assist you in creating your profile for the event, and share additional programming details.
Related: Check out What to Expect: Career Connector Edition for additional information about, and a behind-the-scenes look at, the Career Connector team.
When you pre-register, you receive access to the list of attending employers in advance of the event, giving you time to research each organization’s mission, values, culture, and current openings. Employers also receive pre-registered candidates’ resumes in advance, which helps them plan and facilitate on-site interviews during the Career Summit.
Advice for Summit Participants
Crystal’s biggest piece of advice: use the Career Summit to network intentionally. Building your network early, whether you are six months, a year, or even several years away from transitioning out of the service or changing careers, can make a meaningful difference.
Military-connected job seekers often face unique challenges, including frequent relocations that can make building and maintaining long-term professional networks more difficult.
Career Summits are structured to help you build that network strategically through LinkedIn-focused workshops and direct engagement with employers on the local, regional, and national levels. These connections help level the playing field for the military community.
“We have a saying at HOH: Your network is your net worth in the civilian world.”
– Crystal Kearns, HOH Director of Hiring Events
Crystal also recommends visiting every booth at the hiring fair. Employers at these events often know each other well, and if they don’t have the right opportunity for you, they may refer you to another organization that does. She also highlights the HOH booth as an essential stop for exploring resources, programs, virtual events, and the Veteran Employment Collective (VEC), which connects military community members with a broad network of trusted service organizations.
On The Fence About Attending a Summit?
Come anyway. Whether you’re early in your transition, exploring new career paths, or only have a few minutes to stop by, you are welcome.
As Crystal Kearns puts it, “We want to meet you where you are in your journey. So, attend, explore, learn, and connect.”
Career Summits are designed for every stage of the process. If you’re just getting started, you’ll discover tools and guidance to help you build a resume, understand high-demand industries, and begin growing your network. If you’re further along, you will have the chance to connect directly with employers who are actively recruiting military talent.
Resource: Download the Navigating Career Summits one-page guide for a quick reference to all this information.
Your Checklist for Success
Your next career opportunity could be at a Career Summit near you. Use this checklist to prepare, show up confidently, and maintain momentum afterward.
Before the Event
- Save your Spot: Register for a Career Summit near you.
- Get in the Know: Receive event details and guidance from a Career Connector.
- Set Yourself Up for Success: Create your event platform profile and upload your resume.
- Do your Homework: Research employers and plan who you want to engage with.
- Polish your Online Presence: Create or update your LinkedIn profile.
Event Day
- Dress to Impress: Business attire is recommended.
- Put your Resume to Work: Bring multiple copies of your resume.
- Turn Handshakes into Opportunities: Every interaction has the potential to open a new door.
- Visit Us: Stop by the HOH booth to connect with the team and explore available resources.
After the Event
- Continue the Conversation: Follow up with new connections via email or LinkedIn.
- Stay Connected with HOH: Sign up for emails and newsletters to learn about new jobs, resources, and programs.
