by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
There’s a lot more to it than digging ditches.
That’s what more than 700 job seekers discovered this week at a job fair hosted by the Jacksonville office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The first thing applicants were handed when they arrived was a list of 21 immediate openings. Positions currently available included jobs for civil engineers, environmental engineers, electrical engineers, biologists, project managers, planners and lock and dam operators. Salaries for professionals began at no less than $40,000 per year and went as high as $114,271. Hourly wage jobs were in the $20 to $25 per hour range.
Those 21 jobs were in the Jacksonville District, said Human Resources Officer Ava Benudiz. About 40 jobs are currently open in the Southeast, but there are opportunities elsewhere.
“If you’re mobile, there are literally thousands of jobs available,” she said.
This week’s job fair was the second hosted by the Corps’ Jacksonville office. Benudiz said last year 330 people attended. With the current employment environment, this year’s fair drew 400 job seekers the first day and about an hour into the second day, Benudiz looked at the sign-in line and predicted there could be 800 applicants this year.
“I wish we had a job for everyone who has registered,” she said. “We are seeing a very qualified workforce this year and we have met some excellent candidates.”
The reason for the job fair is the Corps “needs some new blood so we’re looking for intelligent people with skills,” said Benudiz.
The Corps of Engineers has 42 field offices worldwide and a vast range of jobs available. Most people think of the Corps as the arm of the Department of Defense that employs civil engineers who dredge harbors, build levies and facilitate other federal construction projects. Benudiz said that’s just part of the story.
“We also need planners, administrators and office workers,” she said. “People in the Regulatory Division work with local government agencies and private companies on issues like permitting and environmental impact. We have to make sure we don’t kill any endangered species while we’re building something. We are the environmental proponents for the world.”
Employment with the Corps comes with several advantages. Benudiz said the government picks up two-thirds of employees’ health insurance costs. There are 10 paid holidays each year and vacation time starts at 13 days per year for new hires. After 15 years of service, federal employees accrue 26 personal leave days annually.
“It’s also very stable employment,” she said. “People who work in the private sector can just get a pink slip one day. In the Corps of Engineers, there is a process to close a project. We will find you another job. You might have to relocate, but we’ll find a place for you to work. If you’re willing to move, you will always have a job.”
Before they got to the booths and brochures, applicants at the job fair were given an orientation about how the fair would work and what the Corps of Engineers does. They were also shown the best ways to utilize federal job Web sites and their applications and resumes are now part of the government employment database.
George Meara is a retired U.S. Navy weapons technician who earned a degree in psychology after he was discharged. He arrived at the fair thinking he might qualify for some sort of technical position, but discovered there are also administrative and management opportunities.
“This was a great format and very informative. We weren’t just herded around like at some other job fairs I’ve been to,” he said. “I was familiar with the way the Navy’s Web sites work, but the Army does things a little differently.”
Amy Nelson, who has been unemployed since July, came to the fair looking for an office job and thought her experience could help land a job with the corps.
“The last three construction companies I worked for folded, so I’m very interested in job stability,” she said. “It was also very helpful to learn how to use the Web sites. I had tried before, but they were hard to use and I didn’t have much success. This was definitely time well spent.”
356-2466