Posted on August 14, 2023
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers joined five U.S. Army Commands and more than 20 other federal agencies at the 2023 League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Convention and Expo held at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Twelve employees from seven USACE districts, divisions, and headquarters spoke with about 85 participants during the event which was held Aug. 2-4, 2023.
During the three-day job expo, USACE made 11 job offers with more pending, said Jennifer Haapoja, Enterprise Talent Strategist with USACE’s Talent Acquisition Center of Excellence.
The Albuquerque District hopes to hire five to seven new employees from the event, said Lt. Col. Jerre Hansbrough, commander, USACE-Albuquerque District.
“Cecilia Horner, chief, Engineering & Construction Division, made a huge impact on the success of hiring these new and seasoned employees,” Hansbrough said.
(l-r): Cecilia Horner, chief, Engineering and Construction Division, Albuquerque District; Viviana Morales, and Brig. Gen. Antoinette Gant, commanding general, USACE-South Pacific Division. Morales was one of the job applicants who accepted a mechanical engineering job offer with the Albuquerque District during the job expo at the 2023 League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Convention & Exposition, Aug. 2, 2023.
Many of the jobs the recruiters were seeking to fill during the job expo were in the engineering and science disciplines including civil engineers and biologists.
Hopeful applicants at the event visited the USACE booth and enter their resume and data into the computer system which allows Civilian Personnel Advisory Center (CPAC) staff to look at their qualifications and skillsets. CPAAC is the Army’s human resources professionals. The applicant would then speak with a recruiter and if it was determined they might be a good fit with USACE, a job offer could be made on the spot.
Each summer, USACE headquarters contacts all the districts and divisions to ask for their mission critical occupations and diversity needs. This factors into which hiring events and career fairs USACE will participate in the following year. Forty-five days before the event districts and divisions send their job vacancies to the headquarters staff. These are the positions the recruiters at the event focus on filling.
Events like the LULAC career fair offer a diverse candidate pool which helps USACE recruit skilled employees.
USACE-South Pacific Division Commander Brig. Gen. Antoinette Gant also attended the convention. While at the job expo, she visited with USACE recruiters and met with some of those who accepted a job offer.
USACE is currently hiring in many fields ranging from park rangers to civil engineers, accountants, architects and more! To browse current USACE job announcements visit https://usace.usajobs.gov/. For more information on upcoming career fairs USACE is participating in, visit https://www.usace.army.mil/Careers/Career-Fairs/.
