NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 27, 2023)—Nashville District Corps of Engineers hosted the first Nashville District job fair. Six qualified applicants received tentative job offers by the end of their interview.
Twenty-three applicants arrived at J. Percy Priest Lake on February 23, 2022, with resumes in hand as they lined up for registration. Corps staff greeted applications as they shuffled into the briefing room to learn more about the Corps of Engineers during a slideshow briefing given by Deputy District Commander Maj. Todd Mainwaring.
“We began the job fair with an overview of the Corps of Engineers’ mission. We want applicants to know that they’re joining one the oldest, most influential federal organizations in the region. We want them to know they’re not just getting a job offer, but an actual career offer that comes with prestige,” said Mainwaring.
Qualified civil engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, construction managers and geologists applied for the job fair online. They selected their desired time slot for the day. Candidates met with hiring authorities from engineering divisions and were able to ask questions and discuss their resumes.
“We’ve compiled our efforts to make a lot of job offers and hires in one day. A hiring manager puts a lot of work into finding applicants, doing interviews, and providing the job offers. Our objective is to consolidate all that into one day where we bring the hiring managers and the applicants together for a more efficient hiring system,” said Operations Officer 1st Lt. Conor Kane.
The Nashville District is primarily hiring for the Engineering and Construction Division, but applicants interested in ranger positions, biologists and other resource management jobs were able to apply as well. There are several available positions for qualified applicants.
“Our district has an unprecedented construction program right now. It's massive in terms of scope and scale, over $2 billion of construction in three years, and we need help delivering such a large amount of work. And so essentially, our workforce needs to grow with the program,” said Mainwaring.
Conducting a significant job fair at the beginning of the year gives the Nashville District a head start toward filling vacant positions before the Spring.
“This is our first job fair post-pandemic; I think we're coming out of a time where we didn't really engage a lot because of the pandemic but now we can invite people out to our projects and hold larger events like this job fair,” said Mainwaring.
Job opportunities with the Corps can be viewed at USAjobs.com, and six of those jobs were tentatively offered on the spot in hopes of quickly filling positions with qualified applicants.
“Like many businesses over the past few years, the Corps has experienced high attrition and difficulty filling vacancies in our organization. We’re hoping an event like this showcases the district in a meaningful way to local candidates that are seeking jobs in the engineering, construction and natural resources fields. Hopefully, by the end of today, we've hired several if not more excellent candidates that can join our team and help us deliver our mission,” said Benjamin Rohrbach, chief of Engineering and Construction Division.
Mainwaring said the Corps is looking for highly motivated candidates looking for fulfilling careers.
“We want people that care about the Corps’ mission of serving the community and keeping our waterways open and safe. We want to find that spark of service and commitment to greatness that our current engineers share. If they have these qualities, along with their job qualifications, then we’re hoping to do some hiring on the spot,” said Mainwaring.
Navy Civil Engineer Dustin Burkett, who learned about the job fair from the Nashville District website, traveled from Somerset, Kentucky, to apply for a civil engineering position with the Corps.
Burkett, who took leave from the U.S. Navy to fly to Nashville for the job fair, will be discharged from the military soon. He said a major reason for applying with the Corps was so he can be closer to his family in Somerset, Kentucky, while working in the job field he loves.
“I’ve always thought what the Corps does is amazing. I grew up on Lake Cumberland watching the Corps take care of the lake and Wolf Creek Dam. So as a Navy civil engineer getting ready to become a civilian, I'm fascinated with the idea of working for the Army Corps and continuing to serve my country in a new role,” said Burkett.
Evan Klotzbach, who is interested in a mechanical design position, traveled from Clarksville, Tennessee, after he heard about the job fair from his sister who saw a Facebook post sharing the hiring event on social media.
“I’m interested in seeing what kind of opportunities the Corps is offering and to learn what I can do to build myself up more as an engineer. It's the Army Corps of Engineers. It's like the big leagues” said Klotzbach.
Kane said planning for this event began in September 2022 and took him and his team months of preparation.
“Reserving the space, getting the supplies we need, and getting the word out were our main priorities. Advertising was another important aspect because we can hold a great event, but if nobody shows up, then it's not going to be successful. For the last two months we worked extensively with our public affairs team to get the word out. We’re expecting a great turn out today, and we're genuinely excited for that,” said Kane.
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps.
Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.