Vets flock to job fair in Gurnee

'A job's not going to find you'

GURNEE -- A sailor at 17, Patricia Devereaux served as a boatswain's mate aboard the repair ship USS Ajax. She manned the decks, hoisted the anchors, secured the rigging and stood watch.

"You learn to be a survivor at sea," said Devereaux of Round Lake Beach, who left the U.S. Navy in 1993 to take a civilian job and raise her young daughter.

Now the former petty officer is at sea again. But this time, she's treading water, not sailing, along with 15.7 million other jobless Americans. Devereaux, 43, lost her position in quality control last month in a downsizing by the Abbott Laboratories spinoff, Hospira Inc, a pharmaceutical firm in Pleasant Prairie, Wis. She was hired by Abbott 11 years ago.

"You have to get out there and network," said Devereaux. "A job's not going to find you. You've got to go find a job."

Devereaux was one of hundreds who piled into the Gurnee American Legion hall on Friday for a veterans job fair sponsored by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Nearly 40 employers took resumes and strained, over the din, to listen to job seekers sell themselves. But just how many of the companies are actually hiring is unclear.

Two representatives of Baxter International, less than eager to be identified, said there were "a few openings" in the company's manufacturing plant.

Paula Englemann, human resources manager for the Lowe's home improvement chain, said the company does much of its hiring, especially for lawn and garden associates, in the spring.

Shelley Maniscalco, of American Hotel Register in Vernon Hills, touted veterans as responsible, disciplined workers.

"We just don't have a lot of openings," she said. "That's the bad thing."

Devereaux is optimistic -- she has yet to burn through severance or unemployment -- but she's also worried.

"It's scary," she said. "I may not get exactly what I want, but I need to get my foot in the door. I feel if I'm doing my best to find something, someone will believe in me."

Unemployment benefits ran out in September for Navy vet John Fragassi, 55, of Arlington Heights. The Teamster, who last worked transporting equipment to job sites for an oil pipeline project, said he's hearing "I'm not qualified" for $10-an-hour warehouse jobs. He's living on his savings.

"I feel guilty," he said.

Rob Webber, 31, of Lake Villa, an Army vet, has been looking for a year.

"They say they'll call you back, but you don't hear anything," he said.

Retired Navy electronics technician Robert Holtz of Vernon Hills has interviewed just four times since he lost his job making cell phones for Motorola last January.

"I'm trying to find anything, anywhere," said Holtz, 56, "I've put in a lot of applications. They're saying, 'We don't have anything that fits you right now.' I'm beginning to get a little worried."

IDES spokesman Greg Rivara said the state is working with the Department of Veteran Affairs "to help put people in the best position possible." He cited tax incentives for employers who hire vets.

Scottie Snyder, with Benedictine University in Lisle, said new federal funding for education is available for service members who have three years of active duty. Information is available at www.military.com "Veterans get training through the service but don't necessarily have sheepskin education," Snyder said. "That can be a stumbling bock. It's really important for young vets to use their education benefits."