Job fair aims to hire heroes

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - The Obama Administration is promising jobs for 80,000 veterans by 2014.

Thursday, NBC News partnered with the Chamber of Commerce , Department of Labor , and The American Legion as part of the Making a Difference on the Home Front effort. A special hiring event for veterans and military spouses was held at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts.

Organizers expected 3,400 job applicants to pass through the center's doors in search of a job opportunity. More than 50 organizations were on site with national, regional, and local opportunities, a news release said.

Jennifer Page was an Information Technician in the Navy and even with that skill set she feels challenged by the current job market.

"People are mostly looking for people with degrees," Page said.

People like Jennifer and her fellow veterans do have a lot of real-life experience, along with several other intangibles that are the product of a military training, like multitasking under pressure.

Some of the attending organizations include Military Sealift Command, Chesapeake Energy Corp., Internal Revenue Service, Ingersoll Rand Co., and The Home Depot.

The event, "Hiring Our Heroes/Recruit Military Veteran Opportunity Expo," is being produced by RecruitMilitary.com in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce .