HEADLINE:Job fair aims to help vets find work-------------------------CAPTION:Three years after the Great Recession ended, the sluggish job market is weighing on the U.S. economy. For veterans, it's been especially hard to find employment. (June 21)-----------------STORY: US VETS JOBS 20120621N TRT: 2;10SOURCE: AP Television News RESTRICTIONS: AP Television News Clients Only LANGUAGE: ENGLISH, NAT DATELINE: New York City SHOTLIST: 1. Close-up, Hiring our Heros banner2. Medium, job candidates at tables3. Wide, job seeker, Matthew PizzoSOUNDBITE (English) - Matthew Pizzo, 29 years old New York City, AirForce 2001-2005 served tour in Iraq from 04-05."I don't really think they're prepared to bring veterans on or they're just afraid. I've been told that I don't think you can operate in this marketplace, you don't have any industry-specific experience. You've never worked under these circumstances, which is a little disheartening being that I've worked under the harder circumstances and been able to be successful."4. Medium, job seekers at tables5. SOUNDBITE (English) - Matthew Pizzo, 29 years old New York City, AirForce 2001-2005 served tour in Iraq from 04-05." The people that I talk to that are pretty high up in all these financial companies today, everyone has had a story where, 'I didn't have any experience in this field before started working here. Or, I've never worked in this area and I was brought in to do job X.' so, if you would bring someone else to do job X with no experience, how, veteran can come in without experiencing a bank and do the same thing?"6. Zoom out, Andrea Gillotte exchanging information7. SOUNDBITE (English) - Andrea Gillotte - Five years, nine months active duty in Navy as broadcast journalist. Out of navy since Feb. 2009"Well initially I focused on getting my undergrad and I finished that in less than a year, so then I started my job search. I began six months prior to my graduation and couldn't find anything. Couldn't get a call back, couldn't get an interview. So that's when I decided, well I just might as well go back to school full-time and get my Masters degree and use my G.I. Bill. And that's really the only thing that's been keeping me alive and a roof over my head is being a full-time student."8. Wide, Job seekers 9. SOUNDBITE (English) - Sam LaNasa, VP, Prime Finance at Citigroup, former marine 1997-2004"I think we've made a lot of strides in training our HR personnel both across Wall Street financial services and corporate America in general to really understanding the values that veterans bring in translating their skills, their leadership and technical skills into ways and discreet roles that could fit directly with these corporations. I still think that we still have some ways to go."10. Medium, job seekers at tablesSTORYLINEThree years after the Great Recession ended, the sluggish job market is weighing on the U.S. economy and it doesn't look to be getting much better any time soon. The unemployment rate for all veterans aged 18 and over stands at 7.8 percent. For Iraq war veterans, the number is much higher at 12.7 percent. The national average for unemployment is 8.2 percent.At a job fair in New York City, veterans were given a chance to meet with 80 companies seeking to match eligible candidates with jobs in the industry.The Hiring Our Heroes job fair seeks to connect Northeast veterans with employment resources, including resume reviews, interview skills training and more to ease their transition from combat to career. For vets like Matthew Pizzo, the struggle to land a position has been especially frustrating. "I don't really think they're prepared to bring veterans on or they're just afraid" says Pizzo.And for others, like Andrea Gillotte the only saving grace was to re-enter school.The IAVA and Hiring Our Heroes say they will sponsor upcoming events in Atlanta, Dallas and San Francisco in the coming months.