Military Hiring Day Nov. 19 at Naval Station Norfolk: NEXT: A Discovery Day Brings On-Base Interviews

NORFOLK, VA — The Hampton Roads Workforce Council is bringing employers onto Naval Station Norfolk on Thursday, November 19 for NEXT: A Discovery Day, a free military hiring event with a morning on the employer floor and an afternoon of short, scheduled interviews. If you are getting out, already out, or married to someone who serves, put it on the calendar.

Six hours at Vista Point, six industry zones, and 15-minute interviews after lunch for the people employers want to talk to.

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📍 Event at a Glance

Event	NEXT: A Discovery Day (The 757 Career Summit Evolved), Fall Edition
Date	Thursday, November 19, 2026
Time	9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location	Vista Point Conference Center, 1754 Massey Hughes Dr., Norfolk, VA 23511 (on Naval Station Norfolk)
Cost	Free
Format	Morning employer floor, afternoon 15-minute interviews
Registration	Register online with the Workforce Council
Eligibility	Service members, veterans, military spouses and young adult dependents

🔥 Who Is in the Room

The Workforce Council's event page splits the floor into six industry zones: defense, energy, aerospace, logistics, healthcare and life sciences, and commerce and hospitality.

The organizer has not published a full employer list. The one name it calls out is Newport News Shipbuilding, which is bringing a mobile experience trailer. Walk the zones that match your rating, MOS or civilian experience.

Beyond the employer floor, the day includes free professional headshots from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., resume and profile help, and a morning "Skybox" session aimed at leadership networking and mentoring for senior service members and experienced spouses.

How the Day Works

9 a.m. to noon: the discovery phase. Walk the industry zones and talk to employers. If one of them is a fit, sign that employer's scheduling clipboard to lock in an afternoon slot.
Noon to 1 p.m.: lunch break.
1 to 3 p.m.: the interview circuit, a round of focused 15-minute conversations with the employers you signed up with that morning.

The afternoon is earned in the morning. Show up at 1 p.m. without a slot and you have missed the point.

⚠️ Read This Before You Drive to the Base

The Workforce Council describes this as an on-base event, and Vista Point sits inside Naval Station Norfolk. Veterans without a current military ID and civilian family members should not assume they can just roll up to a gate. Call the Workforce Council at 757-314-2370 before November 19 and ask how access works for you.

This event is built for the military community. If you are a civilian job seeker with no military connection, this is not your day. Check our fall Virginia Beach area job fairs guide for events open to everyone, including the Hampton Roads Transit career fair on November 13.

The day before, Wednesday, November 18, the Workforce Council runs Mission Start, a separate session on transition resources such as education, child care, housing and SkillBridge. Interviews happen Thursday.

How to Show Up Ready

Register first. The form asks about your military status, education and skills, and lets you upload a resume.
Bring printed resumes in civilian language. Swap the acronyms for results a hiring manager outside the Navy can read.
Know your clearance and certifications. An active clearance, a CDL, an A&P license or a nursing license changes the conversation in the defense, logistics and healthcare zones.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is NEXT: A Discovery Day?

Thursday, November 19, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Vista Point Conference Center, 1754 Massey Hughes Dr., Norfolk, on Naval Station Norfolk.

Who can attend?

The organizer built it for service members, veterans, military spouses and young adult dependents. It is not a general public job fair.

How do the interviews work?

You meet employers in the morning and sign the scheduling clipboard of any you want to interview with. Those 15-minute interviews run from 1 to 3 p.m.

I don't have a military ID. Can I get on base?

Do not assume so. Call the Hampton Roads Workforce Council at 757-314-2370 before the event to ask about access.

Line Up Your Next Move

Create a free LocalJobPage account to get alerts when new jobs post across Virginia Beach, Norfolk and the rest of Hampton Roads, and browse the Career Center for role-by-role guides.

Employers: Post your openings on LocalJobPage and reach veterans and military spouses already living in Hampton Roads.