JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s military exit date is a few weeks away, and she’s preparing for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task applicants, she attended a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply attempt to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to use, just to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in different markets, made it different than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, employment WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and responded to concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were readily available to address working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies including VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, employment Youth and Families; Department of Social and Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover out what kind of chances exist here outside your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional task fairs like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, July 10 and Sept. 11.

To get ready for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

An elevator pitch is a “quick introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re seeking to do,” Handoe said, mentioning that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s objectives was to help people discover profession chances and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is a crucial benefit of participating in a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the offered opportunities and decide to serving, employment Gentz said.

“We see that basically every year,” he stated. “We want them to make an informed choice about their career.”

Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budget plans and “constructing a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army at some point,” he stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are trying to find – including certifications, accreditations and education – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe stated.

“You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do later down the roadway,” he said.

That prep work includes getting ready for job fairs.

“You need to enter into a hiring fair with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe stated.

He described that participants need to identify the business they want to talk with and research them ahead of time, to permit informed conversations with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job fair and employment talked to some employers. A senior information technology expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, employment she has actually found she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.