JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities

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

As part of a group of about 30 task seekers, she participated in a working with fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the task fair on state work, instead of employment in numerous markets, referall.us made it different than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were available to answer working with questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

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

A quarterly event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what type of opportunities exist here outdoors your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, transition services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

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

To prepare for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

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.

Among the job fair’s objectives was to assist people find out about profession opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key advantage of going to a task fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

“We see that essentially every year,” he said. “We desire them to make an informed choice about their career.”

Part of the education piece is discovering financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budget plans and “building a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe said.

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

Job fairs likewise exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe said.

“You should be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do later down the road,” he stated.

That prep work consists of preparing for task fairs.

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

He discussed that participants must determine the they wish to talk to and research study them ahead of time, to enable informed discussions with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and consulted with some employers. A senior info innovation specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.