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 preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job candidates, she went to a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just 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 said.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than employment in markets, made it various than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and addressed questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were available to respond to employing concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies consisting of 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 referall.us Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to find out what sort of chances exist here outdoors your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor 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, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

An elevator pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re aiming to do,” Handoe said, discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s objectives was to assist people discover about career chances and how their abilities 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 prepared to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the offered opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is finding out about finances, including credit reports, budgets and “developing a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe said.

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

Job fairs likewise exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are looking for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their employing practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work includes preparing for job fairs.

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

He discussed that guests should determine the companies they wish to consult with and research them ahead of time, to permit educated conversations with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task fair and spoke to some employers. A senior info innovation professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.