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 job hunters, she attended an employing 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 needs to offer, simply to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in numerous markets, made it various 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 agencies, who shared their experiences and responded to concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were offered to answer hiring concerns, stated 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 referall.us Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

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

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

To get ready 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 looking to do,” Handoe stated, discussing that the is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the task fair’s goals was to help individuals find out about career chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz said.

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

“We see that basically every year,” he said. “We want them to make an educated decision about their profession.”

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

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army someday,” he said, “however while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are looking for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and learning more about their employing practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work includes getting ready for task fairs.

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

He described that attendees should pinpoint the companies they wish to speak with and research them ahead of time, to permit informed discussions with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and consulted with some recruiters. A senior details innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.