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 referall.us the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task hunters, she attended an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply try to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to use, just to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in numerous markets, made it different than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were offered to address working with questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift 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 occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what sort of opportunities 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 get ready for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

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

One of the task fair’s objectives was to assist people find out about profession opportunities and how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.

Education is a crucial benefit of attending a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “constructing a nest egg so you have something to deal with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.

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

Job fairs likewise exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are trying to find – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their working with practices, .

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

That prep work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

“You require to go into an employing fair with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.

He explained that attendees must determine the business they wish to consult with and research them ahead of time, to permit educated discussions with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task fair and talked to some recruiters. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.