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 getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job candidates, 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 offer, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the task fair on state work, instead of employment in different markets, 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 agencies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, employers from state companies were offered to answer working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift 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; 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 chance to find out what sort of chances exist here outside your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor 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 aiming to do,” Handoe said, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair’s objectives was to help individuals learn more about career opportunities and how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key advantage of attending 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 readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budget plans 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 someday,” 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 individuals in the outdoors world are trying to find – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe stated.

“You ought to be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do in the future down the road,” he said.

That prep work includes getting ready for task fairs.

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

He described that attendees should pinpoint the business they wish to talk to and referall.us research them ahead of time, to permit informed conversations with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job fair and spoke with some recruiters. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.