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 transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

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

“I simply try to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to offer, just to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than work in numerous industries, 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, referall.us who shared their experiences and responded to . Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were available to respond to hiring questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations 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 Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover out what sort of chances exist here outside your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, shift 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 get ready for them, “dress 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 seeking to do,” Handoe said, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s goals was to assist individuals find out about career opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential benefit of participating in a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not all set to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the readily available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is discovering finances, including credit reports, budget plans and “building a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army one day,” 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 – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work consists of getting ready for task fairs.

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

He discussed that participants ought to pinpoint the business they wish to speak with and research study them ahead of time, to enable for informed conversations with employers.

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