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 transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task candidates, she went to a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply try to take benefit of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to provide, just to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than employment in various markets, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, referall.us WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and addressed concerns. Following the panel, employers from state companies were readily available to respond to employing concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services 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 event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what type of opportunities exist here outdoors your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, transition 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, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

An elevator pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re wanting to do,” Handoe stated, mentioning that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the job fair’s objectives was to help people find out about career opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key advantage of participating in a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

“We see that essentially every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an informed decision about their profession.”

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

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army one day,” he stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering about their employing practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work consists of preparing for job fairs.

“You require to enter into a working with reasonable with a plan of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.

He explained that attendees need to identify the business they want to talk with and research them ahead of time, to permit educated conversations with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke with some recruiters. A senior details innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.