JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, employment Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s military exit date is a couple of weeks away, employment and she’s getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she went to an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than employment in different industries, 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 responded to concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were readily available to address employing concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor 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; Department of Social and employment Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to learn what sort of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” said 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 employment 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 “fast introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,” Handoe said, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair’s goals was to help people learn more about career chances and employment how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.

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

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and “constructing a savings 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 stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are looking for – including certifications, accreditations and education – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work includes getting ready for job fairs.

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

He explained that guests ought to pinpoint the business they wish to talk to and research them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task fair and talked with some employers. A senior details innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.