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 job seekers, employment she attended an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just attempt 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 stated.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than work in numerous markets, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, employment WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and responded to concerns. Following the panel, employment employers from state companies were readily available to address working with concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies consisting of VERG, employment 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 chance to discover what type of chances exist here outside your back door,” 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 prepare for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

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

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

Education is an essential advantage of going to a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not prepared to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that generally every year,” he said. “We want them to make an educated decision about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is discovering about finances, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and “developing 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 someday,” he stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are searching for – consisting of certifications, accreditations and schooling – and learning more about their working with practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work includes getting ready for task fairs.

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

He explained that participants must pinpoint the companies they wish to speak with and research them ahead of time, to enable for educated conversations with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job fair and talked to some employers. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.