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 preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job candidates, she attended a working with fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than work in different 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, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were offered to respond to working with 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 referall.us 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 learn what type of opportunities exist here outside 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 prepare for them, “gown 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 aiming to do,” Handoe stated, mentioning that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the task fair’s goals was to assist people discover profession chances and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is a crucial 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 seen the readily available opportunities 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 profession.”

Part of the education piece is finding out about finances, consisting of credit reports, budget plans and “constructing a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe said.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army sooner or later,” he stated, “however 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 trying to find – including certifications, accreditations and education – 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 stated.

That preparation work includes getting ready for job fairs.

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

He described that guests must identify the they desire to speak with and research study them ahead of time, to allow for educated discussions with employers.

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