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 task applicants, she attended a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

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

Informational tables represented companies consisting of VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and [empty] VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, Youth and Families; 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 kind of chances exist here outside your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor for https://www.working.co.ke the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional task 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 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 ability is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair’s objectives was to assist individuals learn more about career chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz said.

Education is a crucial advantage of going to a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not prepared to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the readily available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is discovering finances, including credit reports, budgets and “developing a nest egg so you have something to deal with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe said.

“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 individuals in the outside world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and learning more about their hiring practices, Handoe said.

“You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do in the future down the roadway,” he said.

That prep work consists of getting ready for task fairs.

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

He discussed that participants ought to determine the companies they desire to speak to and research them ahead of time, to permit informed discussions with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked with some employers. A senior infotech professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.