JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities

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

As part of a group of about 30 task hunters, she attended a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just try to take advantage 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 stated.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than work in different markets, made it various than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and addressed questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were offered to address hiring concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor 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 chance to learn what sort of opportunities exist here outdoors your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional task fairs like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, July 10 and Sept. 11.

To get ready for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, referall.us Gentz said.

An elevator pitch is a “quick introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re wanting to do,” Handoe said, mentioning that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the job fair’s objectives was to help individuals find out about profession chances and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential advantage of going to a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not prepared to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, including credit reports, spending 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 one day,” he said, “however while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are trying to find – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and learning more about their working with practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work includes getting ready for job 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 stated.

He described that attendees should identify the companies they wish to speak to and research them ahead of time, to enable informed conversations with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke to some recruiters. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually found she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.