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 task hunters, she attended a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of work in numerous markets, made it various 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 agencies, who shared their experiences and addressed questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were readily available to address working with questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations consisting of VERG, https://www.opad.biz/ WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of and VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, Youth and Families; Department of Social and Health Services, mtglobalsolutionsinc.com Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what kind of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 event 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 stated, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the task fair’s objectives was to help individuals find out about career chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key benefit of going to a job fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the available opportunities and choose 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 about finances, including credit reports, https://sowjobs.com budgets and “constructing a savings so you have something to deal with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army at some point,” he said, “but while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe stated.

“You should be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do later on down the roadway,” he said.

That prep work consists of preparing for task fairs.

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

He explained that attendees need to identify the companies they wish to talk to and research study them ahead of time, to permit for informed conversations with recruiters.

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