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 getting ready for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she attended a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than employment 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 firms, who shared their experiences and responded to questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were readily available to answer hiring questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies including 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 occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to find out what kind of chances exist here outdoors your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional task 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 stated.

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 objectives was to assist people learn more about profession chances and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key benefit of going to a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or https://teachinthailand.org they have actually seen the offered chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that generally every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an educated decision about their career.”

Part of the education piece is discovering financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “developing a savings 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 sooner or later,” he said, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are trying to find – including certifications, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their hiring practices, empleosrapidos.com Handoe stated.

“You should be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do in the future down the road,” he stated.

That preparation work includes getting ready for task fairs.

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

He discussed that attendees ought to determine the companies they desire to talk with and research them ahead of time, [empty] to permit informed conversations with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and talked to some recruiters. A senior infotech professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.