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 shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task candidates, she attended an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the task fair on state work, rather than employment in different 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 firms, who shared their experiences and responded to concerns. Following the panel, employment employers from state companies were offered to respond to working with concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations including VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and employment VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, Youth and Families; Department of Social and Health Services, employment Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover out what kind of opportunities exist here outdoors your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services manager 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, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

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

One of the job fair’s goals was to assist people discover about profession opportunities and how their skills align with them, employment Gentz said.

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

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, including credit reports, budget plans and “developing a nest egg so you have something to deal with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe said.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army at some point,” he said, “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 people in the outdoors world are searching for employment – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and learning more about their hiring practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work includes preparing for job fairs.

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

He explained that attendees need to identify the companies they want to speak with 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 professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.