JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s date is a few weeks away, and she’s getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task seekers, she attended a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career 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 needs to offer, just to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of work in various markets, made it various than others on the installation. 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 responded to questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were available to answer working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition 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 occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to learn what kind of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion 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, Gentz stated.

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

One of the task fair’s objectives was to help people find out about profession opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key benefit of participating in a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the readily available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

“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 discovering finances, including credit reports, spending plans and “developing a nest egg so you have something to deal with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army sooner or later,” he stated, “but while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to assist people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work consists of preparing for job fairs.

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

He explained that guests need to identify the business they wish to speak to and research study them ahead of time, to permit informed discussions with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job fair and spoke with some recruiters. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, referall.us she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.