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 preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job hunters, she went to a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances 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 needs to use, just to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in different markets, made it various than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, employment WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were readily available to answer working with questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies 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 chance to learn what sort of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” 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 prepare for employment them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

An elevator pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re wanting to do,” Handoe said, pointing out that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the job fair’s goals was to assist people discover profession chances and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential advantage of participating in a job fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not all set to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the available opportunities and decide 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 finding out about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and “building a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army someday,” he said, “however while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are trying to find – including certifications, accreditations and schooling – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work includes preparing for job fairs.

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

He discussed that attendees should pinpoint the business they desire to talk with and research them ahead of time, to permit educated discussions with recruiters.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task reasonable and employment talked to some . A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.