JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, job Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s military exit date is a couple of weeks away, and she’s preparing for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task seekers, she went to a hiring fair Jan. 30 that State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than employment in numerous industries, 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 firms, who shared their experiences and responded to concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were readily available to respond to hiring questions, stated Frank Handoe, job deputy shift services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations including VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and job 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 event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what sort of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor 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 them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, job Gentz stated.

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

Among the task fair’s objectives was to assist individuals find out about profession chances and how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.

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

“We see that essentially every year,” he said. “We want them to make an informed choice about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, including credit reports, spending plans and “building a nest egg 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 stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are searching for – consisting of certifications, accreditations and schooling – and learning more about their employing practices, Handoe stated.

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

That preparation work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

“You need to go into an employing fair with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.

He discussed that attendees ought to determine the business they desire to speak to and research study them ahead of time, to enable educated discussions with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and spoke to some employers. A senior job infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually found she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.