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 preparing for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

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

“I just attempt to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to provide, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than employment in different 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 agencies, inquiry who shared their experiences and addressed questions. Following the panel, employers from state agencies were offered to respond to hiring concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies including VERG, WorkSource and backtowork.gr 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 discover what kind of opportunities 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 said.

An elevator pitch is a “quick introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re wanting 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 career chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential advantage of participating in a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not prepared to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the offered chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that generally every year,” he said. “We desire them to make an informed decision about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is finding out about finances, [empty] including credit reports, budgets and “constructing 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 sooner or later,” he said, “but while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their employing practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work includes preparing for job fairs.

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

He explained that attendees should identify the companies they desire to talk with and research them ahead of time, to permit for informed discussions with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job fair and spoke with some recruiters. A senior information technology professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.