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, [empty] and she’s getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

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

“I simply try to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to offer, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of work in numerous industries, horizonsmaroc.com made it different than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and https://horizonsmaroc.com/entreprises/easwrk/ responded to questions. Following the panel, employers from state companies were readily available to respond to working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, 64.227.136.170 deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies including VERG, WorkSource and [empty] 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 event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what type of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor 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, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

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

One of the job fair’s objectives was to help individuals learn more about career opportunities and how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key benefit of participating in a task fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “constructing 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 one day,” he stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are searching for – including certifications, accreditations and schooling – and learning about their hiring 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 stated.

That prep work consists of preparing for studentvolunteers.us job fairs.

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

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

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task reasonable and consulted with some recruiters. A senior infotech professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, rightlane.beparian.com she has found she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.