JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities

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

As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she attended an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession 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 provide, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than work in various industries, made it different than others on the setup. 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 responded to concerns. Following the panel, employers from state agencies were readily available to respond to employing concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor 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 event, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to find out 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 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, discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the job fair’s objectives was to help people find out about career chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential advantage of going to 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 readily available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, including credit reports, budgets and “constructing a savings 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 everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are trying to find – 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 desire to do later on down the road,” he stated.

That prep work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

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

He described that participants should determine the business they wish to consult with and research study them ahead of time, to permit informed discussions with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke to some employers. A senior information technology expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.