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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 employment she’s preparing for the transition at Joint Base .

As part of a group of about 30 task candidates, she participated in an employing fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply try to take advantage of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to provide, simply to make sure 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 setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were readily available to respond to hiring concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations consisting of VERG, employment WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, Youth and employment Families; Department of Social and Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what type of chances exist here outside your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 event 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, Gentz said.

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

One of the task fair’s objectives was to assist people learn more about career chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz said.

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

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

Part of the education piece is discovering financial resources, including credit reports, budgets and “building 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 one day,” he stated, “but while you remain 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 outside world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and learning about their employing practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work includes getting ready for task fairs.

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

He explained that participants need to identify the companies they wish to talk with and research them ahead of time, to allow for employment educated conversations with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked to some recruiters. A senior details innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.