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

As part of a group of about 30 job applicants, she went to a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of work in numerous markets, made it various 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 agencies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were available to respond to working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift 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; 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 chance to learn what kind of chances exist here outside your back door,” said 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, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s goals was to help individuals discover profession chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential benefit of going to a task fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not prepared to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the offered chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, budget plans 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 someday,” he stated, “however while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are searching for – consisting of certifications, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work consists of preparing for job fairs.

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

He described that participants ought to identify the companies they want to talk with and research them ahead of time, to enable for informed discussions with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke with some employers. A senior information technology professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.