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 transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

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

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

The focus of the job fair on state work, instead of employment in various markets, 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 firms, who shared their experiences and . Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were offered to respond to employing concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies including 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 occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover out what kind of chances 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 said.

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

One of the task fair’s goals was to assist people learn more about career chances and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key benefit of going to a job fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not prepared to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the readily available chances and referall.us choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is discovering financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “constructing a savings 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 everything you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and finding out about their employing practices, Handoe stated.

“You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do later down the roadway,” he said.

That preparation work consists of preparing for job fairs.

“You require to go into an employing reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe said.

He discussed that guests ought to determine the companies they desire to speak with and research study them ahead of time, to permit educated discussions with recruiters.

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