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

As part of a group of about 30 task candidates, she attended a hiring reasonable 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 needs to use, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of work in different markets, made it different 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 firms, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, from state firms were offered to address working with 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, [empty] 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 discover what sort of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition 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, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

An elevator pitch is a “quick intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re aiming to do,” Handoe said, mentioning that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s goals was to assist people find out about profession opportunities and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a crucial benefit of attending a job reasonable, 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 readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, [empty] Gentz said.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, including credit reports, [empty] budget plans and “building 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 sooner or later,” he stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are trying to find – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their working with practices, Handoe stated.

“You must be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do in the future down the roadway,” he said.

That preparation work includes preparing for job fairs.

“You require to enter into a working with fair with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe stated.

He described that participants must determine the companies they want to speak to and research study them ahead of time, to allow for informed conversations with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task fair and spoke with some employers. A senior info innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.