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 task candidates, she attended an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just attempt to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to provide, simply to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of work in numerous markets, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and responded to questions. Following the panel, employers from state agencies were available to address employing concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations 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 job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover out what sort of chances exist here outside your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services manager 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 referall.us pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,” Handoe stated, discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the task fair’s goals was to assist people learn more about profession chances and somalibidders.com how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key advantage of participating in a task fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not all set to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the offered opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

“We see that generally every year,” he stated. “We want them to make an educated decision about their career.”

Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, spending 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 sooner or later,” he stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are trying to find – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work consists of preparing for job fairs.

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

He explained that participants ought to determine the business they want to speak to and research them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task reasonable and consulted with some employers. A senior information technology professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually found she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.