JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, employment Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s military exit date is a couple of weeks away, and she’s preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task candidates, she went to a working with fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk .

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

The focus of the task fair on state work, rather than employment in numerous markets, employment made it different 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 addressed questions. Following the panel, employers from state agencies were offered to address employing questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations 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 task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to learn what sort of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services manager 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 get ready for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator employment pitch, Gentz stated.

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

Among the task fair’s goals was to assist people find out about profession chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key advantage of going to a task fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, employment including credit reports, budget plans and “developing 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 sooner or later,” he said, “but while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, employment seeing what individuals in the outside world are trying to find – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and employment discovering their working with practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work includes getting ready for task fairs.

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

He described that attendees need to pinpoint the business they desire to speak to and research them ahead of time, to enable informed conversations with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and spoke to some recruiters. A senior employment infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.