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 https://www.rotaryjobmarket.com/companies/thehispanicamerican/ the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she attended a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply attempt to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to offer, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than employment in various industries, made it different than others on the installation. 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 responded to questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were offered to respond to working with concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor 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 occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover out what kind of chances exist here outside your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, dimarecruitment.co.uk 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 prepare for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

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

One of the task fair’s objectives was to help people learn more about career opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key advantage of participating in a job 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 actually seen the available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

“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 learning more about finances, www.opad.biz consisting of credit reports, budgets and “building a nest egg so you have something to deal with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army sooner or later,” he said, “however while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

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

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

That prep work includes 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 explained that participants ought to pinpoint the business they want to speak with and research study them ahead of time, to permit educated conversations with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task fair and consulted with some recruiters. A senior details technology specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.