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 transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task candidates, she participated in a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than work in various industries, made it different than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, https://redefineworksllc.com WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and addressed concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were readily available to address hiring 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 event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what kind of chances exist here outside 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 prepare for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator [empty] pitch, Gentz said.

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

Among the task fair’s objectives was to help people discover profession opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential advantage of participating in a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the offered opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

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

Part of the education piece is discovering about financial resources, including credit reports, budget plans and “developing a nest egg so you have something to deal with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe said.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army one day,” he stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work consists of preparing for task fairs.

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

He explained that participants ought to pinpoint the companies they desire to speak to and research them ahead of time, to permit for educated discussions with employers.

in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and consulted with some recruiters. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, [empty] she has actually found she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.