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 employment the shift at Joint Base .

As part of a group of about 30 job applicants, she participated in an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply try 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 said.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, employment rather than work in different markets, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state firms, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were available to address employing concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies 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, employment 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 sort of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift 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 employment them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

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

One of the task fair’s objectives was to assist individuals discover about career chances and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential benefit of going to a task fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not prepared to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the readily available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is finding out about finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “developing a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe said.

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

Job fairs likewise exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are trying to find – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and learning more about their hiring practices, employment Handoe said.

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

That prep work consists of preparing for employment task fairs.

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

He explained that attendees must identify the business they desire to speak with and research them ahead of time, to permit informed conversations with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke with some employers. A senior information innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.