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 shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

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

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

The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of employment in numerous industries, 24-Hour Loan 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 agencies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, employers from state companies were offered to address hiring questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies including VERG, dessinateurs-projeteurs.com 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 task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover out what kind of chances exist here outside your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for [empty] 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, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

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

One of the task fair’s objectives was to help people discover career chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key advantage of attending a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the offered chances and decide to serving, Gentz stated.

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

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

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army at some point,” he said, “however while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are trying to find – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

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

He explained that guests must pinpoint the companies they want to speak with and research them ahead of time, to allow for educated conversations with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task fair and talked with some employers. A senior info innovation professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually found she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.