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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 preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

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

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

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than work in numerous markets, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and referall.us 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 companies were offered to answer working with concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies 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 event, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover out what type of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion 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 stated.

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

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

Education is a of going to a task reasonable, 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 available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that generally every year,” he said. “We want them to make an educated choice about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is learning about finances, including credit reports, budgets and “building 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 at some point,” he stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

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

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

That preparation work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

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

He discussed that guests should pinpoint the business they want to talk with and research study them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and spoke with some employers. A senior infotech professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.