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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 few weeks away, and she’s getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

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

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

The focus of the job fair on state work, instead of work in different markets, 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 answered questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were offered to respond to working with questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations including VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, referall.us Youth and Families; Department of Social and Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what kind of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, shift 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, “gown 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 aiming to do,” Handoe stated, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair’s goals was to help people discover career opportunities and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential benefit of attending a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the offered chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, of credit reports, budgets and “developing a savings 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 said, “but while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are trying to find – consisting of certifications, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their working with practices, Handoe said.

“You must be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do later on down the roadway,” he said.

That preparation work includes preparing for job fairs.

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

He described that guests ought to determine the companies they desire to talk to and research them ahead of time, to enable informed conversations with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task reasonable and consulted with some employers. A senior info technology expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.