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 task hunters, job she went to a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in numerous industries, 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 agencies, who shared their experiences and addressed questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were available to address working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, job deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented 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 occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to learn what kind of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor 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 get ready 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, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s goals was to assist individuals learn more about career opportunities and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key benefit of attending 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 readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

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

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army someday,” he said, “however while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to assist people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and job learning about their working with practices, Handoe said.

“You need to 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 preparing for task fairs.

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

He described that participants need to determine the companies they wish to speak with and job research them ahead of time, to permit educated conversations with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and consulted with some employers. A senior job information technology professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.