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 preparing for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task applicants, she participated in a working with fair Jan. 30 that showcased 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 needs to offer, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than employment in numerous industries, made it various than others on the setup. 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 addressed questions. Following the panel, employers from state companies were offered to respond to working with questions, referall.us said Frank Handoe, deputy transition 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, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what kind of opportunities exist here outdoors your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor 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 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 job fair’s goals was to assist individuals learn more about career chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key 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 opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “developing a nest egg 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 at some point,” he stated, “but while you’re in, are you doing everything 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 schooling – and discovering their working with practices, Handoe stated.

“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 job 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 guests must pinpoint the companies they desire to speak to and research them ahead of time, to permit informed discussions with recruiters.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task reasonable and talked to some recruiters. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually found she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.