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 candidates, she went to a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the job fair on state work, instead of employment in different 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 firms, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were offered to respond to working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition 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, 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 out what sort of chances exist here outside your back door,” stated 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 get ready for them, “gown 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 looking to do,” Handoe said, pointing out that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair’s objectives was to assist people learn more about profession opportunities and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key benefit of going to a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not prepared to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

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

Part of the education piece is learning about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budget plans and “constructing a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe said.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army one day,” he said, “but while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

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

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

That prep work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

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

He described that attendees should identify the companies they want to consult with and research study them ahead of time, to permit informed with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job fair and talked with some recruiters. A senior details innovation specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, employment she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.