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 transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

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

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

The focus of the task fair on state employment, job rather than work in various industries, made it various 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 companies, who shared their experiences and responded to concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were offered to answer hiring concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services manager 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 .

A quarterly occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to learn what kind of opportunities exist here outdoors your back entrance,” 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 prepare for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

An elevator pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re seeking to do,” Handoe stated, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the job fair’s goals was to assist people learn more about profession opportunities and how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential benefit of going to a job fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the offered chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is learning about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “building a savings so you have something to deal with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army at some point,” he said, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work includes getting ready for job fairs.

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

He described that participants need to identify the business they desire to talk to and job research them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke to some employers. A senior details innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.