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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 couple of weeks away, and she’s preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job candidates, employment she went to a working with fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career 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 use, simply 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 markets, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and employment the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and responded to questions. Following the panel, employment recruiters from state agencies were available to answer working with concerns, stated 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 task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what type of chances exist here outdoors your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job 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 “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,” Handoe said, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the job fair’s goals was to help find out about profession opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential benefit of going to a job fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not prepared to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

“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 finances, 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 at some point,” he said, “however while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to help people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are trying to find – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe said.

“You must be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do in the future down the road,” he stated.

That preparation work includes getting ready for task fairs.

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

He discussed that attendees must pinpoint the business they want to consult with and research them ahead of time, to enable for informed conversations with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked to some recruiters. A senior information technology expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.