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 hunters, she attended an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just attempt to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to offer, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than work 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 firms, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, employers from state firms were available to respond to working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies 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 occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover out what sort of chances exist here outside your back entrance,” said 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 get ready for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

An elevator referall.us pitch is a “quick introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,” Handoe stated, mentioning that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the task fair’s objectives was to help people find out about career chances and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key benefit of participating in a job fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not all set to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the readily available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

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

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

Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what individuals in the world are looking for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work consists of getting ready for task fairs.

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

He discussed that participants must determine the business they desire to talk to and research study them ahead of time, to allow for informed conversations with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job fair and talked to some employers. A senior details technology specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.