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

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

The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of employment in different markets, made it various than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, employment it started with a panel of veterans from state firms, employment who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were readily available to answer hiring questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations 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 employment Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover out what type of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, employment transition services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion will be held May 8, employment 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 intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re seeking to do,” Handoe stated, mentioning that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair’s goals was to help people discover profession chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential advantage of going to a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or employment they have actually seen the offered chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is discovering about financial resources, including 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 sooner or later,” he stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are trying to find – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and learning more about their hiring practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work includes getting ready for job fairs.

“You require to go into a hiring reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.

He discussed that attendees must identify the business they want to talk to and research study them ahead of time, to allow for employment informed conversations with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job fair and spoke to some recruiters. A senior information technology professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.