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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 getting ready for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job hunters, she attended a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career 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 offer, just to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in different industries, made it different 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 companies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state were readily available to answer hiring questions, said 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 chance to discover out what type of opportunities exist here outdoors 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 employment them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

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

Among the job fair’s objectives was to help people discover career opportunities and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key advantage of attending a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the offered chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that generally every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an educated decision about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is finding out about finances, including credit reports, employment spending plans and “constructing a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army someday,” he said, “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 individuals in the outside world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and employment schooling – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work consists of preparing for job fairs.

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

He discussed that attendees must pinpoint the business they desire to talk to and employment research them ahead of time, to permit informed discussions with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task fair and talked to some recruiters. A senior info innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.