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 preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task candidates, she went to a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the task fair on state work, rather than employment in various 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 companies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were readily available to respond to working with concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations consisting of VERG, WorkSource and [empty] 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 studentvolunteers.us Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to find out what kind of chances exist here outside your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the 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 stated.

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

One of the task fair’s objectives was to help individuals learn about profession chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key advantage of participating in a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that essentially every year,” he stated. “We want them to make an educated decision about their career.”

Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budget plans and “constructing a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe said.

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

Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are trying to find – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and centerfairstaffing.com education – and learning more about their employing practices, veteran supporter Handoe said.

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

That preparation work consists of getting ready for task fairs.

“You need to go into an employing fair with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.

He explained that participants ought to determine the companies they desire to talk to and research them ahead of time, to enable informed discussions with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and consulted with some employers. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.