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 64.227.136.170 the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task seekers, she participated in an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than work in various markets, 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 addressed concerns. Following the panel, employers from state firms were readily available to address working with concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations consisting of VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and hireblitz.com 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 job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover out what sort of chances exist here outside your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion will be held May 8, July 10 and Sept. 11.

To for decreases them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

An elevator pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,” Handoe said, pointing out that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s objectives was to help individuals find out about career chances and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a crucial benefit of participating in a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

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

Part of the education piece is discovering finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “building a savings 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 at some point,” he said, “however 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 outdoors world are searching for – including certifications, accreditations and education – and discovering their hiring practices, [empty] Handoe stated.

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

That prep work includes preparing for job fairs.

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

He described that attendees ought to pinpoint the companies they wish to consult with and research study them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked to some employers. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.