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 transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she participated in a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career 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 has to use, just to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than employment in numerous industries, made it various than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began 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 address hiring concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations 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 event, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover out what kind of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, July 10 and MATURE OFFICE PORN & SEX PICTURES Sept. 11.

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

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

Among the job fair’s goals was to help individuals find out about profession opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential advantage of attending a task fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the readily available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

“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 discovering about finances, consisting of credit reports, https://studentvolunteers.us/ budget plans and “developing a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army one day,” he stated, “but while you’re in, are you doing everything 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 schooling – and learning more about their hiring practices, Handoe stated.

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

That preparation work includes getting ready for job fairs.

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

He discussed that attendees need to pinpoint the companies they desire to speak with and research them ahead of time, [empty] to enable educated discussions with employers.

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