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, horizonsmaroc.com she went to a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just attempt to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, just to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in different markets, made it different 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 questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were available to address working with questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager 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 teachersconsultancy.com 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 chance to discover out what kind of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, transition services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional task fairs like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, studentvolunteers.us July 10 and Sept. 11.

To for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

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

One of the job fair’s objectives was to help people learn more about career opportunities and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a crucial benefit of attending a job fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not all set to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is discovering finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “constructing a savings so you have something to deal 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’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are trying to find – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering about their working with practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep 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 stated.

He described that guests need to pinpoint the business they desire to speak to and research them ahead of time, to enable for informed discussions with recruiters.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked to some recruiters. A senior information innovation professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.