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 participated in a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities 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 provide, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the task fair on state work, referall.us instead of work in various industries, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and responded to questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were offered to answer working with questions, 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 VA 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 chance to discover out what type of opportunities exist here outdoors your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, transition services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

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

To prepare for them, “gown 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 aiming to do,” Handoe stated, mentioning that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the job fair’s goals was to assist individuals find out about profession chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential advantage of going to a job fair, as about 40% of those who begin 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 generally every year,” he said. “We desire them to make an educated choice about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “developing a savings 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 at some point,” he said, “however while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are looking for – consisting of certifications, accreditations and schooling – and discovering about their hiring practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

“You require to go into a working with reasonable with a plan of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe stated.

He described that participants ought to determine the business they wish to talk with and research study them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with employers.

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