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 getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task candidates, she attended an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM's Hawk Career Center.

"I just try to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to provide, simply to ensure I'm as prepared as possible," she stated.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than employment in various industries, made it different than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and [empty] the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and responded to questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were offered to respond to working with concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations including VERG, [empty] WorkSource and Washington State's Department of Veterans Affairs and VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, Youth and Families; Department of Social and jobsdirect.lk 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 opportunity to find out what kind of opportunities exist here outdoors your back door," stated Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, [empty] July 10 and 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 stated, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the task fair's objectives was to assist individuals find out about profession chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential benefit of participating in a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they're "not prepared to make that dive yet," or they have seen the offered opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

"We see that basically every year," he stated. "We want them to make an educated choice about their profession."

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, including credit reports, budget plans and "developing a nest egg so you have something to deal with when it's time to go out," Handoe stated.

"Everybody's going to get out of the Army one day," he said, "however while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?"

Job fairs likewise exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are trying to find - consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education - and discovering about their employing practices, .

"You must be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do later down the road," he stated.

That prep work consists of preparing for job fairs.

"You require to enter into a working with reasonable with a plan of what you're going to do and not simply meander around," Handoe stated.

He discussed that participants ought to identify the business they wish to talk with and research them ahead of time, to allow for informed conversations with recruiters.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task reasonable and [empty] consulted with some recruiters. A senior details technology expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, studentvolunteers.us she has actually discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.