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 job hunters, she participated in an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM's Hawk Career Center.

"I simply try to take benefit of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to use, simply to make certain I'm as prepared as possible," she said.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, rather than work 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 agencies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were offered to answer hiring concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations consisting of 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 occasion, the job fair is "a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to learn what type of opportunities exist here outdoors your back entrance," said Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

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

To get ready for them, "dress for success," bring your resume and practice your elevator referall.us pitch, Gentz said.

An elevator pitch is a "quick introduction of yourself, who you are and what you're seeking to do," Handoe said, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

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

Education is an essential advantage of going to a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they're "not prepared to make that jump yet," or they have actually seen the readily available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets and "building a savings 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 someday," he said, "but while you're in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?"

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are trying to find - including accreditations, accreditations and schooling - and learning about their employing practices, Handoe said.

"You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do later on down the road," he said.

That prep work consists of preparing for task fairs.

"You require to enter into an employing fair with a strategy of what you're going to do and not just meander around," Handoe stated.

He discussed that guests ought to identify the companies they desire to with and research study them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job fair and spoke to some employers. A senior info technology expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.