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 applicants, she participated in a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply try to take advantage of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to offer, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of employment in various industries, employment made it different than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, employment WorkSource and the TAP, employment it started with a panel of veterans from state firms, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were readily available to respond to hiring 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 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 opportunity to discover what type of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

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

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

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

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

Education is a key advantage of participating in 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 seen the offered chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that basically every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an informed choice about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, employment budget plans and “building 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 help individuals with networking, employment seeing what people in the outside world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and discovering their working with practices, Handoe stated.

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

That preparation work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

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

He described that participants must determine the business they want to talk to and research study them ahead of time, employment to permit educated discussions with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and spoke with some recruiters. A technology specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually found she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.