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 transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 task hunters, she participated in an employing fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities 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 make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.
The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than employment in different 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, employers from state companies were readily available to respond to working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.
Informational tables represented companies consisting of VERG, referall.us 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 task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what sort of chances exist here outdoors your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.
Additional like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, July 10 and Sept. 11.
To get ready for them, “gown 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 seeking to do,” Handoe stated, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the task fair’s objectives was to help people find out about career opportunities and how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.
Education is a key benefit of attending a task 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 seen the available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.
“We see that essentially every year,” he stated. “We want them to make an educated decision about their career.”
Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, including credit reports, budgets and “constructing a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe stated.
“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army at some point,” he said, “but while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”
Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and learning about their working with practices, Handoe said.
“You ought to be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do later on down the roadway,” he said.
That preparation work includes getting ready for job fairs.
“You need to enter into a working with reasonable with a plan of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe stated.
He discussed that participants need to pinpoint the business they desire to talk with and research them ahead of time, to permit informed conversations with recruiters.
Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job fair and consulted with some recruiters. A senior details technology specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.
