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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 job candidates, she attended a hiring 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 provide, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, employment rather than work in various industries, made it different than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and addressed questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were available to answer working with questions, employment said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies consisting of VERG, and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, employment 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 chance to discover out what kind of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion 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 pitch, Gentz said.

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

One of the task fair’s objectives was to help individuals discover profession opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a crucial benefit of going to a job reasonable, 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 stated.

“We see that essentially every year,” he stated. “We want them to make an informed choice about their career.”

Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, including credit reports, budgets and “developing a nest egg 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 someday,” he said, “however while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are looking for – consisting of certifications, accreditations and education – and learning more about their working with practices, Handoe stated.

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

That preparation work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

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

He described that guests need to identify the business they wish to speak to and research them ahead of time, to enable for educated discussions with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and consulted with some recruiters. A senior information innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.