JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s military exit date is a few weeks away, and she’s getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

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

“I simply try to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to provide, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in various markets, made it various than others on the installation. 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 answered questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were offered to address working with questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor 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 occasion, the job 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 task fairs like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, July 10 and Sept. 11.

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

An elevator pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re wanting to do,” Handoe stated, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair’s objectives was to help people find out about career opportunities and referall.us how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key advantage of participating in a job 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 offered chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is finding out about finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “constructing a savings 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 someday,” he said, “but while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to help people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work includes getting ready for job fairs.

“You need to enter into a hiring fair with a plan of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.

He explained that attendees need to pinpoint the companies they want to talk with and research them ahead of time, to discussions with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job fair and spoke to some recruiters. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.