JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities
LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s military exit date is a couple of weeks away, and she’s preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she went to an employing fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities 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 has to use, just to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.
The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of work in different 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 firms, who shared their experiences and addressed concerns. Following the panel, employers from state companies were available to respond to employing concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.
Informational tables represented organizations including 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, employment the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what type of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.
Additional task fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion will be held May 8, July 10 and Sept. 11.
To prepare for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.
An elevator pitch is a “fast 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 task fair’s objectives was to help people find out about profession opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.
Education is an essential advantage of going to a task fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the available 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 discovering financial resources, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and “building a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe said.
“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army sooner or later,” he stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”
Job fairs likewise exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and learning about their hiring practices, Handoe stated.
“You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do later on down the roadway,” he stated.
That prep work includes getting ready for job fairs.
“You need 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 participants should determine the business they want to talk to and research them ahead of time, to allow for informed conversations with recruiters.
Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task fair and talked to some employers. A senior info innovation specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.
