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 job candidates, she attended an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I simply attempt to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to offer, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.
The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of employment in numerous markets, made it different than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, employment WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and responded to questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were offered to address working with questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor 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 occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover out what sort of opportunities exist here outside 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 Sept. 11.
To prepare for employment them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator employment pitch, employment Gentz said.
An elevator pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re seeking to do,” Handoe said, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the task fair’s objectives was to assist individuals find out about career opportunities and how their align with them, Gentz stated.
Education is a key advantage of participating in a job fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.
“We see that basically every year,” he stated. “We want them to make an informed decision about their profession.”
Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budget plans and “constructing a nest egg so you have something to deal with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe stated.
“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army sooner or later,” he stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”
Job fairs likewise exist to assist people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are looking for – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe said.
“You ought to be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do later down the roadway,” he said.
That preparation work consists of preparing for job fairs.
“You need to enter into an employing fair with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.
He explained that attendees should pinpoint the companies they wish to speak to and research them ahead of time, to permit informed conversations with recruiters.
Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke with some employers. A senior employment infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.
