JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s exit date is a few weeks away, and she’s preparing for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 task applicants, she attended an employing fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I simply try to take benefit of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.
The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than employment in numerous markets, made it different 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 firms, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were offered to answer hiring concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.
Informational tables represented organizations consisting of VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, Youth and referall.us 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 what type of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor 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 seeking to do,” Handoe said, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the job fair’s goals was to help people discover profession chances and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz said.
Education is a crucial advantage of attending a task fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not prepared to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the offered chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.
“We see that essentially every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an educated decision about their profession.”
Part of the education piece is discovering financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “constructing 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 at some point,” he stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”
Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are trying to find – including certifications, accreditations and education – and finding out about their working with practices, Handoe said.
“You ought to be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do in the future down the road,” he said.
That preparation work consists of getting ready for task fairs.
“You need to go into an employing reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe stated.
He explained that attendees should identify the companies they desire to speak with and research study them ahead of time, to permit for educated conversations with employers.
Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke with some employers. A senior information technology specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.
