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, https://studentvolunteers.us/employer/localjobs/ and she’s getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 task hunters, she participated in a working with fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I just try to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to offer, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.
The focus of the task fair on state employment, horizonsmaroc.com rather than work in different industries, made it different than others on the setup. 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 responded to concerns. Following the panel, [empty] employers from state firms were readily available to respond to employing questions, 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 Families; Department of Social and Health Services, https://horizonsmaroc.com/entreprises/29sixservices 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 type of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.
Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 event 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 wanting to do,” Handoe said, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the job fair’s objectives was to assist individuals learn more about career opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.
Education is an essential advantage of participating in a task fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not prepared to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.
“We see that basically 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, budget plans and “developing a nest egg 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 whatever you can to prepare to go out?”
Job fairs likewise exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are searching for – including certifications, accreditations and education – and finding out about their employing practices, Handoe said.
“You must be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do later on down the road,” he stated.
That preparation work includes preparing for job fairs.
“You need to enter into an employing reasonable with a plan of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe stated.
He explained that guests should determine the companies they desire to speak to and research them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with recruiters.
Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked with some recruiters. 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.