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, and she’s getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task hunters, she went to an employing reasonable 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 has to use, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, rather than employment in different industries, 64.227.136.170 made it various 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 agencies, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, employers from state firms were readily available to answer working with concerns, said 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 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 outside your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for teachersconsultancy.com the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, July 10 and Sept. 11.

To get ready for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

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

One of the job fair’s objectives was to help people find out about profession chances and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential advantage of participating in a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the readily available opportunities and sowjobs.com decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

“We see that basically every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an educated choice about their career.”

Part of the education piece is out about finances, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and “developing a savings so you have something to deal with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army one day,” he said, “but while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are trying to find – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe said.

“You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do later on down the roadway,” he said.

That prep work consists of preparing for task fairs.

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

He explained that guests ought to identify the companies they desire to talk with and research them ahead of time, to allow for informed conversations with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke to some employers. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.