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 transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job hunters, she went to a working with 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 provide, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, rather than work in different industries, made it different than others on the installation. 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 answered concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were offered to respond to hiring questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager 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, [empty] Youth and studentvolunteers.us Families; Department of Social and Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly event, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what kind of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift 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 get ready for https://studentvolunteers.us/ them, “gown 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 stated, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s goals was to assist people learn about career opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key advantage of participating in a task fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not prepared to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the offered opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

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

Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets 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 at some point,” he said, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are trying to find – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe said.

“You ought to be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do later on down the roadway,” he stated.

That prep work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

“You require to enter into an employing fair with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe said.

He described that must identify the business they desire to consult with and research study them ahead of time, to permit educated conversations with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task fair and talked with some recruiters. A senior info innovation professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.