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 for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job candidates, she went to an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

„I just attempt to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,“ she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in numerous industries, 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 addressed concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were available to answer working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services manager 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 centerfairstaffing.com Health Services, [empty] Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the job fair is „a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover out what sort of chances exist here outdoors your back door,“ stated Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional task 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 stated.

An elevator pitch is a „fast introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,“ Handoe stated, discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair’s objectives was to help individuals find out about profession opportunities and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key advantage of participating in a job fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re „not ready to make that dive yet,“ or they have actually seen the readily available chances and choose 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 finding out about financial resources, ukcarers.co.uk including credit reports, spending plans and „developing a nest egg so you have something to deal with when it’s time to go out,“ Handoe said.

„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 assist people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are looking for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and learning more about their employing practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work consists of preparing for job fairs.

„You need to enter into a hiring reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,“ Handoe said.

He explained that guests need to identify the business they wish to speak to and research study them ahead of time, to enable informed conversations with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and talked to some employers. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.