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 applicants, she participated in a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

„I just try to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, just to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,“ she said.

The focus of the task fair on state work, rather than employment in different industries, made it different than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and referall.us addressed concerns. Following the panel, employers from state companies were offered to answer employing questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor 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 Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the job fair is „a low-stress, low-pressure chance to find out what kind of opportunities exist here outdoors your back door,“ 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, „gown for success,“ bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

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

One of the job fair’s goals was to assist people find out about profession chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential advantage of participating in a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re „not prepared to make that dive yet,“ or they have actually seen the available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

„We see that essentially every year,“ he stated. „We want them to make an educated choice about their career.“

Part of the education piece is discovering financial resources, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and „developing 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 sooner or later,“ he said, „but while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?“

Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are trying to find – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and and finding out about their working with practices, Handoe said.

„You must be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do in the future down the road,“ he said.

That prep work includes getting ready for job fairs.

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

He described that attendees must pinpoint the business they want to talk with and research them ahead of time, to enable informed conversations with employers.

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