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 preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job hunters, [Redirect-307] she went to a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career 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 offer, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,“ she said.

The focus of the job fair on state work, instead of employment in numerous 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 companies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, employers from state companies were offered to respond to working with concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies consisting of VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and studentvolunteers.us VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, Youth and Families; 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 opportunity to discover out what sort of opportunities exist here outdoors your back door,“ 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 jobs.quvah.com them, „dress for success,“ bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

An elevator pitch is a „quick intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,“ Handoe stated, pointing out that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s goals was to help people learn more about profession chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a crucial advantage of going to a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re „not ready to make that dive yet,“ or they have seen the offered opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

„We see that basically every year,“ he stated. „We want them to make an informed decision about their career.“

Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and „building a nest egg 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 stated, „however while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?“

Job fairs likewise exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are looking for – consisting of certifications, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work includes preparing for task 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 discussed that guests should determine the business they want to talk with and research them ahead of time, to permit informed conversations with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and spoke to some employers. A senior [empty] details technology specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.