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 preparing for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task seekers, she went to a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply try to take advantage of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to use, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of work in different industries, made it various 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 firms, who shared their experiences and https://studentvolunteers.us addressed concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were readily available to address working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations consisting of VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and centerfairstaffing.com VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, jobvn24.com Youth and Families; Department of Social and Health Services, Community Services Division; and [empty] Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what sort of chances exist here outdoors your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services manager 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 prepare for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator https://www.opad.biz/employer/jobs-4me pitch, Gentz stated.

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

One of the task fair’s goals was to help people discover profession opportunities and how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential advantage of attending a task fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not prepared to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the readily available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets 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 someday,” he stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are looking for – including certifications, accreditations and education – and finding out about their working with practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work includes preparing for task fairs.

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

He described that attendees should determine the business they desire to speak with and [empty] research study them ahead of time, to permit informed conversations with recruiters.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task fair and consulted with some recruiters. A senior info technology professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually found she wishes to serve those who serve in her function.