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 shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task seekers, 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 offer, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the task fair on state work, instead of in various markets, 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 firms, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were offered to answer hiring 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 Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what sort of opportunities exist here outdoors your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, transition 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 prepare for 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 aiming to do,” Handoe said, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the task fair’s goals was to assist people discover career opportunities and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential benefit of participating in a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that essentially every year,” he said. “We want them to make an informed decision about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is discovering financial resources, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and “building a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe said.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army sooner or later,” he stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are looking for findmynext.webconvoy.com – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and finding out about their working with practices, [empty] Handoe said.

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

That prep work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

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

He discussed that participants should pinpoint the business they wish to consult with and research study them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job fair and celest-interim.fr spoke to some employers. A senior details innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.