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 shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 job hunters, she attended an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Center.
«I just try to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to provide, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,» she stated.
The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than employment 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 referall.us addressed concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were offered to respond to working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.
Informational tables represented companies consisting of 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 opportunity to discover out what type of chances exist here outside your back entrance,» stated Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor 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 said.
An elevator pitch is a «quick introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re aiming to do,» Handoe said, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the job fair’s objectives was to help people find out about profession chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.
Education is a crucial 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 seen the available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.
«We see that basically every year,» he stated. «We want them to make an educated decision about their career.»
Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and «constructing a savings 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, «however while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?»
Job fairs also exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are searching for – consisting of certifications, accreditations and education – and discovering their working with practices, Handoe said.
«You should be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do later on down the roadway,» he stated.
That preparation work consists of preparing for job fairs.
«You need to enter into a hiring fair with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,» Handoe stated.
He described that guests should determine the business they wish to talk with and research them ahead of time, to permit educated discussions with recruiters.
Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and talked with some recruiters. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.