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 task hunters, she went to a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I simply attempt to take advantage of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to provide, just to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.
The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment 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 companies, who shared their experiences and addressed questions. Following the panel, employers from state agencies were offered to address working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager 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; of Social and Health Services, employment Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
A quarterly occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to find out what kind of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” 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 get ready for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.
An elevator pitch is a “fast introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re seeking to do,” Handoe stated, employment discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the job fair’s objectives was to help people discover profession opportunities and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz stated.
Education is a crucial benefit of going to a task fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.
“We see that basically every year,” he said. “We want them to make an educated choice about their career.”
Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, including credit reports, budgets and “constructing a savings so you have something to deal with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe stated.
“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army someday,” he said, “but while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”
Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are searching for – consisting of certifications, employment accreditations and schooling – and discovering their working with practices, Handoe said.
“You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do later on down the roadway,” he stated.
That prep work consists of preparing for task fairs.
“You need to enter into a working with reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe said.
He described that attendees must identify the companies they want to talk to and research study them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with employers.
Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and spoke to some recruiters. A senior info technology expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.