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, holisticrecruiters.uk and she’s preparing for the transition at Joint Base .

As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she went to a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just try to take benefit of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in various markets, linked web site made it various 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 agencies, who shared their experiences and addressed questions. Following the panel, employers from state companies were available to answer hiring concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies consisting of VERG, WorkSource and employment.bz 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 event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover out what sort of chances exist here outside your back door,” stated 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 get ready for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

An elevator pitch is a “quick introduction 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.

Among the task fair’s objectives was to help individuals learn more about career chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz said.

Education is a crucial benefit of attending 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 offered opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is discovering financial resources, including credit reports, budgets and “developing a savings so you have something to deal with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe said.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army at some point,” he stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, [empty] seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are trying to find – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and finding out about their employing practices, Handoe said.

“You ought to be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do in the future down the roadway,” he stated.

That prep work includes preparing for task fairs.

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

He explained that participants should determine the companies they desire to speak to and research study them ahead of time, to permit educated discussions with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job fair and consulted with some recruiters. A senior information technology expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.