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 [empty] the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job hunters, https://sowjobs.com/ she went to an employing fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances 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 offer, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than employment in different 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 responded to questions. Following the panel, employers from state agencies were readily available to respond to employing concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies 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 event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what kind of opportunities exist here outdoors your back door,” said Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, July 10 and Sept. 11.

To get ready for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and studentvolunteers.us practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

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

One of the task fair’s goals was to assist individuals learn more about profession opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential benefit of participating in a task fair, https://www.opad.biz as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not all set to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the offered chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that generally every year,” he said. “We want them to make an educated choice about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, https://studentvolunteers.us/employer/washcareer/ budgets and “developing a savings so you have something to deal with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe said.

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

Job fairs likewise exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are looking for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and discovering about their working with practices, Handoe said.

“You should 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 require to go into a hiring fair with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.

He described that attendees need to pinpoint the business they want to consult with and research study them ahead of time, to enable informed conversations with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked to some recruiters. A senior infotech professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.