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 getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job candidates, she participated in a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just attempt to make the most 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 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 companies, who shared their experiences and responded to questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were available to address employing concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift 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 complete-jobs.com Families; Department of Social and Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly event, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to find out what kind of chances exist here outside your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, shift 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 said.

An elevator pitch is a “fast 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.

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

Education is a key benefit of attending a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or matchboyz.nl they have actually seen the readily available chances and choose to continue serving, .

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

Part of the education piece is discovering finances, including credit reports, budgets and “building 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 sooner or later,” he stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering about their employing practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work includes preparing for task fairs.

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

He described that guests should identify the companies they want to talk with and research study them ahead of time, to enable educated discussions with recruiters.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job reasonable and consulted with some employers. A senior information innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.