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 attended a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I just try to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to use, just to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.
The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in numerous industries, [empty] made it different 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 agencies, who shared their experiences and addressed concerns. Following the panel, employers from state companies were readily available to answer working with questions, https://www.opad.biz said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor celest-interim.fr for the TAP.
Informational tables represented organizations 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, Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
A quarterly occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to learn what sort of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor 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 prepare for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.
An elevator pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re aiming to do,” Handoe said, discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the task fair’s goals was to help people discover about career chances and [empty] how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.
Education is an essential benefit of attending a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not all set to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the offered chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.
“We see that generally every year,” he said. “We want them to make an educated decision about their profession.”
Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, including credit reports, spending plans 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 one day,” he stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”
Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are trying to find – including certifications, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe said.
“You should be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do later on down the road,” he stated.
That preparation work includes getting ready for task fairs.
“You need to go into a hiring fair with a plan of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe stated.
He described that attendees must pinpoint the companies they desire to talk with and research them ahead of time, to enable informed conversations with employers.
Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task reasonable and talked with some employers. A senior information innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.
