JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, studentvolunteers.us Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s military exit date is a few weeks away, and she’s getting ready for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 task applicants, she participated in an employing fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I just try to take advantage of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to offer, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.
The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of employment in various markets, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Group, WorkSource and celest-interim.fr the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were offered to address employing concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor 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, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
A quarterly occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what kind of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.
Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, horizonsmaroc.com July 10 and Sept. 11.
To get ready for them, “dress 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 wanting to do,” Handoe stated, jobteck.com pointing out that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the task fair’s objectives was to assist individuals find out about career chances and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.
Education is a crucial advantage of participating in a task fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not prepared to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.
“We see that essentially every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an informed choice about their profession.”
Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budget plans and “developing a nest egg 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 said, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”
Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are searching for – consisting of certifications, accreditations and education – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe stated.
“You should be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do in the future down the road,” he said.
That prep work includes preparing for task fairs.
“You require to go into an employing reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe stated.
He described that guests should identify the business they desire to speak with and research them ahead of time, to enable informed discussions with recruiters.
Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and talked to some recruiters. A senior details innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.
