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, and she’s getting ready for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task hunters, she went to a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of work in various industries, made it different than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state firms, who shared their experiences and responded to concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were offered to address employing concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies consisting of VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and www.opad.biz 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 job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what kind of opportunities exist here outdoors your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor https://www.opad.biz/ for [empty] the Directorate of Human Resources.

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

To prepare for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

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

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

Education is an essential advantage of participating in a task fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that jump yet,” or they have actually seen the readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

“We see that basically every year,” he stated. “We want them to make an informed choice about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, mtglobalsolutionsinc.com budget plans and “constructing 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 sooner or later,” he said, “but while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what in the outside world are looking for – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe said.

“You should be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do later down the roadway,” he stated.

That prep work includes preparing for task fairs.

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

He discussed that attendees need to pinpoint the business they want to talk with and research study them ahead of time, to allow for educated discussions with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task fair and talked to some employers. A senior information innovation professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.