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, employment and she’s getting ready for the shift at Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job applicants, she went to a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just attempt to take advantage 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 said.

The focus of the job fair on state work, instead of employment in numerous markets, made it different than others on the installation. 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 questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were readily available to answer working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies consisting of 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 task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what type of chances exist here outside your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, transition 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 prepare for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator employment pitch, Gentz said.

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

Among the task fair’s objectives was to assist individuals learn more about career chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.

Education is a crucial benefit of attending a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the offered opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

“We see that essentially every year,” he said. “We desire them to make an informed choice about their career.”

Part of the education piece is finding out about finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “building a nest egg so you have something to work 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’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

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

“You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do in the future down the road,” he said.

That prep work includes getting ready for task fairs.

“You require to enter into an employing fair with a plan of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe stated.

He described that participants should pinpoint the business they wish to speak with and research them ahead of time, to enable for educated discussions with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task fair and talked to some employers. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually found she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.