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 .
As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she participated in a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I simply attempt to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, just to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.
The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than work 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 firms, who shared their experiences and [empty] addressed questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were offered to respond to hiring questions, 24-Hour Loan 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 opportunity to discover what type of opportunities exist here outdoors your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.
Additional task fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion 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 stated.
An elevator pitch is a “quick intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,” Handoe stated, https://www.opad.biz pointing out that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.
One of the job fair’s goals was to assist individuals discover career chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.
Education is a crucial advantage of going to 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 decide to continue serving, Gentz said.
“We see that essentially every year,” he stated. “We want them to make an educated choice about their career.”
Part of the education piece is discovering about finances, careers.webdschool.com including credit reports, budgets and “building a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.
“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army someday,” he said, “but while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”
Job fairs likewise exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe said.
“You ought to 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 need to go into a hiring reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe stated.
He described that participants ought to determine the companies they desire to speak with and research them ahead of time, to permit educated discussions with recruiters.
Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task fair and spoke to some employers. A senior 34.236.28.152 information technology professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.