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 transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 task applicants, she attended a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I simply attempt to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to use, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.
The focus of the task fair on state employment, employment rather than work in different industries, 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 concerns. Following the panel, employers from state firms were available to respond to employing concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy supervisor for the TAP.
Informational tables represented organizations 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 occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to find out what type of chances exist here outside your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.
Additional task fairs like the Jan. 30 event 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 said.
An elevator pitch is a “fast introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re seeking to do,” Handoe said, discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.
One of the task fair’s objectives was to assist people discover about profession chances and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.
Education is a crucial advantage of attending a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.
“We see that essentially every year,” he stated. “We want them to make an informed decision about their career.”
Part of the education piece is discovering finances, consisting of credit reports, budget plans and “constructing a nest egg 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 stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”
Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are trying to find – consisting of certifications, accreditations and schooling – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe stated.
“You must be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do later on down the road,” he said.
That prep work includes preparing for job fairs.
“You need to enter into an employing reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe stated.
He described that participants must identify the business they want 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 spoke with some employers. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.