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 shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

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

„I simply attempt to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to offer, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than employment in various 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 firms, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, employers from state agencies were available to address employing concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager 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 event, the task fair is „a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what kind of chances exist here outside your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

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

To get ready for employment 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 said, mentioning that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s goals was to assist individuals discover profession opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key benefit of attending a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re „not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the readily available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

„We see that essentially every year,” he said. „We want them to make an informed decision about their career.”

Part of the education piece is discovering about financial resources, employment consisting of credit reports, and „constructing 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 one day,” he stated, „however while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are searching for – including certifications, employment accreditations and schooling – and discovering about their hiring practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work consists of getting ready for task 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 said.

He explained that guests must identify the business they wish to talk with and research them ahead of time, to enable for informed conversations with recruiters.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked to some employers. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.