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 preparing for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 job candidates, she went to a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
„I simply attempt to take advantage of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, just to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,“ she said.
The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in numerous markets, made it various than others on the setup. 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 addressed concerns. Following the panel, employers from state were readily available to answer hiring questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services manager for the TAP.
Informational tables represented companies including VERG, referall.us 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 learn what type of chances exist here outside your back entrance,“ stated Christopher Gentz, shift 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 get ready for them, „dress for success,“ bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.
An elevator pitch is a „quick intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re wanting to do,“ Handoe said, discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the job fair’s objectives was to help people find out about career opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.
Education is an essential benefit of participating in a job fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re „not prepared to make that jump yet,“ or they have actually seen the offered chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.
„We see that essentially every year,“ he said. „We want them to make an educated decision about their profession.“
Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, budget plans and „building a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,“ Handoe said.
„Everybody’s going to get out of the Army sooner or later,“ he said, „however while you remain 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 searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their working with practices, Handoe stated.
„You should be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do later down the road,“ he said.
That preparation work consists of preparing for job fairs.
„You need to go into an employing reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,“ Handoe said.
He discussed that participants must pinpoint the business they wish to talk with and research them ahead of time, to permit informed conversations with employers.
Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job fair and talked to some recruiters. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.