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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 shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task candidates, she attended a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just try to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to use, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than employment in various industries, made it different than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, horizonsmaroc.com it began with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, employers from state agencies were available to address employing questions, 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 inquiry 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 chance to find out what sort of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” said 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 prepare for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

An elevator pitch is a “quick introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,” Handoe stated, discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s goals was to assist people learn more about career opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a crucial advantage of going to a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the readily available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, 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 at some point,” he stated, “however while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are trying to find – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe stated.

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

That preparation work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

“You require to go into a hiring reasonable with a plan of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe stated.

He discussed that participants ought to determine the business they desire to speak with and research study them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with recruiters.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job fair and [Redirect-302] spoke with some recruiters. A senior infotech professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her function.