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 preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task seekers, she attended an employing reasonable 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 needs to offer, just to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state work, instead of employment in numerous markets, made it various 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, https://www.opad.biz who shared their experiences and responded to questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were readily available to address working with questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies including VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, https://experts.marketchanger.gr Youth and Families; Department of Social and Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what sort of opportunities exist here outdoors your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional task fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion will be held May 8, studentvolunteers.us 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 looking to do,” Handoe stated, pointing out that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s goals was to assist people discover career chances and [empty] how their abilities line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is a crucial advantage of going to a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the readily available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that generally every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an educated choice about their career.”

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “building a savings 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 one day,” he said, “however while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are trying to find – including certifications, accreditations and education – and finding out about their employing practices, Handoe stated.

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

That prep work includes preparing for job fairs.

“You require to enter into a working with reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.

He described that participants need to pinpoint the business they desire to talk with and research study them ahead of time, to enable educated discussions with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and spoke to some employers. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.