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 task seekers, she went to an employing reasonable 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, simply to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state work, instead of work in various markets, 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 companies, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, job recruiters from state companies were offered to respond to working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, job deputy shift services supervisor 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 occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what kind of chances exist here outside your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, job transition services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion 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 stated.

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

Among the job fair’s goals was to help people find out about career chances and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential advantage 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 readily available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that essentially every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an educated decision about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is discovering about financial resources, including credit reports, spending plans and “building a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe stated.

“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 get out?”

Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are trying to find – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and learning more about their working with practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

“You need to go into a working with fair with a plan of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe stated.

He explained that participants must identify the companies they wish to consult with and research study them ahead of time, to permit for informed conversations with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job fair and job talked to some employers. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, job she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.