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 getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she attended an employing fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I just try to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to provide, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.
The focus of the job fair on state employment, rather than work in various markets, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and linked web site 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 companies were readily available to respond to working with questions, stated 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 occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what kind of opportunities exist here outdoors your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor 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 linked web site practice your elevator celest-interim.fr pitch, Gentz said.
An elevator pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re seeking to do,” Handoe said, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.
One of the task fair’s goals was to assist people career chances and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz said.
Education is a crucial benefit of participating in a job fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not prepared to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.
“We see that essentially every year,” he said. “We want them to make an informed decision about their profession.”
Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, horizonsmaroc.com including credit reports, spending plans 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 someday,” he stated, “however while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”
Job fairs likewise exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are looking for – including accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and discovering about their working with practices, Johnstown Housing Handoe said.
“You should be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do in the future down the road,” he said.
That prep work includes preparing for job fairs.
“You require to enter into a hiring reasonable with a plan of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.
He explained that participants must identify the business they desire to speak with and research study them ahead of time, to enable informed discussions with recruiters.
Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task fair and talked with some employers. A senior information technology specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.
