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 job candidates, she attended an employing fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just try to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the task fair on state work, rather than work in various industries, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and responded to questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were to address working with questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations including VERG, https://sowjobs.com/employer/kl 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 https://teachersconsultancy.com/employer/147825/ukdemolitionjobs Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly event, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what type of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for www.working.co.ke the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion 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 wanting to do,” Handoe said, mentioning that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the task fair’s objectives was to help people discover career opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential benefit of going to a job fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “constructing a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army at some point,” he said, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”

Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are trying to find – consisting of certifications, accreditations and education – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work includes preparing for [empty] task fairs.

“You need to go 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 ought to determine the companies they desire to speak to and research study them ahead of time, to permit educated discussions with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task fair and talked with some recruiters. A senior essencialponto.com.br infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually found she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.