JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Staff Danika Nolan’s military exit date is a couple of weeks away, and she’s getting ready for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she attended an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I simply attempt to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to provide, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.
The focus of the task fair on state work, instead of work in different markets, made it various than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state firms, who shared their experiences and responded to questions. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were readily available to respond to employing questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.
Informational tables represented companies consisting of 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 event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what type of chances exist here outside your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.
Additional task 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 intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re aiming to do,” Handoe said, pointing out that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.
One of the task fair’s objectives was to help people learn more about profession opportunities and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz stated.
Education is an essential benefit of participating in a task fair, referall.us as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the readily available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.
“We see that generally every year,” he said. “We want them to make an informed choice about their career.”
Part of the education piece is discovering financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “constructing a nest egg so you have something to deal with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.
“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army at some point,” he said, “however while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?”
Job fairs likewise exist to help people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are trying to find – including certifications, accreditations and education – and learning more about their employing practices, Handoe stated.
“You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do later down the roadway,” he said.
That preparation work includes preparing for task fairs.
“You need to go into a working with reasonable with a plan of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.
He explained that attendees should determine the business they wish to talk with and research them ahead of time, to permit informed discussions with employers.
Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task fair and talked with some employers. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.
