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 empleosrapidos.com she’s preparing for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she attended a working with 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 offer, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible, » she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of work in various markets, made it different than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and jobsdirect.lk the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, employers from state companies were available to respond to hiring concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations consisting of VERG, WorkSource and sowjobs.com 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 learn what kind of chances exist here outside your back entrance, » said Christopher Gentz, shift services 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 prepare for them, « dress 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 stated, discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s goals was to assist people discover profession chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz said.

Education is a crucial advantage of attending a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re « not prepared to make that dive yet, » or they have seen the offered opportunities and [empty] choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

« We see that generally every year, » he said. « We want them to make an informed decision about their career. »

Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, including credit reports, spending plans 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 stated, « but while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out? »

Job fairs also exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and learning more about their working with practices, Handoe said.

« You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do in the future down the roadway, » he said.

That preparation work consists of getting ready for task fairs.

« You require to go into an employing fair with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around, » Handoe said.

He discussed that guests must determine the companies they want to speak with and research study them ahead of time, to permit educated conversations with recruiters.

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