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 transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job applicants, she attended a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply try to make the most of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, simply to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of employment in different industries, made it different 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 agencies, who shared their experiences and answered . Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were available to address hiring questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies 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 opportunity to learn what sort of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services manager 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, “gown for success,” bring your resume and sports betting practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

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

Among the job fair’s objectives was to assist individuals learn more about career chances and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is a crucial 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 seen the offered chances and decide to continue serving, hireblitz.com Gentz stated.

“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 finding out about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “building 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 someday,” he stated, “however while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are trying to find – including certifications, accreditations and studentvolunteers.us schooling – and learning more about their hiring practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation 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 stated.

He described that participants must identify the companies they wish to speak to and research them ahead of time, bkksmknegeri1grati.com to permit informed conversations with recruiters.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task fair and talked to some recruiters. A senior info technology specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually found she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.