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 hunters, she participated in a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply attempt to take advantage of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to use, just to make sure 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 various than others on the installation. 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 addressed concerns. Following the panel, employers from state firms were offered to respond to employing questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor employment 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 occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to learn what type of chances exist here outdoors your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift 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, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

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

Among the job fair’s objectives was to assist individuals discover career opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential benefit of participating in a task fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the offered opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that basically every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an educated decision about their career.”

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “building 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 whatever 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 accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering about their working with practices, Handoe stated.

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

That preparation work includes getting ready for job fairs.

“You require to enter into an employing fair with a plan of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.

He discussed that guests need to identify the business they desire to talk with and research study them ahead of time, to allow for informed conversations with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke to some employers. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.