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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 shift 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 chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just try to take benefit of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to offer, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.

The focus of the task fair on state work, referall.us rather than work 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 responded to concerns. Following the panel, employers from state agencies were readily available to respond to working with questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor 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 event, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what kind of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

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 stated.

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

Among the job fair’s objectives was to help people find out about profession opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz said.

Education is a crucial advantage of attending a task fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

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

Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, including credit reports, spending plans and “constructing a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe said.

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

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

“You ought to be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do in the future down the road,” he said.

That preparation work includes preparing for job fairs.

“You need to go into a hiring fair with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe said.

He discussed that guests ought to determine the business they wish to talk with and research them ahead of time, to enable informed conversations with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and talked to some recruiters. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.