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JBLM Job Fair Showcases State Employment Opportunities
LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s military exit date is a couple of weeks away, and she’s getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 job applicants, she went to a hiring reasonable 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 needs to offer, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she stated.
The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in numerous industries, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were readily available to answer working with questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift 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 occasion, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover out what sort of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.
Additional task 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 practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.
An elevator pitch is a “quick intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re aiming to do,” Handoe said, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the job fair’s objectives was to help individuals find out about career opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz said.
Education is an essential benefit of participating in a job fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not prepared to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.
“We see that basically every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an educated choice about their profession.”
Part of the education piece is discovering finances, employment consisting of credit reports, budgets and “constructing a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe said.
“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army at some point,” he stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”
Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe stated.
“You should be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do in the future down the roadway,” he stated.
That preparation work consists of preparing for task 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 described that participants must determine the business they wish to consult with and research them ahead of time, to permit for informed discussions with recruiters.
Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked to some employers. A senior infotech professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.