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 she’s preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 job hunters, she attended a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I simply attempt to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, just to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.
The focus of the job fair on state work, instead of work in numerous 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 companies were readily available to address working with questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.
Informational tables represented organizations including VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and VA 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 opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, https://teachersconsultancy.com/employer/147801/mmu transition 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 get ready for them, “dress 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 stated, mentioning that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the job fair’s objectives was to help individuals find out about profession chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.
Education is an essential benefit of going to 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 actually seen the available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.
“We see that basically every year,” he said. “We want them to make an educated decision about their profession.”
Part of the education piece is discovering finances, consisting of credit reports, [empty] spending plans and “developing 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, “however while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”
Job fairs likewise exist to assist people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are looking for – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and learning about their hiring practices, Handoe said.
“You must be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do later on down the roadway,” he stated.
That prep work consists of getting ready for task fairs.
“You need to enter into an employing reasonable with a plan of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe stated.
He discussed that participants should determine the companies they wish to speak with and [empty] research them ahead of time, to permit for educated conversations with recruiters.
Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task reasonable and spoke with some employers. A senior infotech professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.
