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 task applicants, she participated in a working with fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply attempt to take benefit of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to provide, just to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of work 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 firms, who shared their and addressed questions. Following the panel, employers from state companies were readily available to respond to employing 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 event, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what kind of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional task fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion will be held May 8, July 10 and Sept. 11.

To get ready for employment them, “dress 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 looking to do,” Handoe said, discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the task fair’s goals was to help people discover about profession opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key benefit of participating in a job fair, as about 40% of those who start 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 essentially every year,” he stated. “We desire them to make an educated choice about their career.”

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, including credit reports, budgets and “constructing a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army someday,” he said, “but 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 education – and discovering their working with practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

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

He described that attendees should identify the business they want to speak to and employment research them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with recruiters.

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