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 getting ready for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job candidates, she participated in an employing fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at Career Center.

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

The focus of the task fair on state work, rather than work in numerous markets, 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 responded to concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were offered to answer hiring questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations 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 learn what kind of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” said 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, job Gentz said.

An elevator pitch is a “fast introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re wanting to do,” Handoe stated, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair’s objectives was to assist individuals find out about career chances and how their skills line up with them, job Gentz said.

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

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

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

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

Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are trying to find – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and learning about their working with practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work consists of preparing for job fairs.

“You need to go into an employing reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe said.

He discussed that guests must determine the companies they wish to talk with and research study them ahead of time, to permit informed conversations with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke to some employers. A senior info innovation specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.