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 shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task seekers, she attended a working with fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just try to make the most 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 stated.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in various industries, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, Small Amount Loan WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and answered . Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were available to respond to working with concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor 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 celest-interim.fr Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly event, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to find out what type of opportunities exist here outdoors your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services manager for teachersconsultancy.com 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, Gentz said.

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

Among the task fair’s objectives was to assist individuals discover career chances and [empty] how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a crucial benefit of attending a task fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the readily available opportunities and choose to continue serving, [Redirect-302] Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is discovering finances, including credit reports, https://sowjobs.com budget plans and “developing a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.

“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 go out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to help people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and https://horizonsmaroc.com/entreprises/tempjobsindia education – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work consists of preparing for job fairs.

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

He discussed that attendees must identify the companies they want to talk to and research them ahead of time, to enable informed discussions with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job fair and consulted with some employers. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.