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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 went to a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

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

The focus of the task fair on state work, instead of employment in various markets, 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 offered to respond to employing questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services manager for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations including VERG, referall.us 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 job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to find out what kind of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion 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 “fast introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re aiming to do,” Handoe said, pointing out that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the job fair’s objectives was to help individuals discover profession opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key advantage of participating in a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

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

Part of the education piece is out about finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “developing a savings 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 remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to help people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are looking for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work includes preparing for job fairs.

“You require to enter into a working with reasonable with a plan of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe stated.

He explained that participants need to identify the business they desire to speak with and research study them ahead of time, to enable informed conversations with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 task reasonable and spoke to some employers. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.

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