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 preparing for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she participated in an employing 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 offer, simply to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than employment in various industries, made it different than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state firms, who shared their experiences and addressed concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state companies were offered to answer working with concerns, said 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, referall.us 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 kind of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” said 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 prepare 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 seeking to do,” Handoe stated, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the task fair’s goals was to help people discover profession opportunities and how their abilities line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is an essential benefit of attending a job fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the offered opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that basically every year,” he stated. “We want them to make an informed choice about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, including credit reports, and “developing a savings 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 one day,” he said, “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 outdoors world are looking for – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their working with practices, Handoe stated.

“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 preparing for job fairs.

“You need to go into a working with reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe stated.

He described that guests should identify the business they wish to talk to and research them ahead of time, to permit for informed discussions with employers.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke with some recruiters. A senior info innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.