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, akinsemployment.ca and she's getting ready for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, [empty] she participated in a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career opportunities 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, simply to make certain I'm as prepared as possible," she stated.
The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than work in various 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 answered concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were readily available to answer working with concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor for the TAP.
Informational tables represented organizations 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, linked web site Community Services Division; and Office of the .
A quarterly event, the task fair is "a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what type of opportunities exist here outdoors your back entrance," 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 prepare for them, "gown for success," bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.
An elevator pitch is a "fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you're seeking to do," Handoe stated, mentioning that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.
One of the task fair's goals was to help people find out about profession opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.
Education is a crucial advantage of attending a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they're "not prepared to make that dive yet," or they have seen the readily available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.
"We see that generally every year," he stated. "We desire them to make an educated choice about their career."
Part of the education piece is discovering finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets and "building 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 sooner or later," he said, "but while you're in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?"
Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, https://teachersconsultancy.com/ seeing what people in the outdoors world are looking for - consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education - and finding out about their working with practices, Handoe stated.
"You ought to be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do in the future down the roadway," he said.
That preparation work includes preparing for task fairs.
"You need to enter into an employing reasonable with a strategy of what you're going to do and not just meander around," Handoe said.
He described that attendees need to determine the companies they wish to speak with and research them ahead of time, to permit informed conversations with employers.
Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke to some recruiters. A senior information innovation expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she wishes to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.
