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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 preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 task applicants, she attended a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession 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 needs to offer, simply to make certain I’m as prepared as possible, » she said.

The focus of the task fair on state work, instead of employment in different industries, made it various 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 questions. Following the panel, employers from state companies were readily available to address employing concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager 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, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly occasion, the task fair is « a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what sort of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance, » stated Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor 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 stated.

An elevator pitch is a « quick intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking 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 learn more about career chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential advantage of participating in a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re « not prepared to make that jump yet, » or they have seen the offered chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

« We see that basically every year, » he stated. « We want them to make an informed decision about their profession. »

Part of the education piece is discovering finances, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and « constructing a nest egg so you have something to deal with when it’s time to go out, » Handoe said.

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

Job fairs also exist to assist people with networking, referall.us seeing what people in the outside world are looking for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe stated.

« You must be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do later down the roadway, » he said.

That prep work includes preparing for task fairs.

« You require to go into a working with reasonable with a plan of what you’re going to do and not just meander around, » Handoe said.

He described that participants should identify the companies they want to speak to and research them ahead of time, to enable educated conversations with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and spoke to some employers. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian .