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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 job applicants, she went to an employing reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I just try to take benefit 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 stated.

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 began with a panel of veterans from state agencies, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, employers from state companies were available to answer hiring questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services manager for horizonsmaroc.com the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies 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, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly event, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to discover what kind of chances exist here outside your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional task fairs like the Jan. 30 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 stated.

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

Among the job fair’s goals was to help individuals discover career opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key advantage of attending a job fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have seen the available opportunities and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

“We see that basically every year,” he said. “We desire them to make an educated choice about their career.”

Part of the education piece is discovering finances, consisting of credit reports, [empty] budgets and “developing a savings so you have something to deal with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army someday,” he said, “but while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to assist people with networking, linked web site seeing what people in the outside world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and akinsemployment.ca schooling – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe said.

“You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do later down the road,” he said.

That prep work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

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

He described that guests should determine the companies they wish to speak to and research study them ahead of time, recrutamentotvde.pt to permit informed discussions with employers.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and spoke to some recruiters. A senior infotech professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian function.