Company Overview
-
Categories Creative
-
Founded 1978
Company Description
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 decreases the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 task hunters, she participated in a working with fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I simply try to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to offer, simply to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.
The focus of the task fair on state employment, rather than employment in different markets, made it different than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and answered questions. Following the panel, [empty] recruiters from state firms were readily available to respond to hiring questions, studentvolunteers.us stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition 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, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
A quarterly event, the task fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to find out what type of chances exist here outdoors your back door,” stated Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor 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 stated.
An elevator pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,” Handoe stated, discussing that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the job fair’s objectives was to assist individuals learn more about career chances and how their skills line up with them, decreases Gentz said.
Education is a key advantage of going to a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that jump yet,” or they have seen the available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz said.
“We see that essentially every year,” he said. “We desire them to make an informed choice about their career.”
Part of the education piece is discovering financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budget plans and “constructing 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 at some point,” he stated, “but while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”
Job fairs likewise exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outside world are trying to find – including certifications, accreditations and education – and finding out about their working with practices, Handoe said.
“You must be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do in the future down the road,” he stated.
That prep work includes preparing for task fairs.
“You need to enter into a hiring reasonable with a plan of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe stated.
He discussed that guests ought to determine the business they wish to talk with and research them ahead of time, to enable informed discussions with employers.
Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked with some recruiters. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.