Overview
-
Founded Date May 25, 1929
-
Specializations Software / games
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 getting ready for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 job candidates, she participated in a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I simply attempt to take advantage 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 stated.
The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of employment in various markets, made it various than others on the setup. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and employment the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state firms, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state firms were available to answer employing questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for employment the TAP.
Informational tables represented companies consisting of VERG, WorkSource and Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs and VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, Youth and employment 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 learn what sort of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance,” stated Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.
Additional task fairs like the Jan. 30 event 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 said.
An elevator pitch is a “quick intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,” Handoe said, mentioning that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.
Among the task fair’s objectives was to help individuals learn about career opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.
Education is a key benefit of going to a job fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they’re “not all set to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the available opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.
“We see that essentially every year,” he said. “We want them to make an informed decision about their profession.”
Part of the education piece is discovering about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and “building a nest egg 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, “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, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are searching for – consisting of certifications, accreditations and schooling – and discovering their working with 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 preparation work consists of preparing for task fairs.
“You require to enter into a working with reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe said.
He described that participants ought to pinpoint the business they wish to talk with and research them ahead of time, to permit for educated conversations with recruiters.
Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke to some recruiters. A senior infotech specialist with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.