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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 few weeks away, 24-Hour Loan and she’s getting ready for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job applicants, she participated in a hiring fair Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.

“I simply try to take benefit of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to provide, just to make sure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the task fair on state work, instead of employment in numerous markets, made it different 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 answered questions. Following the panel, employers from state companies were offered to answer hiring questions, stated Frank Handoe, deputy shift services supervisor Other Loans for 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 Families; Department of Social and Health Services, Horny-Office-Babes Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly event, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to find out what kind of chances exist here outdoors your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, webloadedsolutions.com transition services manager for handsfarmers.fr the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job fairs like the Jan. 30 event will be held May 8, job.honline.ma July 10 and Sept. 11.

To get ready for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

An pitch is a “fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re wanting to do,” Handoe said, pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair’s objectives was to help individuals discover about career opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a crucial benefit of going to a task fair, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP learn they’re “not ready to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz stated.

“We see that generally every year,” he stated. “We want them to make an informed decision about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, budgets 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 sooner or later,” he stated, “however while you’re in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs likewise exist to assist people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are looking for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education – and discovering their employing practices, Handoe said.

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

That preparation work consists of preparing for task fairs.

“You need to go into a working with reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not simply meander around,” Handoe stated.

He explained that attendees should identify the companies they desire to speak to and research them ahead of time, to enable for informed discussions with recruiters.

Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked to some recruiters. A senior info technology professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her upcoming civilian role.