Overview
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Founded Date October 13, 1955
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Sectors Retail Associate
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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 shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
As part of a group of about 30 task hunters, she attended a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession chances at JBLM’s Hawk Career Center.
“I just try to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, just to ensure I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.
The focus of the job fair on state work, instead of employment in various 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 firms, who shared their experiences and addressed questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were readily available to answer hiring concerns, stated Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor 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, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
A quarterly occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to learn what kind of opportunities exist here outside your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, referall.us 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 prepare for them, “dress for success,” bring your resume and your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.
An elevator pitch is a “quick introduction of yourself, who you are and what you’re looking to do,” Handoe stated, discussing that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.
One of the job fair’s objectives was to assist people learn more about profession opportunities and how their skills align with them, Gentz said.
Education is a crucial benefit of participating in a job fair, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they’re “not all set to make that dive yet,” or they have actually seen the offered chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.
“We see that essentially every year,” he said. “We desire them to make an educated choice about their career.”
Part of the education piece is finding out about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, budgets and “constructing a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe said.
“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army sooner or later,” he stated, “but while you’re in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to go out?”
Job fairs also exist to help individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are searching for – including accreditations, accreditations and education – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe stated.
“You need to be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do later down the road,” he stated.
That prep work consists of preparing for task fairs.
“You require to go into a working with reasonable with a strategy of what you’re going to do and not just meander around,” Handoe stated.
He explained that participants need to identify the companies they want to talk to and research them ahead of time, to permit informed discussions with recruiters.
Nolan delighted in the Jan. 30 job fair and talked with some employers. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.