Mhealth Consulting

About Us

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 applicants, she went to a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances 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 stated.

The focus of the task fair on state employment, instead of employment in different industries, made it various than others on the installation. 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 questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were offered to address hiring concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift services manager for 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 job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to find out what type of chances exist here outside your back entrance,” said Christopher Gentz, transition services supervisor for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional job 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 practice your elevator pitch, Gentz said.

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

Among the task fair’s objectives was to help individuals find out about profession chances and how their skills align with them, Gentz said.

Education is a key benefit of participating in a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP discover 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 stated. “We want them to make an informed decision about their career.”

Part of the education piece is discovering about finances, consisting of credit reports, employment spending plans and “constructing a nest egg so you have something to work with when it’s time to go out,” Handoe said.

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

Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outside world are searching for – including certifications, accreditations and schooling – and finding out about their hiring practices, Handoe said.

“You should be doing prep work now for what it is you wish to do in the future down the road,” he stated.

That prep work consists of getting ready for job fairs.

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

He described that attendees need to identify the companies they wish to talk with and research study them ahead of time, to permit educated conversations with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and spoke with some recruiters. A senior infotech expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has actually found she wishes to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.