JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan’s military exit date is a few weeks away, and she’s preparing for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job candidates, she went to an employing 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 has to offer, just to make certain I’m as prepared as possible,” she said.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in different 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 companies, who shared their experiences and answered concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were available to address working with questions, said 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 occasion, the job fair is “a low-stress, low-pressure chance to find out what type of chances exist here outside your back door,” said Christopher Gentz, transition services manager 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 prepare for them, “gown for success,” bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

An elevator pitch is a “quick intro of yourself, who you are and what you’re aiming to do,” Handoe said, mentioning that the ability is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair’s objectives was to assist individuals discover profession opportunities and how their skills line up with them, referall.us Gentz said.

Education is a key benefit of attending 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 seen the readily available chances and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

“We see that basically every year,” he said. “We desire them to make an educated choice about their profession.”

Part of the education piece is learning more about finances, consisting of credit reports, budget plans and “constructing a savings so you have something to work with when it’s time to get out,” Handoe stated.

“Everybody’s going to get out of the Army sooner or later,” he stated, “but while you remain in, are you doing everything you can to prepare to get out?”

Job fairs also exist to help people with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are searching for – consisting of accreditations, accreditations and schooling – and discovering their hiring practices, Handoe said.

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

That prep work consists of preparing for job 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 said.

He described that guests ought to determine the companies they wish to speak to and research them ahead of time, to permit educated conversations with recruiters.

Nolan enjoyed the Jan. 30 and talked to some employers. A senior infotech professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.