JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. - Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan's military exit date is a couple of weeks away, and she's preparing for the transition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job seekers, she participated in a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM's Hawk Career Center.

"I just attempt to take advantage of all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to offer, just to make sure I'm as prepared as possible," she said.

The focus of the task fair on state work, instead of work in different markets, made it different than others on the installation. 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 answered concerns. Following the panel, recruiters from state agencies were available to answer hiring concerns, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services supervisor for the TAP.

Informational tables represented organizations 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 discover out what kind of opportunities exist here outdoors your back door," said 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 prepare for them, "gown for success," bring your resume and humanlove.stream practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

An elevator pitch is a "quick introduction of yourself, who you are and what you're aiming to do," Handoe said, mentioning that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

One of the job fair's objectives was to assist individuals learn more about career chances and how their abilities align with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key advantage of participating in a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who begin with the TAP learn they're "not ready to make that jump yet," or they have actually seen the offered opportunities and choose to continue serving, Gentz stated.

"We see that generally every year," he said. "We desire them to make an informed choice about their career."

Part of the education piece is learning about finances, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and "building a nest egg 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 someday," he said, "but while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to go out?"

Job fairs likewise exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are looking for - including accreditations, accreditations and education - and learning more about their working with practices, Handoe stated.

"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 includes preparing for task fairs.

"You require to enter into a hiring fair with a plan of what you're going to do and not just meander around," Handoe stated.

He discussed that attendees ought to determine the companies they wish to talk with and research study them ahead of time, to permit educated discussions with employers.

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