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 hunters, she attended a working with reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State profession opportunities at JBLM's Hawk Career Center.

"I simply try to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center has to use, simply to make sure I'm as prepared as possible," she stated.

The focus of the job fair on state work, rather than employment in various markets, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it began with a panel of veterans from state companies, who shared their experiences and addressed concerns. Following the panel, employers from state companies were available to respond to working with questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy shift 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 occasion, the task fair is "a low-stress, low-pressure opportunity to find out what sort of opportunities exist here outside your back entrance," stated Christopher Gentz, job 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 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, job pointing out that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair's goals was to assist people discover profession chances and how their skills line up with them, Gentz said.

Education is an essential advantage of going to a task reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they're "not ready to make that jump yet," or they have seen the available chances and decide to continue serving, Gentz said.

"We see that essentially every year," he said. "We want them to make an informed decision about their career."

Part of the education piece is learning more about financial resources, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and "building a savings so you have something to deal with when it's time to get out," Handoe stated.

"Everybody's going to get out of the Army one day," he stated, "but while you're in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?"

Job fairs also exist to assist individuals with networking, seeing what individuals in the outdoors world are searching for - consisting of accreditations, accreditations and education - and learning more about their hiring practices, Handoe stated.

"You ought to be doing prep work now for what it is you desire to do later on down the road," he said.

That preparation work consists of preparing for job task fairs.

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

He discussed that guests ought to determine the they wish to talk with and research them ahead of time, to permit informed conversations with employers.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 task reasonable and talked with some employers. A senior infotech professional with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has discovered she wants to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian role.