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    Soldiers get an edge in the Northwest job market

    JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, UNITED STATES

    02.20.2015

    Story by Sgt. James Bunn 

    5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

    JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - The Transition Assistance Program is offering a service to transitioning Soldiers and Airmen that will give them a edge in the Northwest job market.

    The course is called Northwest Edge and it is an optional seven-week program targeted at service members staying in Washington after transitioning.

    During class, students learn about public and private employment here and have opportunities to visit job locations and make connections with employers. They also learn more about writing a resume and interviewing for specific jobs than they do during the mandatory transition classes.

    “Students learn about writing resumes for specific jobs,” said Elisabeth Rocha, a transition employment liaison with the Northwest Edge Program. “We also do some mock interviews, building up to actual interviews with real recruiters and real employers.”

    Another benefit of the program is a network of recruiters and employers helping students build connections while improving their chances of being hired.

    The program helped me find a job I love and taught me that networking is about talking to people and finding out what opportunities are available in the community,” said John Guardia, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and financial services professional with New York Life. “My experience was wonderful.”

    In the first year of the program, about 36 percent of the attendees found jobs said Rocha.

    “The success of the program honestly depends on the individual person,” said Rocha. “To get the most out of the class service members need to be willing to follow the advice they learn throughout the course.”

    Finding a job takes more than going to the classes, said Rocha. Students using the skills they learned in the program successfully found jobs.

    “The program gives you the tools needed to get hired,” said Guardia. “It’s like the military, that next grade isn’t going to come by just sitting there and breathing. Nobody is just going to give you a job, it takes a lot of work.”

    The program is available to service members with six months or less time remaining in military.

    “Once you finish this class, you have momentum and your network is growing and you start to interview,” said Rocha. “You want to be in a position where you can accept job offers. If you start a year out, and an employer offers you a position, and you tell them, ‘I can’t start yet,’ you will lose that opportunity. They can’t wait, they need to fill that job.”

    The program is only at JBLM with another starting at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington, later this year.

    “I think this is an amazing program and I hope that we can expand it into the community,” said Rocha. “There’s value in this information for every veteran regardless of how long they’ve been out of the military.”

    For more information about the Northwest Edge program visit the Soldier For Life, Transition Assistance Program Center, Building 3271, 2nd Division Drive JBLM, WA 98433, or go to http://www.lewis-mcchord.army.mil/dhr/acap/index.htm.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 02.20.2015
    Date Posted: 02.20.2015 12:26
    Story ID: 155009
    Location: JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US

    Web Views: 97
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN