Making the leap

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tammie Ramsouer
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  More than 400 service members, veterans and their spouses participated in the first Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Transition Summit July 22 and 23 at the Dena'ina Center in downtown Anchorage.

Local chambers of commerce, JBER organizations, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Hiring Our Heroes organized the two-day event to improve competitive employment and networking opportunities for all attendees who plan or were interested in the transition process to the civilian workforce.

"We have quite a few service members who have left or are in the process of separating from the military and need jobs," said Russell Black, 673d Force Support Squadron. "This summit is open to all branches of the military, including Coast Guard, Marines, Air Force and Army. Not only do we have our own service members from JBER going to the event, we also have Soldiers from Fort Wainwright participating in the summit."

The summit featured employment workshops, panel discussions and a hiring fair.

Individuals participated in several workshops to include résumé writing and interview techniques.

"What a lot of service members worry about is if they will fit into the civilian workforce," Black said. "This event is here to show them they can work with the knowledge they have now."

The employers at the hiring fair accepted résumés from those who attended and some individuals filled out job applications on-the-spot in hopes to land a job.

"We came here looking for talent, and we are finding it," said Susan Schmidt, Anchorage School District executive director of staffing and operations. "The individuals we are talking with are more than qualified for a lot of our positions."

More than 100 Alaska employers and businesses participated in the event to interview and hire qualified veterans and military spouses.

Although some participants of the summit will not be out of the military for months or even years, they received valuable information on the process to apply for a civilian job during the transition period.

"I feel transitioning out of the military is incredibly nerve-wracking," said Army Master Sgt. Michael Lindsey, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) senior Special Forces sergeant.

"I hear about a lot of people who put it off until the last minute and are just not prepared for that transition, so I want to get a leg up. I figure two years out to get the information I need is enough time.

"Staying in Alaska is a possibility. It offers a lot of unique opportunities and resources, and I want to get educated on that so I can make the best decisions for me and my family."

The event also provided information for military spouses as well, including ways to cope with moving when they have a job and their military spouses receive orders to another location.

"This transition summit has helped me tremendously," said Vernita Beach, a 14-year Air Force spouse and a family assistance specialist at the Alaska National Guard Family Assistance Center.

"I think it's very important for spouses to take advantage of events just like this. There is a wealth of information to hone into and information they may have never thought they could put on a résumé," she said.

"I am the vice president of a spouses' club on base, and I didn't know that I could put that on my résumé as volunteer work."

Some of those who made the effort to engage and network during the summit were offered a job - like Thomas Frisby, an Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 631 special agent.

"I happened to go up to the Anchorage School District booth just to get information about what jobs they had available since I have a master's degree in education," Frisby said. "The hiring recruiters at the booth got excited and offered me a job on the spot."

The summit offered Frisby this and other job opportunities, helping him transition with that next step in life.

To learn about transitioning out of the Air Force, call the Transition Assistance Program at 552-6619. For the Army Career and Alumni Program, call 384-3501.