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Community
High Desert Warrior November 3, 2017
www.aerotechnews.com/ntcfortirwin
WHO WE ARE
Brig. Gen. Jeff Broadwater
Commanding General
Command Sgt. Maj. Robin Bolmer
Post CSM
Col Seth Krummrich
Garrison Commander
Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel O’Brien
Garrison CSM
Darryl Darden
Public Affairs Director
High Desert Warrior Staff
Codi Kozacek, Editor (760) 380-3076
Ken Drylie, Associate Editor (760) 380-3303
Jason Miller, Staff Writer/Photographer
(760) 380-3073
Renita Wickes, Staff Writer/Photographer
(760) 380-3078
Jo Garrison, Staff Writer/Photographer
(760) 380-3450
David Dupree, Staff Writer/Photographer
(760) 380-8917
Agustin Rodriguez, Editorial Assistant agustin.rodriguez1@us.army.mil
Aerotech News Emma Uribe, Graphic Designer
HigH Desert Warrior
High Desert Warrior, a civilian enterprise newspaper, is
an authorized publication for members of the United States Army and Fort Irwin community. Contents of this newspaper are not necessarily official view of, or en- dorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army or Fort Irwin and the National Training Center. High Desert Warrior is prepared weekly by the Public Affairs Office, National Training Center and Fort Irwin, P.O. Box 105067, Fort Irwin, CA, 92310-5067. Telephone: 380-4511 or DSN 470-4511. FAX: 380-3075. High Desert Warrior is distributed Monthly 12 Months per year. It is produced at Aerotech News and Review, 456 East Avenue K-4, Suite 8, Lancaster, CA, 93535,
(661) 945-5634. Printed circulation is 6,500. Aerotech News and Review is a private firm in no way connected with the Department of the Army and is responsible for the commercial advertising found in this publication. Everything advertised in this publication will be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national orientation, age, marital status, physical handicap or political affiliation
of the purchaser, user or patron. A confirmed violation of this policy of equal opportunity by an advertiser will result in refusal to print advertising from that source. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of the Army of the products or services advertised.
Printed by Aerotech News and Review, Inc. (877) 247-9288, www.aerotechnews.com.
NEWSPAPER AWARDS
2nd Place, 2009 U.S. Army IMCOM-West
Newspaper Competition — Tabloid Category
Honorable Mention, 2008 Dept. of the Army
Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Newspaper Competition — Tabloid category
3rd Place, 2007 U.S. Army IMCOM-West
Newspaper Competition — Tabloid Category
seND Us FeeDBaCK
Send your questions, suggestions, or problems to: 1. Your chain of command
2. ICE (Interactive Customer Evaluation)
3. CG’s Hotline: 380-5463
Fort Irwin’s high-quality job seek- ers in demand at local job fair
Jo Garrison
Fort Irwin hosts two job fairs each year, giving Soldiers, family members and veterans a chance to meet face-to-face with employers. There were 34 employers present at the job fair on Oct. 19.
By Codi Kozacek
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Representatives of 34 different employ- ers met with veterans, military spouses and other Fort Irwin com- munity members during the job fair hosted by Army Community Services on Oct. 19 at the Samuel Adams Ballroom. The biannual event gives jobseekers a chance to explore the breadth of opportuni- ties available regionally and on-post, and it provides employers with access to high-quality candidates.
“[Employers] are very impressed with the caliber of jobseekers that are at Fort Irwin,” said Silvia Moreno, the program manager of Fort Irwin’s Employment Readiness Program. “That’s one of the biggest comments that I get. They say they’re very qualified, they are profes- sional, and they’re military-affiliated. So they have that discipline, they have that standard that they don’t always see in other areas.”
Brent Garcia, of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, echoed that sentiment. He noted that his organization has a much higher rate of success recruiting from military bases. Applicants as- sociated with the military are less likely to fail stringent background checks and are used to the structured discipline necessary to thrive in the police force, he said.
The job fair also offers a unique venue for employers and prospec- tive applicants to talk and ask questions in person.
“That’s a key point. Everything is online, so this is your one op- portunity to speak to someone face to face, and to have that interac- tion that you’re missing out on when you go online,” said Moreno. “A lot of times you can’t get your questions answered [online], you can’t get information you need, and just making that personal con- nection with someone, making that first impression, is crucial to get the job you are looking for.”
Heidi Allen agreed. A military spouse for six years, Allen recently moved to Fort Irwin from Korea and attended the job fair to get a sense of the employment market here.
“USA Jobs is great, but it can be a bit cold and it’s nice to see what the jobs are really looking for,” she said, referring to the federal government’s online employment information system. Allen added that she appreciated the job fair’s focus on employers that actually have job openings available.
The job fair is tailored for Soldiers who are considering a transition to the civilian workforce, as well as residents of Fort Irwin who are looking for jobs on post. The employers present at the event ranged from medical providers to linguists, law enforcement to retail. The variety underscored a key point that Moreno often makes to new jobseekers: just because Fort Irwin is remote doesn’t mean that it lacks employment opportunities.
“The thing I hear the most is, ‘there are no jobs at Fort Irwin, there’s nothing,’” Moreno said. “But there are actually quite a few jobs.”
Moreno publishes a list of available jobs every two weeks, and it nearly always includes roughly 250 positions, she said. She encour- ages prospective jobseekers to keep an open mind. Even if a certain employer focuses on retail, for example, there are often a range of other positions available in human resources, finance and other general business departments, she said.
Fort Irwin’s Employment Readiness Program regularly offers classes on crucial job search skills, including career planning, resume writing, interviewing and salary negotiation. Individuals can also schedule one-on-one sessions for personal assistance. More infor- mation about the program can be found at https://irwin.armymwr. com/programs/employment-readiness.
For more information go to www.irwin.army.mil