ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - Transition seems to be a constant in military life. Since the congressionally mandated 2005 Base Realignment and Closure law was announced, affected military installations began preparations to receive and transition personnel to and from other assignments.
The U.S. Army CECOM Life Cycle Management Command, in conjunction with Army Team Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, has identified its recruitment needs to sustain its transition mission from Fort Monmouth, N.J., to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
Recently, the CECOM LCMC and Army Team C4ISR participated in an Employer Networking Event at Walter Reed Army Medical Center hosted by its U.S. Army Garrison, Human Resources Directorate, Transition Employment Assistance Management Service or TEAMS.
"We know and appreciate the sacrifices that Soldiers make. The skill sets Soldiers acquire while on active duty are valuable to our mission," said Command Sgt. Maj. Tyrone Johnson, CECOM LCMC. "We want to raise awareness about the job opportunities in CECOM LCMC and Army Team C4ISR. By participating in an event like this one, we can speak directly to wounded warriors and Soldiers in transition and let them know we are interested in what they have to offer."
This monthly job fair was originally established to directly link Soldiers in transition with employers, according to Alicia Ross, corporate employment coordinator with TEAMS.
"Here, the employers are from the federal and private sector," Ross said. "In fact, we have opened up the job fairs to our entire Walter Reed population, including active duty Soldiers, Reservists, wounded warriors, DA [Department of the Army] civilians and contractors." Walter Reed is scheduled to close as a result of the 2005 BRAC implementation scheduled for completion by September 2011.
The job fair is part of a larger program designed to assist personnel in transition, to include resume development, interview techniques and career coaching and counseling.
"We aim to link qualified Soldiers with employers to help facilitate a smooth transition to civilian life," said Donald Walker, federal employment coordinator with TEAMS. "I look forward to establishing partnerships with C4ISR organizations."
Army Team C4ISR provided a list of current job announcements to job seekers and informed applicants about the different programs available within the organization. Christopher Newton, CECOM LCMC human resource specialist, engaged each applicant to help identify where their skills may be best matched to compete for current C4ISR job vacancies.
"I learned a lot about the organization [C4ISR and CECOM LCMC]," said Staff Sgt. Pauline Sedano, a supply specialist stationed at the Uniformed Services University of Health Services who spoke with Newton. "This event was very helpful."
The job fair and other transition services are open to the entire Walter Reed population however, personnel in transition from other areas are also welcome to information and resources that TEAMS has to offer, said Walker.
"We assist Navy, Air Force, Marines and Army personnel," said Walker. "If you're active duty or a Reservist, we're here for you; if you're a vet, we're here for you; if you're a DA civilian, we're here for you; if you're a spouse, we're here for you."
Walker said one challenge they face is identifying the skill sets a Soldier has and does not realize, putting them down on paper and transferring those skills into a resume.
"We overcome our challenges by talking to Soldiers to help them identify their skills and showing them on paper that they have relevant experience they, perhaps, didn't realize," Walker said. He said he looks forward to a partnership with Army Team C4ISR and CECOM LCMC in the coming months.
"If you participate, we will provide a venue to get your job information out there to our population," Walker said.
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