Students benefit from expert advice-Reverse job fair lets would-be job candidates get interview process experience

It was small, just doing some drywall repair, but the East Valley High School senior with carpentry, welding and auto repair skills walked out of a first-ever reverse job fair with more than a lot of useful contact with potential employers.

Bert Caldwell
The Spokesman-Review

Although most of the 36 other East Valley and Ferris High School students were not quite so fortunate, all had at least a taste of an interview process in which employers not only had the chance to interview them, they had the chance to ask questions and get suggestions from professionals who talk with job candidates every day.

The reverse job fair turns the conventional model on its head. Instead of having the students circulate by employers as they would at a typical job fair, the employers circulated by the students.

The idea, said co-organizer Leah Lucero, was to make sure every student had the chance to speak with representatives from several businesses.

Besides the two high schools, the event was sponsored by the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce, High School/High Tech of the Inland Northwest, and Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest.

The neatly attired sophomores, juniors and seniors had ambitions in fields from law to tattoos and piercings.

The fair was held in the downtown conference room of the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce. Each student had prepared a display about themselves featuring pictures, resumes, letters of recommendation, even their own business cards. The Ferris students brought portfolios encased in loose-leaf binders.

It all looked something like a science fair, with the students themselves as the experiments. And there was a lot of chemistry going on.

East Valley’s Cassie Loftus would like a career in floral or interior design. She already has a job at a local retailer, but wants something that will let her be more creative. She was not sure what to expect Wednesday.

"I thought it was going to be horrible, but it’s not bad," Loftus said about half-way through the two-hour event. "It’s something new."

Loftus, a senior, said she had received suggestions about how to go into business for herself. Two interviewees had taken cards to be passed along to friends in the floral business.

Richard West was looking for a job in auto body repair. The Ferris senior said he already does some collision repair with his own tools in his own small shop, but wanted experience with a professional who could show him how to do things right the first time.

He wants to open his own shop by age 20. "If you just start small and don’t get ahead of yourself, you won’t be bankrupt," West said, adding that he plans to use the profits to acquire property.

"I don’t want to be in it my whole life," West said.

Al Greenwood talked to West and four other students looking for work in the automotive field.

"I really enjoyed it," said the outside sales representative for Carquest Auto Parts.

Carquest has no openings, and the mild winter was tough on the auto body business, but Greenwood said he offered some advice to the would-be job candidates. He was impressed by West.

"It looks like he has some skills," Greenwood said.

Goodwill’s Lea Noble said several employers left enthusiastic evaluations. Their suggestion: Expand the event to include more schools. Representatives from several other high schools were there with that thought in mind.

Lucero said all high schools in Washington must launch "13th year" programs by 2004, with the expectation that seniors graduating in 2008 will have prepared the same kind of job materials the reverse job fair participants had.

"They’ve really done a lot of investigation," she said, adding "It’s valuable for every student."

Those who can recall the years when high schools prepared students for the "real world" by handing them a diploma — period — might appreciate the change.

For those not going to college, graduation day was a walk down the gangplank into … what?

If the students assembled Wednesday were not sure of the what, they had a better idea of the how.

Morton had a resume listing some job and volunteer experience, but he said he had not aggressively sought employment. He felt better about the odds as the students prepared to return to school.

He said he was more comfortable speaking to potential employers, and noted a few had taken cards and said they would call.

"I think it’s set up all of us for job interviews," Morton said.

Let’s hope so. And good luck to Clifford, Richard and Cassie, as well as the other students. You deserve it.

Business columnist Bert Caldwell can be reached at (509) 459-5450 or by e-mail at [email protected]

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=052203&ID=s1353569&cat=section.business