Students pitch future professions at reverse job fair

Post Falls High School students pitched professions that sparked their interest during the reverse job fair on Wednesday at Real Life Ministries.

The collaboration between the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Post Falls School District reached its 20th anniversary this year, giving students real-life job interview experience. 

Chamber President and CEO Christina Petit said students go through five to seven interviews during a portion of the fair and gain firsthand experience with the types of interview questions they might receive. 

“They improve every time and it’s an opportunity they don’t get anywhere else,” Petit said. “Everybody leaves thinking these kids are amazing and they’re going to do amazing things. They put a lot of energy into this."

Damon Fortune has been playing with the inner workings of computers since he was 9 years old and has always been interested in taking them apart to learn how they work.  

His career goal is in computer networking.

“I like working with my hands, I like solving problems. I think this is where I’ll have the most success,” Damon said. 

Marlee Anderson has had one profession in mind ever since her family got her dog, Meladious: dog grooming. 

“I’ve had him since I was 10 about to turn 11 and I used to love doing pretend dog grooming when I was younger. I would use my mom’s hair products,” Marlee said. 

The career also holds an extra appeal for her because she wouldn’t be the first in her family to become a dog groomer. 

“My sister actually went into dog grooming and graduated so that sparked my interest even more because of course I want to take after my big sister,” she said.

Human hair is the focus for Geoff Brooks in his pursuit to become a barber. 

After practicing mainly taper fades on his friends, he wants to complete nearly 12 months of training to learn men's and women's haircutting and styling techniques at the Coeur d’Alene location of the Paul Mitchell School. 

“Barbering is something I’m passionate about and there's a lot of freedom,” Geoff said. “You make your hours and you wait for someone to come in and then cut their hair.” 

Petit said many of the community members who conduct the interviews find that the experience renews their faith in the future workforce. 

And for students, it’s a testing ground before graduation to learn what impressions they leave in business interactions.  

“It’ll give them a boost in anything they choose to do,” Petit said. 

    High school students from the Post Falls School District and community members participated in a reverse job fair on Wednesday at Real Life Ministries. Students were able to speak about their interests and be interviewed about potential career paths as practice.
  

    Marlee Anderson is excited to follow in her sister's footsteps and become a dog groomer. As part of her pitch to explore a chosen profession, Marlee was interviewed by community members at the reverse job fair on Wednesday.
  

    At the reverse job fair in Post Falls, student Geoff Brooks shared his goal to complete barber training at the Paul Mitchell School in Coeur d'Alene.