Scavo Hosts Job Seekers Workshop
Scavo High School students stepped into the role of job seeker today.
“I’m learning a lot,” said Sierra Sims. “Starting with the importance of a good handshake.”
Sims, 17, is one of dozens of students soaking in career advice from eight different employers and community groups at the annual Scavo Job Seeker’s Workshop. They’re learning about teamwork, resume writing, job trends and how to network.
“We’re getting them prepared for the job interview process,” said Aaron Colyer, a personal banker from the downtown Wells Fargo Bank branch.
Students clustered around Wells Fargo recruiters in the multipurpose room. The employers shared what flies and what doesn’t in an interview situation.
“Don’t bathe yourself in perfume before an interview,” Becky Godwin tells a group of young women. “Be conservative with jewelry, remove facial piercings and cover any tattoos. And don’t even bring your cell phone into the building.”
Other advice included arriving early, avoiding slang and practicing answers. Godwin said employers are asking questions about the skills outlined in the job description. She encouraged the students to think about scenarios where they have employed a skill on the list, and practice talking about it.
Coyler added that challenging scenarios can be thrown a job seeker’s way during the interview.
“Employers don’t want to hear, ‘I would just call a manager,’” Colyer said. “They want to see you’re interested in taking a leadership role in solving challenges.”
As the students absorbed the advice, recruiters were paying close attention to each contact. They admitted their visit was dual purpose.
“Of course, when we meet a star student, we’re going to ask them to apply at Wells Fargo,” Colyer smiled.
Experience may not always be necessary. Good news for high school students just entering the job market.
“I would rather have someone with a good attitude who is willing to learn than someone with experience and bad habits,” Colyer said.
Sims was smiling as she and the other students rotated between classrooms, her mind on her own future as a business owner.
“I want to be my own boss,” she said. “I want to run my own businesses working with kids and the homeless.”
No doubt she’ll be using what she’s learned here to screen her own job candidates one day.
