Plains High School holds career fair
PLAINS - Recently in Plains during a Wednesday night there was a, “2015 Mock Interview Career Fair,” for the seniors of Plains High School. Planned by the Job’s Montana Graduates (JMG) and Business Essentials students, the fair was a, “professional event,” as Mrs. Griffin the administrator and teacher of the to classes called it.
Before the night began, two JMG students, Shailyne Portzen Ames and Sami Kinzie read aloud before the mock employers and seniors how the night would proceed. They thanked the employers and described, in short, the process of how the planning for the event took place.
Prior to the evening, the JMG students and Business Essentials class worked on rough copies with Mrs. Griffin to produce a resume, which they would turn into the employers that volunteered and or were asked to attend the night by the students of the two classes. Most of the planning was done entirely by the students who had to reach out to the community.
Along with conducting the interview the employers wee also asked to go over the students’ resumes and cover letters to help them make them even better. Once the students’ interviews were done, the employers were asked to grade the students interview and paperwork.
“I am pleasantly surprised at the quality of the resumes and cover letters... I’m just blown away at the caliber, they are on the ball. I have four that are just about perfect.” said Erika Lawyer who is an Office Manager at McGowan’s. She said she only noticed very few grammatical mistakes and that some students were just a little vague on details, but she was very impressed.
Some students seemed calm throughout the night, while other could be seen holding back concerns or anxiety. To help ease anyone’s fears, refreshments were made available in the cafeteria.
Though it was a mock interview night, some of the positions that students were applying for were actually one’s they were hoping to get when they completed the school year. Dr. Greg Hansen, a Hospital Administrator and Family Doctor, said, “Some of the kids with not much work could actually apply to some of the positions we have at the hospital.” He named that one student is interested in an IT position, while a couple others have been interested in becoming Nursing Assistants, which only requires a six week course. Dr. Hansen said his biggest questions were how well a student works on a team and can be flexible to work hospital hours.
A student who already had her mind set on what she wanted from the night and where she wants to go forward in life was Hannah Knight. She described having had the opportunity to work with a Kindergarden teacher over the past year and having been given the chance to teach a couple lesson plans to a Kindergarden class. The very same teacher she worked was her interviewer Thursday night. “I just really love kids and I am really good with them,” she said, “They make me happy.”
Knight plans on going to Dillon, Montana to get her Bachelors in Elementary Education, with a minor in Early Child Development. She then hopes to come back and teach in Plains.
Dusten Henning another senior student took advantage of the night to brush up on his skills, but already his set to work as a welder with Tom Mowery. Henning had the opportunity to do a work study with Mowery and became interested in becoming a welder. “I was actually going to be a diesel mechanic and then he talked me into doing a work study over there last year and had me get certify and I kind of liked it since then.” Henning said describing how he found a passion of his, while he was still in high school.
Mrs. Griffin explained that along with the mock interview night, the JMG class participated in what was called, “The Dress for Success Day,” on Tuesday. The day included a trip to Missoula, so the class could try on professional clothing at Kohls and a small lecture from salon workers. She then went on to say, “I have had students in the past that have had interviews that turned into summer jobs or an actual career they end up pursuing.”