Sierra Nevada Job Corps Students Turn the Table on Employers
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Sierra Nevada Job Corps Students Turn the Table on Employers

Sierra Nevada Job Corps students showcased their construction skills at a novel “Reverse Career Fair”, held in conjunction with the Associated General Contractors Luncheon.  Major players in the local construction industry attended the event.

A reverse career fair flips the traditional career fair concept. Instead of an employer hosting the recruiting table—student are the hosts, providing detailed descriptions of their own training and accomplishments. Employers make the rounds to share information about what they can offer in the way of jobs and internship opportunities, all while gathering resumes. In a sense, future employees are interviewing future employers, and both sides are connecting.

Career Employment Supervisor Kathy Gardella, who organized the event, was very pleased with the results.

“This is the first time we’ve tried a reverse career fair and the experiment worked great. The students got to work on team building, problem solving, and leadership in presenting their vocation tables. The employers got a quick education on what the center has to offer them—and what they have to offer the students. We’ve received nothing but positive feedback, and we’re definitely going to do this again on a larger scale.”

Cement student Jacob Moose enjoyed engaging with the employers:

“The shoe was kind of on the other foot. They were giving me good reasons why I should work for them!”