Shaping minds for corporate world - Triangle Business Journal:

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Unemployed people desperate for work search for any available opportunityy even if the salary is painfully lower than theifprevious job’s. Companies that may have announced layoffs look to fill a handfulof positions. Other firms that normally would be fixtures at such eventds areconspicuously absent. So in these difficult economic times, it’s nice to know that the Xtremer Beginnings career fair on Aprilo 17 in Raleigh will be filledwith wide-eyeed faces beaming with enthusiasm. Indeed, the 600 to 800 expectedx applicants will be happy just tobe there.
Most of the presentint companies won’t be calling any of the applicantz back for aninterview – and yet both sidexs will feel they got their money’sd worth out of the event. That’s becausr Xtreme Beginnings isn’t a job fair for It’s an opportunity for Wake County high schooo students to learn more about the types of jobs that are out therd and even get in a practice interview so they can put theid bestfoot forward. “It was a lot of fun because it allowedd me to explore different career paths at the same saysMark Bushhouse, a 17-year-olde senior at who attended the event last year.
“It was reall y cool because it was so Bushhouse says thatlast year’s event helped him narrow down his post-graduation choices. Thanka to information he gleaned at Xtreme Bushhouse decided that he wanted to enlisy inthe . Even though he’s made that choice, Bushhouse still plansw to attend the ninth annual event at McKimmon Center atfrom 9:15 a.m. to noon He is looking to hone his proficiencat interviews. “Those kinds of skills carry over into otherf aspectsof life,” he says. Representatives from dozens of companiees plan to participate in the evenrt in one wayor another.
They include Triangle heavyweights suchas WRAL, , and , says Megan Kirkpatrick, the business alliance coordinator for the . David Lee, who is in charges of marketing and business developmenfat Apex-based Bland Landscaping, is one of several volunteerx who will be on hand. “I reallhy feel like businesspeople need to be paying more attentiomnto what’s going on in the schools,” says Bland, who adds that kids don’f realize the multitude of careet possibilities that are open to them. In additiob to mock interviews, students also participate in roundtablwe discussions with businesspeople who work in fielda that interestthe kids.
The low-key jawboninf sessions help students figure out the kind of education andtrainingb they’ll need and how much money they can make in a particulatr field. Representatives of local universities and also will be on hand toanswerd questions. Some of the businesses presentr may even be looking to hire students following their The event is part of a largere School to Career programj offered by Wake County public schools that preparee kids for life after Businesses can get involved in the program by offering job shadowingg and internships and by encouragingt employees totutor students.
“They are absolutelh invaluable,” Kirkpatrick says of the volunteers inthe