I had the fortunate opportunity of being a volunteer interviewer for the Post Falls High School reverse job fair this past week. If you don’t know what that is, that’s ok, I didn’t until I finished. But it is simple. Basically, high school seniors create a presentation display about the career they wish to pursue upon graduation. They then wait patiently next to their displays for community members to stroll by and interview them.
Upon completion of each interview, about 5 minutes, you then critique them, score them and impart any amazing career advice you might have. I really enjoyed the whole experience and found at least 5 aspiring business owners or marketers that weren’t able to find places to job shadow. Wish they called us :).
The one thing I’ve learned from interviewing about ten different students is the importance of knowing your why. I asked several interviewers why they are pursuing their chosen filed, why they wanted to be a pediatrician, why they wanted to be a veterinarian, why they wanted to be a teacher. The ones who hit it out of the park had passion. They knew their why. And they could tell you all day about why. Each of those kids I would have hired in any position I had available. They had drive and passion and had articulate answers to that question.
The ones who struggled didn’t have an answer to why they wanted to do what they said they wanted to do. If they did have an answer, it was generic and honestly something they probably heard someone else say. They didn’t seem to have a lot of passion for where they wanted to go. Now I know a lot of this can be nerves and jitters from being interviewed by 5 people in rapid succession, but you have to know the why. Especially in an interview environment. You have to know it backwards and frontwards. I’ll hire passion over talent any day of the week. I’ll hire passion over education every single day.
So if I could give advice to those seniors who are going into into a career field and going into college is to know your why. Practice it. Cause here is the deal, and you college seniors this goes for you to. You really know very little. I know, I was you 22 years ago. You have very little to offer in terms of skills and experience. But what you should have is passions, ambition, time and enthusiasm. You’ll gain experience and skills on the job.
But what if you don’t know what you want to do, how are you supposed to know the why behind that? I get it. I was there. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I “grew up”. Heck I’m still trying to figure that out. So what do you do? You need to explore. You need a broader set of experiences. You need to evaluate what you love, what you hold dear, what you are good at and what excites you. I didn’t know what I wanted to do after school. I didn’t know if I wanted to go to college work, construction, heavy machinery or anything. I had no idea. But over the years through God’s good grace, s I had a broad set of experiences, both in school and out of school, that help me to find what I was good, at what I had talent for and where those talents fit in with what I was passionate about. I found my calling as a business owner and I found digital marketing. And now I really know the why. And it’s so much bigger than a marketing agency!
When you find your why and you can be passionate about something, you won’t need mountains, they’ll just seem to move out of your way. So, not that you asked, but for those getting ready to graduate high school or college, find your why. Then get passionate about and it write it down put it on your wall, put it on your whiteboard, keep it in your wallet.
Know your why and tell everyone about it.
And to the Post Falls senior who wants a job in marketing – you know where to find us. We are looking for an intern right now.
