Virtual Job Fairs: The Definitive Guide (2024)

There are undeniable benefits to organizing virtual job fairs — from global reach to increased attendance, reduced costs, and much more. A virtual setting allows for features and benefits a physical event might not be able to accommodate. Virtual job fairs are gaining popularity thanks to the evolution of technology and all that it allows us to achieve. 

But what are virtual job fairs exactly? How do they work? And how can companies organize them? Hold on. Sit tight. This guide to virtual job fairs answers all your questions and more! Let’s get started.

Chapter 1: Virtual Job Fairs Fundamentals

What Is a Virtual Job Fair? 

A virtual job fair is just like an in-person job fair, albeit, it is hosted online. It hosts a number of organizations that have individual virtual booths. Virtual job fairs move away from the confines of limited physical space and enter into a space with animated 3D designs, virtual avatars, and the ability to host a huge number of people across the globe. 

Virtual job fairs also expedite the entire process of hiring people, enabling organizations to conduct on-the-spot interviews, and finding people most suited for the job by filtering out readily available CVs. A virtual recruitment fair reflects the vibrancy of in-person job fairs, offering organizations and job seekers both an opportunity to connect and network with one another.

How Does a Virtual Job Fair Work?

Most virtual job fairs require a virtual platform like vFairs to facilitate the setting. Attendees can enjoy a complete 3D environment and walk around different rooms. There are usually virtual booths set up by different recruiting companies. Attendees can virtually drop their resumes at any of the booths that they are interested in. Then, booth representatives can save relevant resumes and conduct initial interviews through audio and video chat.

So, virtual job fairs can work pretty much the same way as in-person job fairs but without the hassle of going to a physical venue. Virtual job fairs can be across industries and can also focus on specific ones like healthcare, education, engineering, marketing, etc. Here are a few things that you can expect to see at a virtual job fair:

Virtual Environment

Virtual event platforms like vFairs offer customizable 3D environments to level up your virtual events. You can log in to a welcome video in the main lobby and then make your way to a room with just one click. The 3D virtual environment can make events like virtual recruitment fairs feel more real and immersive with avatars, animations, and custom room designs. So, it can be better to set up a virtual event with a life-like environment than just trying to collect resumes from a website landing page. 

A virtual environment can also make interacting with fellow attendees and recruiters a positive experience. Event platforms like vFairs offer fantastic networking opportunities and tools for creating more meaningful interactions. Chat boxes, webinars, Spatial Connect, and smart matchmaking are only some of the many great networking features. Moreover, gamification tools like Scavenger Hunt, trivia, spin the wheel, etc., can make the whole experience a lot more fun.

A simulation of a virtual job fair with a lobby with sponsor logos on the walls and various avatars moving around.

Exhibitor Hall

Virtual job fairs are a great way to connect recruiters and job seekers in a virtual environment that facilitates networking. You can expect to see a virtual exhibitor hall in event platforms like vFairs during a live event.

The exhibitor hall at virtual hiring events can have multiple booths with recruiting agencies and organizations looking to hire people. The booths are fully customizable with the ability to brand them with banners as you like. Attendees can look around each booth and take a look at the job opportunities available with each of them. The experience can be similar to walking around in a hall, stopping at the booths that look interesting, and talking to the representatives.

Job Boards

Attendees at a virtual job fair can find all the job listings in one place which is usually called a job board. It can be much easier to search for relevant open positions and save the ones you have applied to from one list. It can be a great place for recruiters to post the jobs they are hiring for and collect resumes easily. Even if a candidate doesn’t visit your booth, they can still take a look at the jobs you have posted.

The illustration shows how a job board can look like in a virtual job fair in the vFairs platform.

Booth Reps

All booths in a virtual job fair will also be “manned” by representatives. When a potential candidate visits a booth, they can create a chat slot and have a conversation with the booth reps. This is a great way for recruiters to screen candidates through audio and video chat and for candidates to get answers to anything they feel curious about.

Are Online Job Fairs Worth It?

The easiest way to answer this would be with a resounding YES! 

Online job fairs have all the right elements and features to become an ultimate success. They can help candidates and employers alike with far less hassle than an in-person job fair.  It is eco-friendly plus no one needs to worry about commuting. There are networking and reporting tools available for interactivity, and everyone has all the necessary information at their fingertips. There are many other benefits to a virtual job fair as well and we will discuss them all later in this guide.

How Long Do Job Fairs Last?

Virtual job fairs can last anywhere from a day to up to three days. Small and medium-sized organizations might not have many posts to fill in. Therefore, even a day or two could be enough to get connected to all the right candidates. However, many recruiting agencies are interviewing for multiple companies and for various positions at a virtual recruitment fair. Sometimes they can even divide up the days based on the type of roles they will be interviewing for, or set up booths from similar industries. 

So, depending on the vacancies and the number of organizations, you may need more time to interview and shortlist candidates. Virtual event platforms like vFairs can allow organizers to extend the age of the job fair with on-demand hosting. So, if you are hosting a job fair for larger organizations or would like access to the event platform for longer, it is totally up to you.

In-Person vs Virtual vs Hybrid Job Fairs

Here are some of the biggest differences between in-person, virtual, and hybrid job fairs.

In-Person Job Fairs

A physical or in-person job fair, as the name implies takes place in a physical location, in a hall, or a hotel. In a physical job fair:

  • You set up your own booths, display your own resources, and engage in conversation with potential employees. 
  • People from surrounding areas are in attendance; it is highly localized.
  • You can only invite a limited number of people due to budget and space issues.
  • You will have to incur additional costs associated with food, travel, accommodation, printing resources, etc. 

Virtual Job Fairs

An online job fair, on the other hand, is arranged in a virtual environment. Your virtual job fair:

  • Transcends budget and capacity limitations. 
  • Allows organizations to reach a global pool of talent. 
  • Helps organizations host live webinars, engaging with attendees via live Q&A sessions and polls. 
  • Facilitates exhibitors in adding and displaying any number of documents and videos to the platform which attendees can download and keep for future reference, without any chance of them losing valuable information. 
  • Has multiple booths, live chat tools, animated 3D lobbies, and interactive designs.

Hybrid Job Fairs

This is a popular event format as it gives you the best of both worlds. It means that you can arrange some parts of the event online through a virtual event platform while some elements of the job fair can happen in-person.

  • Some booths can be online using a virtual event platform or an event app while some can be set up at a physical venue.
  • The in-person attendees can be highly localized to avoid commute and accommodation costs while the event can still be accessible to a global audience virtually.
  • Engage in-person and virtual audiences with event technology, live webinars, polls, and Q&A sessions.
  • You can make resources like brochures, handbooks, pamphlets, etc. accessible to download online for all attendees. This can help you save printing costs and reduce the carbon footprint of your job fair. 

Is a Virtual Job Fair Platform Free?

Most virtual event platforms are not free. However, there are some free virtual job fair platforms also available in the market. There’s a famous saying that says if something is free, then you’re the product! You may think that you’re getting a fantastic deal but more often than not, a free virtual job fair platform will be a waste of your time and effort. You can probably still host a free virtual recruitment fair, but it won’t have the right features and can fail to hit the mark.

Most of the time, free event platforms don’t have the necessary and required solutions to make your virtual job fairs and recruiting events successful. Moreover, they may be advertised as free, but more often than not there are hidden costs. You will only find out about these costs later when it is too late. So, instead of opting for free virtual job fair platforms that are ultimately not good enough, you should find a platform that has all the solutions you are looking for. 

The vFairs platform is transparent and upfront about pricing and only charges clients for what they actually need. You can find more information here.

Chapter 2: Hosting Virtual Job Fairs

Now that you understand what a virtual job fair is, let’s move on to why you should host one. Most event organizers can underestimate the effectiveness of a virtual job fair because of a lack of information. Here are some important things that you should know. 

Why Host a Virtual Job Fair?

Virtual job fairs can be a really immersive and effective experience for booth exhibitors, attendees, and organizers. Here are some reasons to consider virtual job fairs if you’re still on the fence about it.

Increased Attendance 

With no limitations of physical space and no time restrictions, the virtual job fair opens doors to a wider global audience. Your audience can be in any time zone, and they will not have to miss out on an amazing opportunity. Content and webinars are available after the virtual job fair ends. This flexibility boosts attendance and reach of the virtual job fair. 34% of planners consider increased attendance the most positive result of pivoting to virtual. 

Convenience 

A virtual job fair allows for greater accessibility to people who are unable to attend a physical event freely. This allows you to include people with any hearing or visual disabilities who would otherwise be uncomfortable in a physical event. Virtual event platforms also allow accessibility features such as color contrast, event navigation, text size, page narration, webinar translation, and captions.  

Content 

In a physical job fair, you will have to think about printing a bunch of resources, manuals, guides, company handbooks and so much more. There is an added cost attached to this. In a virtual job fair, all materials plus videos are available online in the virtual exhibit booth.

Cost 

A virtual job fair means all costs pertaining to food, accommodation, travel, venue, chairs and tables, booths, etc, have been eliminated. You do not have to worry about putting aside a budget for these expenditures. The exhibitors need not worry about printing costs of resources, standees, and other branding materials. 

Minimized Hassle 

A virtual job fair reduces the hassle involved in hosting an entire event venue. Virtual venues are usually much quicker to set up, remove the need for traveling, and offer so much more. Virtual event organizers have access to a large number of tools that can boost event attendance, ease attendee management, and give organizers access to live and post-event data. Organizers can also help attendees navigate the event easily by creating walkthrough welcome videos for them pointing at all the significant areas of the venue. 

Reduced Administrative Issues 

When it comes to hiring new candidates, sifting through countless resumes and screening candidates is a lot of work. Human resources can save time by virtually recruiting employees. Employers can search for resumes and filter candidates according to their needs and can easily eliminate the process of interacting with people not suited to the role. Moreover, virtual job fair platforms also help with easy data management as recruiters can download resumes of all candidates based on the jobs they have applied for.

Virtual job fairs offer another amazing way to screen candidates. Organizers can set up the video smart matchmaking feature to match ideal candidates with recruiters. The candidates and recruiters will be asked a set of questions and users with the same answers will match each other through a video call. The call is usually timed and if the interview is going well both parties can mutually increase the time of the call. 

Environmental Friendly  

Virtual job fairs and other events are environmentally friendly. Candidates are participating from their own spaces hence, they eliminate the need to arrange for travel, transportation, accommodation, and physical venue. Additionally, they require less paperwork and fewer printed resources. 

Networking 

Sample illustrations showing a chat box and a video call for networking purposes.

Virtual job fairs don’t take away the opportunity for people to network and build contacts. Your attendees can use the live chat tools to engage with an organization’s booth representatives. They can book a chat slot via the meeting scheduler tool. They can get noticed with live webinars and Q&A sessions. Plus, attendees can even reach out to the booth representatives on their own and initiate conversations. 

“I love the fact that people can not only do text chat, but they can also do audio and video chat on the very same platform!”

– Trina Edwards, Director of Operations & Customer Success at Diversity in Ed.

Data Measurement 

With virtual job fairs, event hosts and exhibitors can track attendee movements, and get insights on which part of the event was most exciting for them, and where they received the most value for their time. Your organization can track user journeys and get information on:

Illustration showing sample event data and live metrics like online attendees, active booths, etc.

  • How many people visited each booth 
  • How long attendees stayed in each booth 
  • What documents were downloaded 
  • Which videos were viewed 
  • How many resumes were collected
  • Which posted jobs were the most popular
  • How many people attended each webinar
  • If there were any conversations with the booth representatives or fellow attendees

This allows you and your exhibitors to understand what worked well and where they need to make modifications for future events. Online career fairs are a great way to get more information and data on attendee behavior which can be difficult to do at conventional onsite events.

How Much Does a Virtual Job Fair Cost?

Setting up a virtual event is easier on the pocket when compared to setting up a huge physical event. Moreover, the virtual event is scalable, so you can invite as many people as you like, with the cost not skyrocketing all of a sudden. The few considerations that have to be taken into account are:

  • Virtual event platform provider fee 
  • Content production (videos, documents, and other resources)
  • Third-party integrations 

The estimated base cost of a virtual event is almost $35,000 less than the average cost of an in-person event. Depending on the sponsorship pricing you offer to employers, it’s easy to see how quickly you can recoup that investment and even end up profiting!

Advantages & Disadvantages of Hosting Virtual Job Fairs

Virtual job fairs have their fair share of pros and cons that one should consider before getting into it. While some solutions may work for some people, they can never be universally correct for all.

Pros of Virtual Job Fairs

Let’s take a look at some of the most important benefits of hosting a virtual job fair:

Information about Job Openings

Filling open vacancies costs companies a hefty amount which is why hiring managers are keen to screen and shortlist candidates efficiently at online career fairs. All the information about open roles needs to be readily available for candidates so that recruiters don’t waste their time.

Job fairs allow hosts to offer dedicated time to interested candidates, share information they might require, and ensure they receive more relevant candidates for the roles. This saves them the time and hassle of looking through an endless stack of resumes that might not benefit them. You can host a virtual job fair for remote jobs, hybrid jobs, or even onsite jobs and get information to candidates a lot more efficiently.

1:1 Communication

Virtual job fairs offer a chance for recruiters and hiring managers to communicate directly with prospective candidates. Screening resumes through 1:1 interviews, chat, and networking lounges makes the process a lot more advanced. Candidates can also make a lasting impression by communicating with employers one-on-one. They can make that connection while submitting the resume, dropping their business cards at the booth, or setting up an appointment with the HR booth rep. 

Brand Awareness

Participating companies can increase and develop strong brand awareness among their target audience. They can showcase their company policies, perks, and benefits in a positive light. Which, as a result, can encourage talented job seekers to consider their company.

Branded visual displays at virtual hiring events can draw a candidate’s attention, which enables companies to get the name out through marketing collateral.

Industry Insights

Employers who set up their company booths at virtual job fairs can offer attendees valuable industry information and insights as well. They can set themselves up as thought leaders in the industry by sharing documents, brochures, and videos through their booths. They can also set candidates up for success by offering them information about company culture that they won’t find anywhere else. Employment candidates can ask questions and gain industry insights, skills, and qualifications needed to fill certain positions. Based on this, they can craft their resumes for higher chances of success.

Cons of Virtual Job Fairs

Virtual job fairs offer so much for many people and although the advantages are many, they can have a few drawbacks as well.

Not Suitable for Non-Tech Savvy Candidates

Virtual job fairs rely heavily on technology. So, all attendees need to understand how to navigate through the virtual platform to make the best use of attending a virtual hiring event. If the candidates are not tech-savvy, they can have a hard time finding and applying for jobs. So, virtual job fairs may make them feel uncomfortable and out of place. 

Training Costs

If you want your virtual job fair to be a success, it is important to train attendees and job posters. The career fair virtual technology can only be as reliable as the people using it. So, organizers may have to spend some time and money on training.  

In-Person Interviews Are Hard to Replicate

It can be hard to fully replicate in-person interviews. Sitting in front of a candidate in a physical setting can help recruiters learn a lot more about them and gauge their personality. It can also be easier for candidates to be memorable and leave a personal touch during in-person interviews.

However, the vFairs virtual event platform has the answer to these downsides as well. The platform offers a remarkable and immersive 3D environment. Novel networking features like smart matchmaking and Spatial Connect can also improve the overall attendee experience. vFairs works closely with event organizers and exhibitors and offers them pre-event training so all stakeholders can have a smooth experience.

Virtual Job Fair: Quick How-To Guide 

Hosting a virtual job fair requires planning and goal-setting from the get-go. You need to set milestones in order to deliver your virtual event platform well before time. There is an increase in people recruiting online, and job seekers looking for online avenues. It is better to set a checklist that helps you guide through your planning process. 

Here’s a step-by-step process for hosting a successful virtual job fair

  1. Set your goals for the virtual hiring event and outline key performance indicators (KPIs).
  2. Choose a virtual event platform provider. 
  3. Identify sponsors and employers that you have to bring on board. 
  4. Outline speaker sessions, create schedules, and invite respective speakers for the event. 
  5. Create content for your landing page, exhibitor booths, or any guides, agendas or notes you want the incoming audience to have. 
  6. Actively promote your event on social media channels. Use automated email-building tools to market your event.   
  7. Connect with your virtual platform provider and the project management team to go through the event, and test all aspects of the team to ensure there aren’t any last-minute glitches. 
  8. Understand when and how to get reports and analytics for your event. 

You can also use our virtual event checklist to help guide you through the process.

You can set up the most engaging virtual job fair, but it won’t be a success unless enough people know about it. Moreover, they can’t just be any people, they need to be your target audience and should be interested in showing up to the virtual hiring fair. So, ideally, your target audience can be anyone who is looking for a job or someone who wants to hire people. You will need an omnichannel, targeted, and well-planned event marketing strategy to get their attention.

How to Promote Virtual Job Fairs

Here are some of the best ways to promote your virtual event.

Leverage Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most effective strategies and might be able to get you the most ROI for your virtual hiring fair. Most event platforms can facilitate third-party integrations like CRMs and email marketing tools. For example, vFairs offers a fantastic email builder that is easy to use and facilitates custom email designs.

There are many ways to take your event email marketing campaign to the next level. This includes writing excellent subject line copy and adding incentives for attendees. So, a pre-event and post-event drip email marketing campaign can help you get the word out.

illustration showing different means of promoting your virtual job fair such as email marketing, social media, and landing pages.

Build a Community on Social Media

Social media is an effective tool for event marketing and community building. You can start by creating an event page for your virtual job fair and post updates and registration links. You can use a social media integration like vFairs LinkedIn Community Builder as well. Registered users will be prompted to join the event page on LinkedIn and become part of a community. It can also be a great way to interact with your target audience directly, answer any questions they might have, and create some pre-event buzz. Relevant social media groups can also be important to gain more followers and increase attendee count.

Gather Sponsor Partnerships

Event sponsors are not only great for revenue generation but can also help you promote your virtual job fairs. You can partner with your sponsors for pre-event content generation and increase event awareness and engagement. Using integrated marketing can help you and your event sponsors deliver an impactful single message.

Sign Up for Co-Branded News Releases

Event marketing platforms like vFairs also offer co-branded press releases for your virtual job fair. Such programs can help you get the word out about your event. You can mention what sets your event apart, and things to look out for, announce a special registration deal, and talk about your company. Co-branded press releases are a great way to boost event registrations or spread more awareness. You can find more information about the vFairs co-branded press release program here.

Chapter 3: Virtual Job Fair Platforms

Choosing the right virtual event platform can be the most important and crucial step for any successful event. Event organizers should consider all their options and make sure they choose a platform that has all the required and necessary features.

Finding The Best Virtual Job Fair Platform

When you are looking for the virtual job fair platform most suitable for your needs, you may come across multiple options. The best way is to gather as much information as you can about all of them. Then you can list down the pros and cons of each and make an informed decision.

Questions To Ask Virtual Job Fair Providers

Your virtual job fair is there to connect employers with the most qualified candidates. It also aims to provide value to them, cutting their costs incurred and time spent browsing aimlessly through innumerable resumes. So when organizing that virtual job fair, make sure to ask the following questions to your virtual job fair provider. This will keep things clear for you, helping you keep track of your milestones. 

  1. Do you offer free demos of your events?
  2. Can you share some samples of past events you’ve hosted?
  3. How do you manage speaker sessions, networking events, and breakout sessions?
  4. How long does it take to set up the virtual event platform?
  5. What security features are in place for the virtual aspect of your event?                        
  6. Is the virtual job fair platform compatible with multiple devices?                                
  7. How do you facilitate interactions between exhibitors and attendees?
  8. Do you offer any accessibility features?
  9. What post-event reports do you provide? What are your reporting mechanisms?
  10. Is there a readily available customer support team?
  11. What is the most effective way to communicate with your visitors? Is it group chat/conferencing
  12. What does the design look like?
  13. How long can the virtual job fair be hosted on one website?
  14. How flexible is the platform?

How to Host a Virtual Job Fair: Features To Use

The key features of your virtual job fair platform will define success for you. These features help you stand out from the rest and help attendees and exhibitors breeze through it. Let’s explore these features in greater detail. 

Job Board 

For job seekers, the job board is an exceptionally useful tool. It allows:

  • Candidates to search for open positions and submit resumes
  • Employers to list available positions on the job board and collect applications from interested candidates. 
  • Attendees have access to the job board at any time to filter through the available positions and find the openings most relevant to them.

Resume Database 

A list of job seekers and their resumes at a virtual job fair.

Employers can sift through the available resumes to choose the ones most suited to them. They don’t have to spend extra time screening out unqualified candidates. The resume database allows recruiters to filter resumes by city, state, organization, current job title, and years of experience. They can also search through attendees in the database and add resumes to a favorites list for easy shortlisting.

Applicant Management through Custom Tags

You can make it easier for hiring managers to track all the applications at their virtual booth through custom tagging. They can create customized tags such as shortlisted, interview scheduled, rejected, overqualified, etc., to keep track of all candidates who apply. This can make applicant tracking a breeze for recruiters and they can make the most of the job fair.

Simplified Application Management

You should also add features to your virtual job fair to support the journey of job seekers at the event. An application management page can help them track all the jobs they’ve applied for or saved for the future. They can search through various jobs with filters and streamline their job hunting process by getting all the information on one page within the platform.

Featured Jobs

Gif showing a job listing with some featured jobs on the top of the list

Highlighting the most important and sought-after jobs within the event with a “featured” banner is another great addition to any virtual job fair. Recruiters can select a couple of jobs from their booth as featured so that they’re highlighted and become more visible to attendees. These jobs will always stay on top of the job lists and attendees will be more likely to apply to them.

Networking Features

Virtual events have to have innovative features to provide attendees with the right tools for networking. Networking features like Spatial Connect, multiple chat options, roundtables, and smart matchmaking can be fantastic ways to get the ball rolling. They facilitate attendees to start communicating with each other and with the exhibitors in a much more natural way and setting. Here are some additional networking features that can help:

Job Seeker & Candidate Percentage Match

With so many options, it can be difficult to manually sift through job openings or search for the right candidate if you’re hiring. Smart matchmaking features can help you get to the right person and the right job quickly and much more efficiently. 

A percentage match feature allows attendees to answer a few questions at the time of signing up for the event. Later, these answers are mapped to each other to match candidates and job seekers that are most compatible based on a percentage. Attendees can see the percentage of their compatibility right in the chat so they know the likeliness of finding the right person to connect with.

Meeting Scheduler

Booth reps looking for candidates to shortlist should be able to book an interview with them easily. A meeting scheduler can help them set it up quickly through the list of candidates in the job listing module. If they find someone they would like to talk to, all they need is a few clicks to book a meeting.

Chat Queueing for Exhibitors

A chat box with one chat open and three chats in the queue on the left hand side.

Exhibitors can be the busiest people at a virtual job fair. They have to talk to all the candidates visiting their booth, answer questions, and also manage all their appointments. Chat queueing features within the event platform can help exhibitors plan it all out. They can add potential candidates to a waiting line so they know how long it will take and how many people are ahead of them in the queue.  

Data and Reporting

Detailed live reports and analytics provide insights into the attendee behavior for both the host and exhibitors. With this data, you can measure your event’s impact. It allows you to get a clear picture of which aspects of the event were successful, helping you improve future events. 

Stellar Customer Support 

Customer support can make or break many event platforms. Tech support throughout the event and a dedicated project manager can help you relax through the event live days. The vFairs platform is known for its best-in-class customer service and our clients love that about it. You can read the stellar reviews about vFairs on G2 and Capterra to know more.

Gamification

To boost attendee participation and interest, you can gamify the virtual job fair. This includes trivia questions, arranging for scavenger hunts that lead attendees across the platform, and leaderboards to incentivize your participants to engage further with the event.

Webinars 

Webinars at a job fair in the vFairs mobile app

The virtual event platform allows you to host live, semi-live or pre-recorded webinars. Hosts or employers can conduct these sessions, which is a fantastic opportunity in itself to connect with potential employees. With live Q&A sessions and polls, you can elevate your attendees’ experience beyond just a dull webinar. Employers can take this opportunity to promote their organizational values, company culture, and growth opportunities. 

Customized Booths 

Your exhibitors can fully customize and brand their booths with their logos, banners, and custom graphics. Additionally, the avatars present in the virtual booths are customizable. This helps organizations present themselves as ethnically diverse to incoming attendees helping them feel comfortable.

Accessibility

A woman speaker presenting at a webinar with live video transcription showing on the right hand side.

Adding accessibility features to your virtual job fair makes sure that you can cater to every audience member. The vFairs platform offers great accessibility features that include visual aids, sign language integrations, subtitles, color contrast, text size adjustments, etc. Some other accessibility features to consider adding to your job fair are:

  • Screen Reader
  • Video Transcription
  • Live Webinar Translations
  • Live Captioning

Other Virtual Job Fair Must-Haves 

Apart from the most important virtual event platform features, there is a lot more to look for in a virtual job fair. Here are some other add-ons and secondary features to look for in an event platform that can level up your event.

Event Marketing Tools 

What is the use of organizing a stellar virtual job fair when you don’t send out the message loud and clear? 

Automated and AI-powered email builder tools allow you to send customized, timely, and relevant emails to your audience – that too within seconds. You can send reminders and announcements if the audience has 

  • registered and hasn’t logged in;
  • logged in and there are some updates;

The organizer can also send post-event emails targeting various audience segments. They can send emails to those who 

  • logged into the event: they will receive an automated thank you message; 
  • registered but didn’t log in: they can get useful resources and takeaways from the event;

AI-powered marketing tools can also help you create other marketing collateral like press releases, social media posts, landing page content, etc. In just a few minutes, your entire marketing collateral and campaign content can be ready.

Gif showing a mockup of how vFairs' AI powered email builder works.

Content

Employers can add relevant content to their booths. These can be videos, documents, or other resources. Additionally, photo galleries, presentations, and job descriptions can also be easily added. 

Job seekers, on the other hand, can add these resources, videos, and documents alike to a virtual ‘swag bag’ and email them so they can view them at their own convenience.

Third-Party Integrations

Logos for various software integrations

Event platforms can also offer third-party integrations to add more value to your virtual job fair. For example, third-party integrations for vFairs can facilitate real-time language translations, adding social walls to your event, poster walls, trivia, audio and video calls, payment gateways, etc. Specifically for virtual job fairs, you can integrate with numerous Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) like Zoho, BambooHR, or BreezyHR. These seamless integrations can help you make your event an even more impressive and interactive experience for all.

Easy-to-Use Interface

Setting up a virtual job fair shouldn’t be as hard as setting up an in-person event. Therefore, it is important to look for virtual event platforms that have user-friendly interfaces and are easy to set up. You don’t want to spend most of your time adjusting the settings and talking to customer support even if it is your first time. 

Moreover, pre-event attendee and exhibitor training can also be a great way to understand the platform better. The vFairs team offers training sessions for exhibitors and event organizers to make the initial event setup seamless.

Multilingual Support 

Gif showing a toggle to switch webinar to a different language.

Ensure a comfortable environment for your attendees joining in from different countries and speaking different languages. Virtual job fairs that support multilingual support and translations in various languages can create a favorable experience for attendees. 

Customization Options

Virtual event platforms should also offer vast customization options for event environments, sponsorship placements, exhibit halls, and individual booth designs. A completely whitelisted event with customizable branding colors, logo placements, and 3D environment can truly set your virtual job fair apart from the competition. 

Chapter 4: Attending Virtual Job Fairs 

Virtual job fairs are still relatively new but it is beyond doubt that they are here to stay. People looking for job opportunities should familiarize themselves with the new tech and be ready for the change. This section will discuss everything you need to know before you attend a virtual job fair.

How To Find Virtual Job Fairs 

Virtual job fairs don’t have a physical venue so you likely won’t find physical marketing collateral like brochures or posters about them. However, there are many ways to find out which events are happening around you and which job fairs you should attend. 

1. Join Online Communities

The best part about virtual job fairs is that most of them are looking for global audiences. So, no matter where you are, make sure you are part of relevant online recruitment communities on Slack, Reddit, Indeed, etc to get the latest information.

2. Scan Company Websites

If you are interested in a particular company or industry, then your search for virtual job fairs can be a lot easier. The best thing to do is to make a list of company websites that you can consider working for and then check their websites regularly. 

3. Sign Up for Emails

Recruitment agencies often have a newsletter with the latest job postings, announcements, and news. Signing up can be as easy as providing your email account. Make sure you put in an email ID that you check regularly so you don’t miss anything.

4. Search Through Event Listing Platforms

Event listing platforms can help you discover all kinds of in-person and online events happening. They list down all the important information like dates, venue (for in-person), agenda, etc on an exclusive event page. You can search through these platforms for upcoming events that match your interests and book tickets online.  

5. Follow Social Media Platforms

It is also important to follow all social media platforms for any company that you want to apply to a job for. Whenever they are participating in a job fair, posting on social media can be the first thing they do to announce it. 

How To Prepare For A Virtual Job Fair

You can connect with employers in a virtual space from the comfort of your home. But how do you make the best impression? How do you benefit from a virtual job fair and maximize your opportunities? Prepping for virtual job fairs is something people have on top of their minds and here are some great tips to stay ahead.

1. Research Which Employers Will Be Present

Before signing up, make sure you know which employers will be present. It’s always best to browse through their career page. See other job descriptions and what are some of the skills they might be looking for. You can also browse current employee profiles to see the kind of personnel they have and how you might fit within them.

You can always note down some questions to add to the discussion. Perhaps you’d like some career advice or guidance they could assist you with. This will also break the ice and create room for more discussion.

2. Polish Your CV

This virtual job fair tip is one you cannot do without! Your CV has to be ready for sending whenever you need it. Thus, make sure it is up-to-date and tailored to the position you are applying for. Do away with any irrelevant information. A CV should provide the best glimpse of your profile. Ideally, it should fit into a single page.

When you are registering for a virtual event, chances are they will ask you to submit your CV there and then. Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Make sure all dates, GPA, and certifications are correct as well.

3. Practice Your Pitch

You need to tell the interviewer why you are perfect for the role. So, much like an in-person interview, you need to have the best pitch that will set you apart. The more rehearsed you are for it, the better chances you have. So, make sure that you list down all the reasons why you can be a great resource and sound confident while you’re doing it. 

4. Follow Up

Sometimes employers take some time to follow up. You can always take the first step and thank them for their time and send your CV once more for their reference. If 2 days have elapsed, you can safely write to them expressing your continued interest. This shows that you are passionate and motivated for the role. 

You can also connect with people over professional platforms such as LinkedIn. This way you are creating a network and making sure they remember you!

5. Take Time Out to Network

One of the best takeaways from a virtual job fair could be the expansion of your professional network with the right people from your industry. So, don’t just attend to give interviews and apply for jobs. Make sure you set some time out for attending webinars, taking part in roundtable discussions, or simply chatting with attendees and booth reps. 

Getting Hired At Virtual Job Fairs: Interview Tips

Virtual job fairs offer a much different interview experience than in-person job fairs. So, landing a job virtually may require a whole different set of skills to impress the interviewer.

If it is your first time attending a virtual job fair and you aren’t sure how to prepare for the interview, here are some tips.

1. Preparing For Interviews

You’re registered and your CV is polished. Now you need to prepare to speak to your potential employers. Research the employers and try to gauge their expectations in terms of what hat are they looking for in an employee. Secondly, look through employee profiles in similar roles on LinkedIn. This will help you understand what kind of skills you need to bring to the table.

Jot down some talking points you want to emphasize to elevate your position. Highlight your greatest strengths and achievements. Also, make sure to ask questions about the role or company. This will prove to the hiring managers that you researched their organization and have a keen interest in working with them.

2. Choose a Quiet Space

Before joining an interview or roundtable, make sure you set up in a quiet place with minimal distractions. Interruptions would not bode well for you during the interview process. Make sure your background is not too distracting either – you want the interviewer to be entirely focused on you.

Be sure this space has uninterrupted wifi. You do not want a situation where you are speaking and your internet connection drops. This can be very embarrassing and can eat into your scheduled time.

3. Test All Your Devices

Make sure your webcam, microphone, and speakers are all connected and working properly. Always have a backup situation in mind. If your internet connection is not reliable use a wifi dongle or your phone’s mobile hotspot. Virtual events are also mobile compatible and many organizers also opt for a mobile event app. Keep yourself logged in there should the need arise. Be prepared for any situation.

4. Dress to Impress

We all express ourselves in some way through our clothing. This does not mean we have to show all our colors in a workspace. Make sure not to dress too casually. Your hair must not be unkempt, and your clothes not wrinkled. Be sure to choose the appropriate work attire. No sweatshirts, jeans, or T-shirts. A semi-formal blazer is always a good choice over a collared shirt.

Proper dress trousers and dress shoes as well. Even if the interviewer can’t see you from above your waist. This will make you look professional as well as boost your confidence. If you look the part, you can play the part.

5. Turn the Camera On

Before going into a virtual interview, candidates should shake off their camera shyness. Not turning your camera on can look unprofessional and lower your chances of getting the job. The recruiter is most likely to forget what you said because they can’t put a face to the candidate’s name. Moreover, it is important to turn the camera on so you can impress the recruiter with your body language, posture, and eye contact.

6. Ask Questions

When the interviewer is done asking their questions, the ball is in your court. Make sure that you have at least two to three questions to ask them at the end of the interview. Instead of passing up on the chance to talk, you can ask them about the KPIs for the role, more about the company and its culture, or about the interviewer.

7. Conduct Yourself Professionally

Be sure to sit straight, maintain eye contact, and engage well with the person. Keep a pleasant disposition. You do not want to appear too serious, inattentive, or disinterested. Though these situations are always daunting, exude confidence. This will be easy to do if you are well prepared. 

Remember this is a virtual space, where professionalism can get blurred between the lines. So if an employer speaks to you over chat, refrain from using slang internet terms. You want to conduct yourself professionally no matter what.

How to be Successful in a Virtual Job Fair? Bonus Tips

If you want to succeed at a virtual job fair, you have to make the extra effort and go the extra mile. Here are some more things that can set you up for success:

1. Keep Distractions Away

Before you enter the virtual event platform, make sure to distance yourself from any and all distractions. It could be a window, a TV, the door, your family, or your phone. During the time of the event, the only thing that should have your entire focus is the event platform itself.

2. Use the Gamification Features

A Leaderboard with top six leading participants' names and a showcase of sponsored winner prizes.

Back-to-back interviews can be daunting and also tiresome. Many virtual job fairs have gamification tools like trivia, spin the wheel, scavenger hunt, etc. These features can be a great way to take a break from the nerve-wracking process of finding employment. 

3. Browse Other Booths

Perhaps you have time on your hands after all your scheduled calls. There is no harm in exploring other exhibitors in the virtual exhibit hall as well. Cast your net wide, and dive into any opportunities you get. Learn more about the options available to you.

4. Take Notes

Make sure to take notes during calls, gain contact information, or any other ideas employers share with you. These will be useful later for them. Always try to mention something within the interview that you promise to share with them after the call. This helps in your follow-up communications. Rather than simply contacting them to thank them for their time, you’re creating space to add more valuable information as to why you should be hired.

5. Explore Training Opportunities

Sometimes virtual fairs also provide training opportunities with certifications. Don’t miss out on these chances to increase your skill sets, and also showcase your motivation to employers.

Your Virtual Job Fair: Key Takeaways

Virtual recruitment looks like it’s here to stay. Virtual job fairs increase attendance bringing a global pool of candidates to your organization. However, you won’t be able to execute a successful event without a rock-solid event promotion strategy. Be sure to invest some time spreading the word with compelling content and through channels popular among your target audience.

As the world continues to adopt a remote working culture, virtual job fairs can continue to be an essential part of an organization’s hiring strategies. Your event’s success will heavily depend on the platform you opt for. 

So, do your research and ask questions to get a complete understanding of the platform from your virtual event provider. Set realistic and achievable milestones in your journey to setting up your virtual platform and hosting your event. Leverage specialized features like job boards, featured jobs, and resume filters of the platform. Measure data in real-time and analyze attendee behavior post-event to learn and modify future events.

We are the #1 rated event management platform on G2 and can help you host an epic virtual job fair. If you want more information on the vFairs virtual job fair platform, you can get in touch with us by booking a demo.

FAQs

How to create a virtual job fair?

The first thing you need to do is to select the right virtual job fair platform. The team at vFairs can help you with the next steps like marketing your event, setting up partnerships, making the most of your budget, collecting attendee information, and then finally launching your event.

How do I get the most out of a virtual job fair?

Make sure that you upload an updated resume to the job portal and go through all the job postings relevant to your profile. You can then set up interview sessions with the HR booth reps and network through chat and panel discussions.

How do employers prepare for a job fair?

Employers need to first set their recruitment goals and then set up a creative booth design. Recruiters should think of the right questions to ask so they can make the most of the available time.

How long can a virtual job fair last?

Virtual job fairs can be as short or as long as you want. You can set it up for one day or get purchaser annual license with vFairsto keep it live for a full year.

How long does it take to set up a virtual job fair?

We recommend giving our team at least four weeks to prepare for a virtual job fair launch. During this time, the team will work on software onboarding, event planning, training sessions, trial runs, and marketing campaigns.

How to do a virtual job fair?

The first thing you need to do is to choose a virtual job fair platform, then set up the event with the help of their team, market the event to the right audience, and debrief with event analytics once the event is over.

How to host a virtual career fair?

To host a successful virtual career fair you need to look for the right partnerships and focus on creating a bridge between job seekers and recruiters at your event. You should also look for ways to generate revenue like finding the right sponsors, etc.

Virtual Job Fairs: The Definitive Guide (2024)

Syeda Hamna Hassan

Hamna is a Senior Content Marketer at vFairs. She has over 6 years of experience writing content for SaaS, IT, and telecommunications industries. She is a storyteller, content marketing expert, and loves to write about the changing trends in the events industry. When not writing, she's over analyzing every FC Barcelona game.

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