Every year educational institutions, especially colleges and universities, host job fairs. Hiring managers physically set up their booths at a campus space. They try to recruit students from a huge pool of talent to fill up different job openings. But physically navigating through the crowd looking for a gem is not easy. This is the reason why many companies miss out on interacting with the right fit at the right time. But with the advent of university virtual job fairs - be gone the hassle of traditional job fairs. Virtual hiring event platforms have made student work placement easier for university and college career services staff. Through career fairs they can focus on students individually. They get to direct them to job opportunities, and more easily help them navigate through the application process. Moreover, online job fairs have streamlined the recruitment process for employers too.

What is the Purpose of a Job Fair?

A virtual job fair is an event organized by universities once or twice a year. Students meet recruiters (human resource representatives) from well-known companies who are looking for potential job candidates to fill in the open roles. Through a virtual platform, employers set up their booths to showcase their company. They tell students about the services their companies offer. Recruiters also familiarize students with their hiring and application process. Features such as live chat, Q&A and interactive webinars allow them to address FAQs, details about their new grad programs, company benefits, or anything else they might want to know. Additionally, students can apply on the spot to be considered for the positions. Once they have applied, the online resume database collects all the CVs. At the end of the university virtual career fair employers sort out the resumes from the database to finalize the right fit.

What Happens at a Job Fair?

Access to Employers

The main goal of the career fair for students is to get an opportunity to converse with recruiters from different companies. These companies send their representatives such as HR reps, recruiters, and other staff to set up their booths. The recruiters make sure that students get all the information they need to apply. Students also get to talk to recent recruits about their experience with the company. Additionally, students put forth their area of interest to get to know about possible career paths within a specific company. Career fairs act more like a practice before the actual interview. They allow students and employers to test the proverbial waters in a more relaxed environment. They also help guide students about which career path they should take.

CV Writing Tips & Tricks

Career fairs, either virtual or physical, offer optional webinars, presentation sessions, and workshops. These sessions are conducted by HR professionals and industry experts on varying topics. Interview and CV writing tips are the most important sessions that graduating students are always looking forward to . These industry experts tell students about how they can set up their ideal candidate profile. How they can write their descriptions, and groom their resumes. They also tell students about the useful tips on the interview process. All these tips increase students’ chances of securing a position at a reputable company.

Access to a Pool of Talent

Students can access employers for employment opportunities. On the other hand, companies can attract a large pool of talent to fill in the vacant positions. Recruiters get a chance to meet with potential job candidates face-to-face who are interested in their industry. Many companies decide to shortlist candidates for the second round of interviews based on their first interaction with them.

Valuable Q & A Session

If you are looking to host a virtual career fair then there are various ways through which you drive attendee engagement.  Let alone, encourage them to ask meaningful questions. For example, students can ask about the details of the available position and company’s expectations, etc. Companies are able to address any and all questions immediately via webinar or through a curated FAQ section within their virtual booth.  Moreover, they can easily ask questions after the webinar or a seminar in a dedicated Q & A session. In a Q & A session every student gets a chance to equally participate. Students also get to clear any doubts or confusions beforehand.

On the Spot Hiring

At a career fair, potential employers get a chance to conduct walk-in interviews. Students can drop in their CVs, and reserve a spot for an interview with the HR rep. This way students can secure an internship or even an entry-level job upon graduation. Whichever type of event you choose to host -- either physical or virtual -- it requires heaps of preparation in advance. You need to ensure you have all the exhibitors onboard with marketing collateral that’s ready to woo prospective employees.

Are Job Fairs Worth It?

The simple answer would be - yes. Career fairs are totally worth it. To prove our point, let's look at some of the most important benefits of hosting one.

Networking Opportunities

One of the major benefits of organizing a career fair is to provide students the opportunity to network and build relationships with prospective employers. Networking, on the other hand, is very beneficial for newly graduated students. So career fairs allow students to initiate a conversation with different companies in their industry of choice. Now, this is worth it! Moreover, students can speak all about what they bring to the table. They can swap business cards to follow up with employers after the event for future openings as well - in case they couldn't find anything suitable during the event.

Information about Job Openings

Students can familiarize themselves with available job openings. They get to know what they need to do in order to secure a job without any delay.  While most jobs are published on the internet or job portals, it might be confusing for students to understand which jobs are best suited to their skills and qualifications. Therefore career fairs save students the hassle of looking through the search engine for jobs that match their interest and skill set. During a career fair, they not only get a chance to talk to employers but also know about all the vacancies in their geographical area. 

1:1 Communication

As mentioned earlier, the career fair offers a chance for graduating students to make a lasting impression by communicating with employers one-on-one. They can even make that connection while submitting the resume. Because professional HR reps can tell them how they can improve their resumes to ensure placement. Also, it allows students to know about how to dress for, or speak during, an interview to make an impression. Since physical career fairs have many students attending from all over the area, faces can become blurry to employers. But virtual events ensure that every student gets a chance to personally meet an employer and drop in their resumes.

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 can draw student’s attention, which enables companies to get the name out through marketing collateral.

Industry Insights

Furthermore, students can ask questions and gain industry insights, skills, and qualifications needed to fill in certain positions. Based on this, they can craft their resumes for higher chances of success. Students get a chance to find all the information they need about the companies which they can not find elsewhere.

What’s the Difference Between a Job Fair and a Career Fair?

A career fair is where one employer is recruiting for multiple jobs within their company (multiple departments). Job fairs are multiple employers recruiting at the same event (sometimes for multiple positions, sometimes it's all related to a specific industry -- for example; a bunch of companies all looking for marketing professionals).

A Job or a Recruiting Fair

• Target audience differs. Job fairs are looking for individuals to fill in the positions. Such as part/ full-time jobs or internships.
• The main goal is to make people aware of the available opportunities that they should consider.
• Graduate schools and professional organizations sponsor booths at a job fair.
• Employers with more immediate hiring needs participate in a job fair.

A Career Fair

• Career fairs are more directed towards connecting with potential HR reps for relationship building.
• Employers get a chance to meet prospects. Also to discuss the potential job and/or internship opportunities.
• Chances are you may not walk out of the door with a job in your hand as such fairs are more resource and career-oriented.
• The main goal is to attract individuals to work in a specific industry.
• Last but not least, mostly, employers with no immediate hiring needs attend the career fair. 

  There is no denying that hosting and preparing for virtual job fairs takes a lot of effort and hard work. Through job fairs, recruiters are representing their companies to potential employees, so everything should be just perfect.  However, not all virtual platform features suit everyone the same. But the right virtual job fair software will enable you to create engaging and intuitive virtual experiences for remote attendees.  Moreover, you should be able to help recruiters attract talent by offering an immersive virtual experience through interactive webinars, branded booths, and resume search or upload to connect with the right candidates at the right time.  Therefore, the following list has all the key event platform features to help you achieve your event goals and ultimately, success.

Features to Use at Virtual Job Fairs

1. Custom Branding Options

One of the most important features of hosting an online event is marketing and bringing about excitement among your virtual event attendees. The best way to achieve this is through custom event branding options. Therefore your choice of platform should support branding.  You need to find a platform that enables you to take full control of your event’s custom branding in all aspects of the event such as; the landing page, virtual booths, lobbies, and virtual exhibits. You should not only be able to upload your own marketing collateral to the platform but it should extend to the exhibitors too. The platform should allow your exhibitors to upload their logos, videos, and company’s image to showcase their unique stories.  Most importantly, through branding prospects will be able to learn more about their potential employers through all sorts of marketing material such as perks and benefits, company’s policies, etc. A platform that allows you to do all that and more will take your event to the next level.  vFairs branding options not only enhance the event’s space and improves student experience in a virtual job fair. But have proven to be one of the most significant parts of attracting attendees to the event itself.  “The vFairs platform was very customizable, and the creation of the virtual environment was straightforward.” - Jamie B, Director “There were so many options to customize our event and we received feedback from attendees stating it was the best virtual conference they ever attended and they really felt like they were there.” - User in Aviation & Aerospace

2. 3D Design Options

Setting up an immersive 3D space can help create memorable experiences for your audience as it mimics the real world. Hence, leveraging 3D interface designs is as important as selecting a venue for in-person events.  Since a virtual job fair is so much more than just a webinar. Therefore, every virtual space such as a virtual lobby, exhibit halls, and auditoriums should have some sort of 3D aspect to make it pop out.  Just as vFairs use animated avatars for a more immersive event experience. The platform lets you select from a range of avatars with various apparel, ethnicities, and ages. This makes your event more inclusive “The overall aesthetic of the event provides our clientele with a wow factor that you do not see from other vendors.” - Chelsea A, Event Coordinator, and School Account Manager “The platform is easy to navigate for visitors as it feels very "real-world", with natural-feeling environments.” - Matt B, Multimedia Content Development & Production Expert

3. Live or Pre-Recorded Webinars 

No event is complete without webinars. Immersive visual content is important to engage attendees. Therefore live sessions allow employers to share what sets their company apart and why students should apply.  Some prefer to go with pre-recorded sessions while others prefer live sessions. Speaking of, live webinars are more impactful since they allow attendees to engage with recruiters in real-time throughout the event. Therefore to create an engaging experience; you need to make sure that your choice of event hosting platform has the ability to conduct live or pre-recorded sessions. Additionally, it should enable attendees to interact with the speakers via moderated Q/A, polls, and other related engagement features. You need to find a job fair hosting platform with a streaming platform already integrated. Such as vFairs offers seamless integration with Zoom, Vimeo, WebX, and Youtube for live and pre-recorded sessions to eliminate the hassle of finding your own session streaming platform.  It provides a seamless experience through fully embedded live or pre-recorded webinars. Additionally, the setup is quick and easy, with access to full functionality throughout your presentation. “Integration of Zoom webinars allowed the live presentations to run smoothly.” - Margery S, Board Secretary, Conference Planning Committee Member

4. Meeting Schedulers

Online meeting schedulers are specifically for virtual events. It’s a quick, and efficient way for all participants to connect with the right people. In the case of virtual job fairs, it allows job seekers to book on the spot appointments with employers. Meeting schedulers adds extra value to your virtual job fair, making it more attractive to potential attendees.

5. Document & Video Uploads

Your event exhibitors, employers, in this case, should be able to post job openings and job descriptions on their booths. Which as a result will help potential job candidates to browse through information they need at their own pace and save it for later use with our virtual swag bag or a briefcase.  Moreover, exhibitors should be able to embed videos to their virtual booth. These videos' highlight company culture, their project success rate, milestones, upcoming projects, and other aspects to spark the interest of job seekers.

6. Virtual Job boards

One of the most important and popular benefits of hosting virtual job fairs is the seamless recruiting process. Virtual job boards make it easier for recruiters to hire candidates faster. Once you have posted jobs on virtual job boards, you will start receiving applications right away. After screening candidates' resumes against set criteria through sorting and filtering; recruiters can schedule an interview with them on the spot with meeting schedulers without any delay.  On the other hand, Job boards enable attendees to effortlessly search for jobs in the companies they’re most interested in and apply instantly. This streamlined recruitment process results in faster hiring. Therefore the platform should allow exhibitors to implement these job boards in their booths to collect alumni resumes and build a candidate database. This helps employers search candidate profiles, schedule interviews with chat/video meetings, and hire quickly and efficiently.

7. Live Chat Options

Just as live polls and Q & A sessions are important for driving attendee engagement, similarly you should also look at networking features such as live chat with public, private, 1:1, and group chat options in your virtual job fair hosting platform. Because live chat allows students and job seekers to connect with a recruiter to discuss; company policies, compensation and benefits, expectations, and other valuable topics. This helps gauge audience interest. Moreover, chat will give you invaluable insights into the prospect’s needs.  vFairs live chat feature enables event participants to keep the conversation going with a chat bar that lives across the virtual event. Additionally, it allows recruiters and attendees to connect over text, audio, and video chat. “The ability to connect directly with attendants through chat and video functions made it an event to remember; and allowed us to build lasting relationships through an otherwise difficult period.” - Dan M, Communications Director

Conclusion - Virtual Job Fairs

Hosting virtual job fairs may be new to some of you. But choosing the right event hosting platform with all the right features can help your event truly stand out. All the above-mentioned platform features will not only help you improve your virtual job fair experience. But you will also be able to control all aspects of your branding and of that of your exhibitors. The good news is you can find all these features and then some more in the vFairs event hosting platform. vFairs has years of experience in helping colleges and universities to host successful career and job fairs. Quick and easy setup is just a cherry on top.  vFairs allows you to get your event up and running in no time. Along with support from a dedicated project manager. You do what you do best i.e. generate meaningful content to grow your audience and let vFairs handle the rest. 

With the endless blessings of the modern-day internet, you can easily reach candidates in the furthest corners of the world through virtual recruiting. This process takes place with the help of virtual communication tools.  Needless to say, the virtual world opens up a wealth of opportunities for recruiters who are searching for the best possible candidates in their respective fields. Virtual recruiting has never been as easy as it is today.  Regardless of your reasons for dabbling in virtual hiring, no need to worry at all. Below we’ve compiled the most wanted guide outlining everything about virtual recruiting, that you need to know. 

Introduction to Virtual Recruiting 

Virtual recruiting is simply described as a hiring process that takes place remotely. The best part of this process is, it takes place without the candidates needing to meet face to face. Instead, recruiters completely rely on technology when it comes to hosting video interviews, surveys, virtual events, and assessments to evaluate their applicants remotely. With social distancing measures in place, virtual recruitment strategies have become increasingly common. At the same time, face-to-face interviews shouldn’t be undervalued for the honest, personal connections they facilitate. 

Advantages of Virtual Recruiting 

Below we have discussed some top advantages you need to explore about virtual recruiting. Apart from complying with current public health guidelines, there is a wide variety of benefits to online recruiting. Most significantly, virtual recruiters are able to reach more candidates. This is especially beneficial for smaller employers who lack a sizable recruiting staff dedicated to sourcing talent. Furthermore, virtual open houses, as well as virtual job fairs, allow more people to attend. Online interviews save a lot of time and resources.  A well-designed virtual recruiting process is the best strategy to automate the bulk of manual tasks. Doing so will help you streamline and optimize the entire process in order to make sure your recruiting budgets are used effectively.  Last but not least, in the long run, your company will also save money on interview expenses. Not only this but also travel expenses for your out-of-town candidates.

A Guide to Taking In-person Recruiting Virtual

As you shift your face-to-face recruiting online, an important point to keep in mind is that it is highly important to keep your existing recruitment philosophy intact. You should be able to make a point to reinforce your company brand along with values throughout the recruiting process. While this detail is a critical part of all recruiting, it’s even more important in the case of a virtual setting. This is because your applicants will have significantly less in-person interaction with your team as well as your organization.  There is a long list of companies that have found many creative ways to successfully utilize virtual recruiting. Many of such top companies constantly promote recruitment efforts on their social media pages. Also, they create a branded hashtag to promote their events, offer weekly virtual chats, and much more. They also offer numerous online hiring events to provide candidates the best opportunities to connect with their organization.  With the above-mentioned points in mind, here we have gathered three proven strategies for effective virtual recruiting:

Hosting Virtual Job Fairs and Open Houses

You can still do virtual “meet and greets” as part of your recruitment strategy. Focus on hosting live video conferencing meetings during which you can invite prospective candidates to “meet” the hiring managers. They can also enjoy virtual office tours and Q&As with your team members. Job fairs and open houses are some great ways to engage with talent. It will also give them a chance to learn better about the company.

Utilizing Phone and Video Interviews to Screen Candidates

Screening candidates with promising resumes is still a vital step when it comes to finding good candidate matches. Typically, the recruiter will learn in-depth about the individual, before they make any final decision.  On the other hand, companies have already gotten used to doing video interviews. It is a great way to make the interview experience more personal. This is because the recruiter is able to see people in their home environment, and not in a conference room.

Developing a Comprehensive Virtual Onboarding Program

To ensure a smooth virtual onboarding process, you need to follow some general guidelines. Here is what you need to consider when developing a comprehensive virtual onboarding program:

1. Use Technology Effectively

Technology is said to be the cornerstone of virtual onboarding. It is important to ensure that adequate technology is available for all employees. You can start with identifying needed software as well as providing essential hardware to new hires. This includes necessary network access and configuration. 

2. Design an Orientation Schedule

Onboarding event is not restricted to a one-day or even one-week. No matter what the circumstances, virtual onboarding should be strategic. This long-term process is meant to coordinate with all levels of the organization. It is highly suggested to create a virtual orientation program that will ideally replace the in-person orientation. 

3. Communicate Often

As a matter of fact, new hires often feel lost at a new job during the first few days. Physical distance can heighten this feeling even more. To lessen the struggle of your remote employees, be sure to carry out frequent and clear communication.

How to Create A Successful Virtual Recruiting Event 

In cases where job fairs or other networking events prove to be a key component of your recruitment strategy, it is important to conceive of ways in order to replicate the success of those events virtually. Online events still provide an ideal opportunity for candidates to familiarize themselves with your company and hiring team.  For the purpose of boosting your chances of creating a successful virtual recruiting process, there are a few things for you. All such points hinge on the needs, size, and capabilities of your organization. Also, without any second thought, the more advanced tech you have access to, the better options you’ll have available. Below are some basic tips for creating the best virtual recruiting event:

Promote Your Virtual Event Across All Digital Platforms

Staring from your website to your social media pages. Everything should advertise your event. This is important to maximize candidate participation. 

Follow-up With Attendees

It is important to make sure that you send an email or direct message to your entire attendee’s list. It should be thanking them for attending the event as well as encouraging them to reach out if any of them have additional questions. 

Implement Metrics to Track Success

Along with tracking the number of people who register and attend your virtual events, you also need to calculate the conversion rate. Also, the offer acceptance rate of attendees needs to be tracked as well. 

Focus On What Matters

One drawback to video interviews is that, you are unable to depend much on non-verbal communication, in order to evaluate a candidate.  A few of the important factors to keep in mind that can make virtual interviews feel awkward include:

• Delays between the two parties speaking 
• A blurry video feed
• Miscommunication

You need to focus on what the candidate is saying as well as their experiences, but not those awkward moments.

Don’t Ignore Employer Branding

Even in the case of virtual recruiting, don't forget to keep thinking of ways to showcase your unique employer branding. You need to be as creative as possible. It means creating a welcome video for candidates that they can view before or after the interview. Or even something similar to using virtual reality to give virtual office tours.

Pro Tips for Virtual Recruiting 

Four pro tips to conduct a successful virtual recruiting event include:

Abide by The Law

Whenever you use virtual recruiting technology and you collect data online, it is crucial that you abide by the law. In simple words, comply with EEOC guidelines. It does not end here, you also need to take precautions to make sure your recruitment process is non-discriminatory. It should be as per the Equality Act, which means at no stage should your recruitment funnel filter out candidates due to their age, gender, marital status, disability, religion, or race.  One of the best ways to reduce unconscious bias is that you can introduce principles of blind hiring into your virtual recruiting process. This includes blind resume screening. This is just one of the many ways that will help you in eliminating prejudice from your virtual recruitment process. Also, if you’re recruiting in a variety of countries, it is important that you make legal considerations for all of them. This is because local labor and privacy laws might differ from each other. For example, if you’re recruiting in Europe, you need to ensure that the recruitment tools which you’re using are all GDPR compliant.

Keep Your Candidates Well-Informed 

Virtual recruiting can be an uninvolved experience. Such experience often leaves candidates unsure about where they actually stand. This usually happens due to a lack of personal connection as well as feedback.  However, just because you are making use of remote and digital strategies in order to screen potential recruits, it doesn’t at all mean you are unable to offer a human touch to the experience. So, you should tackle this issue by making candidates well-acknowledged about what your virtual hiring process looks like from the get-go. Also, what stage the candidates are at. It is important to explain to them beforehand what tools you will be using during the process of recruiting and how they can prepare.  Another excellent idea is to introduce the candidate to whoever is going to interview them. Perhaps you could organize this with the help of email or LinkedIn. This will allow the applicant to do their homework relevant to the interviewer. Doing so often works wonders for putting the mind of your candidate at ease. A lot of recruitment communication can easily be automated with the help of candidate relationship management tools, email marketing software, or your pre-employment testing suite. You can send relevant information to your candidates that will be based on the stage of the recruitment process they’re in, plus who is the hiring manager. It is highly suggested to keep the lines of communication open. Also, give candidates an option to contact you via their preferred communication channel. This can be social media, email or even phone.

Transform Your Career Events

Anything is possible in this world when it comes to modern technology. These days, traditional career events, as well as job fairs, can be undertaken virtually without making an extra effort. You can host nearly anything starting from open office days to networking events online. All you need to get your hands on is the right technology and direction.  Digitizing such types of events is one of the fabulous ways of giving candidates an exciting insight into the culture of your company. Not only this, but virtual recruiting events are much cheaper as compared to traditional in-person occasions. They are also more accessible to larger pools of candidates.  To make your online recruiting process a success, you need to ensure that you prepare engaging content. Also, don't forget to market your event heavily beforehand to expect a decent turnout. We recommend that you select a long list of team members that will appear live throughout the event. In this way, your candidates will have the opportunity to ‘meet’ your team. Another good idea is to host a few Q&A sessions. We urge you to encourage discussion amongst the prospective hires and your current staff. This idea works wonders for engaging your audience as well as identifying attendees, especially those who have their finger on the pulse.

Adapt Your Virtual Recruitment Tech Stack

A good virtual recruiting process is indeed heavily supported by technology. Also, you might need to better adjust your usual recruitment tech stack. It is important to check and ensure if it has the necessary capabilities or not. For example, if your plan is to conduct one-way video interviews, you need to know if your existing tech supports that? Or will you need to implement new software for this purpose? Are you able to upload company videos to your assessments in order to introduce your organization along with its culture? Whenever you wish to implement new software, it is important to ensure that it integrates with your ATS. This is crucial to create a seamless virtual recruitment experience for recruiters as well as candidates alike. When you’re the one who is expecting higher volumes of applications, it is important to consider using chatbots as virtual recruitment assistants. You can program it to answer frequently asked questions. It can also be used to redirect candidates to where they can find the help they are looking for. You see, it is an effortless way to ease the workload of your support team, and provide instant responses to applicants. A win-win situation for both! 

Conclusion

Virtual recruiting can potentially transform your recruitment process. This type of recruiting lets you vet and hire candidates, from all across the globe, remotely. Not only that, but virtual recruiting also facilitates a cheaper, much faster, and more efficient hiring process. This is done while empowering you to expand your candidate pool much further than ever before. If you are interested in seeing how the vFairs platform can help streamline your virtual recruitment process and facilitate virtual hiring, you can book a demo right now.