Recruitment moved online in 2020. Those who adapted, thrived. And as the process shifted towards digital channels, the best employers relied on an important resource to find top talent: virtual career fairs. A checklist for this type of event is crucial for employers looking to get the most out of their recruitment efforts.
Let’s take an in-depth look at everything you need to host a great virtual career fair.
Virtual career fairs allow employers to connect with skilled and talented students, as well as recent graduates. Unlike traditional job fairs, organisations can save time and money because a virtual career fair can be completed within just a few hours.
The shorter timeframe happens because there’s no need for logistics like finding a suitable venue. Keep in mind that not all virtual career fairs offer the same benefits. Prosple, for instance, rolled out a new initiative in 2021: the Super Career Fairs.
Super Fairs provide employers, students, and universities with an interactive space where they can engage in relevant activities.
Plus, employers can organise industry-specific fairs to increase the event’s relevancy, hence boosting the chances of finding the best matches for career opportunities.
This is arguably the most important part of a virtual career fair checklist. While career fairs are a versatile tool, employers should be specific about their biggest needs and focus on them. This helps with maximising the benefits of participating in or organising a virtual career fair.
Do you want to improve diversity employment? Are you looking for more people with in-demand skills? These are some of the questions that need answers.
The next step on the checklist involves a good corporate profile. When you work on career fair planning, a recruiter’s mindset will be useful. Recruitment efforts don’t just revolve around finding the best talents. It also circles back to your image as an employer.
The ideal profile includes:
Throughout, your profile should be sincere whilst being exciting for a graduate to read. For an example of a great profile, have a look at Optiver’s. They communicate their value, culture, and company fantastically and they get stellar outcomes because of it.
Do you have the same template for advertising open positions? This will deter applications from top graduates, who are more likely to respond to engaging job listings. Take the time to create a compelling advertisement.
What are the responsibilities of the role and your expectations as an employer? How would an ideal candidate fit in with your work culture? We created a step-by-step guide for what makes a great graduate job advertisement.
Your agenda should reflect your goals as discussed in the first part of our virtual career fair checklist. An engaging agenda may include several activities such as speed interviews and Q&A sessions.
You can reserve speed interviews to shortlist candidates. On the other hand, Q&A sessions can be a space to discuss commonly asked questions and express your culture as a company, connecting with graduates in the process.
By marketing, we’re referring to social media channels in particular. Based on the success of previous career fairs, employers with active social media channels can attract more than twice the average number of visitors to their virtual booths.
An easy way to do this is to share the event on your social media and encourage graduates to come along.
Prosple will send a unique video room host link and log-in details a few days before the event. You should test the link to see if you can access it and start a mock meeting.
Check out our exhibitor handbook for a complete guide on basic setup. You can also watch this video to be familiar with a good camera setup.
A strong first impression inspires confidence among graduates to join your organisation. This is the final yet challenging step on a virtual career fair checklist.
Everything has to be organised, from the quality of audio and video to how an employer’s representatives communicate ideas (e.g. company values, workplace culture).
Organisations that invested in virtual recruitment strategies–even before the worldwide pandemic erupted—have the obvious advantage. It’s not too late, though, for employers that only plan to start hiring now through digital channels.
Start with following this virtual career fair checklist to be successful in hiring the right people. More importantly, you should consider asking for help from industry experts.
Are you interested in getting your company in front of motivated graduates? Register now to find out more.