A virtual career fair can attract interested job seekers in a convenient online environment. Hiring managers, professional organisations, and even individual organisations host these events to connect potential employees with hiring managers. Read on to learn more about how to run a virtual career fair and the benefits for job seekers and employers.
How virtual career fairs work
A virtual career fair gathers employers and job seekers in a virtual setting, allowing them to engage and interact. Employers and recruiters can showcase open opportunities and sell the benefits of employment. Job seekers can explore various options and companies, meet hiring officials, and share their resumes with potential employers. A company looking to fill vacancies and attract new hires might host these virtual career fairs. Or, larger career fairs can bring together recruiters and hiring managers from many companies, appealing to multiple career interests.
This virtual career fair guide details how to run a virtual career fair, highlighting how they work, why you should host one, and how to plan the event. Don’t forget to check out these tips for hosting a virtual fair.
How potential employees attend job fairs
A virtual career fair can use various platforms to reach job seekers. These may feature virtual booths, online chats, presentations, and livestreaming. Interested candidates can log on, view this information, and even interact synchronously with hiring managers from different companies.
Participating in a virtual job fair is valuable for attendees because:
- They can access information about several companies and opportunities at one event.
- They can engage with companies that aren’t in their local area – perfect for candidates seeking remote work or relocation.
- They have more time to engage with potential employers instead of manoeuvring through a crowded space or waiting in line – navigating the job fair in a virtual setting is simple.
The benefits of hosting a virtual career fair
Virtual career fairs benefit employers, too. Before you learn how to prepare for a virtual career fair, explore what they can offer your organisation.
Cost savings
Virtual career fairs generally cost less than traditional fairs. An in-person career fair requires renting a venue and securing sound equipment, stands, etc. Virtual fairs only require a virtual platform, digital materials, and basic livestreaming equipment.
Increased attendance
You have to limit attendance at an in-person career fair based on venue requirements. Virtual career fairs can host unlimited attendees, increasing the odds of finding the right employee for each open position.
Easy collection of candidate data
Piles of printed CVs might seem like a big undertaking. In the virtual environment, you can collect digital CVs or forms from interested candidates, which are easier to organise and evaluate.
Improved efficiency
Virtual career fairs are efficient events. Job seekers don’t have to wait in line or make small talk. They can quickly evaluate each company – and hiring managers can quickly assess candidates – to maximise everyone’s time.
Brand awareness
Virtual job fairs can increase brand awareness. Branded virtual booths can capture candidates’ attention and easily promote the organisation. In a virtual space, companies can find many ways to incorporate their logo and promote their brand.
Measurable results
Since collecting data at a virtual career fair is more efficient, it’s easier to measure success. Identify how many job seekers visited your virtual booth to determine the event’s success. In an in-person setting, it’s hard to track the event’s success.
How to run a virtual career fair
The following tips will walk you through how to host a virtual career fair. Read on to learn what to do at a virtual career fair and discover what one is like.
Consider your objectives
Identifying the objectives of your virtual career fair is the first step in planning its success. Consider your goals and determine how to reach them. For example, you might be looking to hire a certain number of candidates. Perhaps you want to streamline the hiring process by interviewing candidates during the virtual event. Or, you might want to collect information from potential candidates to build your database of qualified people as your organisation grows. By identifying these objectives, you can better design a career fair that works for you.
Choose a career fair style
Two types of virtual career fair platforms are available. Within each category, you can find many ways to customise the event to suit your needs.
Basic website with chat features
You don’t need an elaborate platform to host a virtual career fair. A website with chat features enabled can provide the proper space to engage with job seekers virtually. Envision a multi-page website where visitors can click on a company and then chat live with them about career opportunities.
Virtual exhibit hall with booths
For a more elaborate design, consider a virtual career fair platform that mimics the look of an in-person event. These platforms let you design a virtual exhibit hall with branded booths for participating companies. Job seekers can take a virtual stroll through the exhibit hall and interact using a video chat feature. These platforms can also feature livestreamed webinars and a resource centre rich in information about the event and its participants.
Considerations when selecting your style
Both types of virtual career fairs can be effective, so choose a style well suited for your goals. A chat-enabled website works well for smaller events featuring a few companies. It also works well for budget-conscious creators. If you’re hosting a larger event and want to wow potential candidates, a larger platform can deliver but will cost more to set up.
Decide on your budget
Speaking of budget, how much do virtual career fairs cost? Remember, prices can vary. Identify your budget early in the planning process to ensure you spend your money wisely. Understanding what types of expenses you’ll encounter helps you develop an accurate budget.
One expense you can count on is your “venue” cost for the event – the website or platform you use to host it. You might pay a fee to use a platform or need to invest in some new software to keep your virtual event running smoothly. Likewise, you might need to rent or buy cameras, mics, or other livestreaming equipment. Additionally, consider any staffing costs, such as hiring an event manager, having tech support, or working with graphic designers to develop branding for the event.
While virtual career fairs cost money, they might cost less than traditional career fairs in spaces with high venue rental fees. Additionally, you can eliminate travel expenses – for both organisations and job seekers – when you host your event virtually. For more tips on budget, check out this event budget template to keep you on track.
Plan the event schedule
Before you select your platform, you need to have a virtual career fair schedule. Your schedule will dictate what features you need from the platform, helping you select the right one. First, establish the time frame of your virtual career fair. Then, dive into the details for any live events that may take place during this period – perhaps you plan to livestream a webinar or speaker presentation or offer time slots for live interviews. As you design this schedule, consider how many events you plan to host during the career fair and whether they’ll run simultaneously or at separate times.
If you’re looking for speakers for your event, check out this helpful template for securing speakers.
Identify the features you’ll need
With your schedule in place, you’ll be able to identify what features you need for your virtual career fair to go off without a hitch. This information can help you find a platform that suits your needs. First, consider any software requirements you might have. For example, you might need access to applicant tracking systems, calendar software, or live chat features to conduct interviews. Compare different platform options to find the right fit. Also, check out these free tools to uplevel your event business and video conferencing tool options.
Choose your virtual career fair platform
Your virtual career fair platform must be the right fit for your event. Whether you anticipate dozens or hundreds of virtual attendees, you need a platform that can create an immersive experience to mimic a traditional career fair. Virtual exhibit halls or company booths can deliver that. Remember to streamline communication between hiring managers and job seekers – through live chats or video conferencing.
Enable virtual booth customisation
Virtual booth customisation lets employers and recruiters showcase their brands by adding logos to the booth and any relevant information for employees. These virtual booths can feature available job opportunities or benefits offered to employees. Hiring managers can even add testimonials from current employees, saying why they love working for the company.
Form partnerships with exhibitors and sponsors
Expand the impact of your virtual career fair by partnering with exhibitors and sponsors. Establishing these partnerships can broaden the reach of your event, allowing you to tap into new markets. If you sell a sponsorship, you can bolster your event budget. Consider your options when seeking out partners, and connect with speakers related to the industry to host workshops or webinars during the event. Sponsors can have branded booths or advertisements featured on the virtual platform.
For more tips on building partnerships for your virtual career fair, check out these event sponsorship resources.
Hire extra staff for your virtual event
Virtual event staff is essential. Even without a physical location, your career fair requires proper staffing to monitor issues, troubleshoot glitches, and ensure virtual attendees can move seamlessly through the event. Have plenty of help on hand to assist with the execution of your virtual career fair: staff to help monitor chat rooms and networking rooms to help with tech issues. Other staff can work with speakers and sponsors to attend to any questions or problems they might have.
Check out these tips on hiring event staff.
Market your online career fair
Now that you know how to do a virtual career fair, it’s time to attract attendees. You have several options for spreading the word:
- Sending emails to professional organisations and hiring managers at businesses of interest
- Posting digital flyers on job message boards
- Creating an event on social media and publicising details of the event
- Reaching out to email subscribers to share career fair registration information
- Securing sponsors or partners for your virtual career fair and asking them to market the event through their own channels
- Sending direct mail flyers to your connections to ensure they’re informed of your upcoming event
Use a combination of these strategies to expand your virtual career fair’s reach. As you devise a marketing plan for this virtual event, think about who you already know and how they can help market your event. If you’re looking for even more ideas, check out our event marketing guide for online events.
Identify the metrics you’ll need to track
Tracking metrics is key to the long-term success of your event and organisation. It’s easy to track metrics when your attendees register, helping you collect critical data about them. Your registration page can collect data on the following:
- Where attendees heard about your event
- Current organisation, job, or industry
- Contact information, including phone number and email address, for future marketing campaigns
- Career aspirations and industries to help you target employers for future events
When it comes to analysing the success of your event, the more data, the better. Don’t hesitate to collect information from participants because it will help you plan for future events.
Follow up by asking for feedback
Feedback helps measure the success of your event. Find out what attendees liked, didn’t like, and what they wanted to see more of. Collect this information from job seekers, hiring managers, sponsors, and partners to ensure you have a broad understanding of how they perceived your event.
You can collect feedback through surveys distributed in different ways. Since you will have participants’ contact information, you can send surveys via email or text for easy data collection.
Check out these common post-event survey questions for ideas.
Analyse your data
You’ve collected the data – now it’s time to put it to good use. One top tip is to analyse your data, debrief, and plan for the future. You’ll want feedback from all stakeholders in your event, including job seekers, hiring managers, and sponsors. Take your time reviewing survey responses to identify what worked well and what needs improvement.
Review this data soon after your event while the details of your virtual career fair are fresh. With this data in mind, brainstorm ideas for the next event, considering what job seekers and partners want to see at future events. You don’t have to reinvent your career fair every time, but you want it to offer what participants are looking for.
Plan your virtual career fair with Eventbrite
Ready to host a virtual career fair? We’re here to help you sell tickets and register attendees, market your event, and collect data with ease. Discover how to organise a job fair on Eventbrite and get started today.
