How to Prepare for a Virtual Career Fair as an Employer

There are many benefits for attending hiring and career fairs as an employer — promote your organization, recruit talented candidates, and keep your networking skills sharp. Because most events are online this year, it’s more convenient than ever to make the time to find the right employees for your business. We’ve compiled six tips to help you navigate a virtual hiring or career fair like a seasoned pro.

1. Complete your bio.
Most platforms will have a section for the booth host to complete a brief biography on their company or organization. To create an engaging virtual booth, fill out the bio and add resources or link to your website. Likewise, adding a picture personalizes the interaction — if the event isn’t using a video messaging system, you want attendees to feel like they are talking to a real person.

2. Test the platform.
Not every hiring fair will use the same software — so it’s best to familiarize yourself with it before the big day. If you can, attend the training sessions offered beforehand. (Connect with the program organizer if you’re unsure about when these are offered or watch the virtual interview video for employers to gain insight into the process.)

3. Recruit backup.
Even mini events (less than 100 attendees) can get busy. Virtual events usually create a queue of attendees waiting to speak to the booth host. Each person is given approximately 10 minutes (although this may differ by event), which can add up quickly if you’re the only person running it. If you’re able to, ask a member of your team to be on standby for when the queue gets too long or for when you need a quick break.

4. Be upfront if you’re hiring.
Let candidates know if you’re hiring or simply recruiting for potential future opportunities. Some people will be actively looking for a job at the event, so it’s best to let them know (either in the bio or at the beginning of the session) if you are screening candidates that day. Again, you want to make sure that you are talking to the right individuals — so being upfront will save everyone time.

5. Create a go-to introduction.
Create a template for seamlessly introducing yourself, your company and why your organization is at the event. Either create a 30-second elevator pitch (if it’s a video call) or a two-sentence blurb that you can copy n’ paste into the chat box. This will help break the ice and gets the conversation going — you may have less than 10 minutes to talk, so make the most of it.

6. Be open.
For many career fair organizers, this is the first time they’ve offered an online hiring event — not everything will go as planned. Be ready for hiccups, connectivity issues and the possibility that you won’t talk to as many attendees as you would have liked. Similarly, for most people, this will be their first virtual hiring event — be patient, kind and willing to go with the flow.

Although COVID-19 has impacted our ability to connect at an in-person event, employers can still reap the same benefits from a virtual one – and from the comforts of your home office! If you’re interested in learning more about the services and programs available to support local business during this time, check out our Employer Resources.