Trends: Job Fairs Going Online
A growing number of companies and industries have been putting out more requests for job applicants. Since companies are still concerned about overall profitability and gaining the widest audience possible to hear their message and get in front of various qualified candidates a number of career fairs are going virtual. Reasons for virtual career fairs are pretty obvious.
Greatly reduced travel costs for both parties
Naturally top recruiters often have to travel to career fairs and companies will pay for travel, hotel, and marketing materials that are dispersed to attendants. When career fairs are virtual in nature these recruiters are able to be more productive in the office.
Attendance costs greatly reduced
Jobnob has a white paper titled Fair Use that describes the cost of attending an Ivy League job fair as being $30,000. A steep cost to gain access to fresh top talent. The responding virtual career fair put on for the Ivy League schools was only $1,000 to join, and had companies receive an average of 130 resumes.
Wide audience
Benefits of the wide audience appeal to employers because anyone with a computer and internet access can participate or a smart phone in many cases. Employers don’t have to worry about poor weather, or (really nice weather for that matter) taking a toll on career fair participation.
Virtual career fairs can alleviate concern for unemployed job seekers, especially 99ers. Driving any long distance to a career fair may be a risky thing to do with the high prices of gas, and little to no income to get to career fairs and in many cases limited job offerings.
New ways to compete for jobs
Depending on the virtual career fair you probably won’t be judged over your attire. The simplest ways to participate in virtual career fairs are create a profile, participate in live chats, and submit applications to open positions. In these types of virtual carer fairs you won’t have to worry about getting your suit back from the dry cleaners on time etc. The trade off is that you will be judged on the quality of your instant messages and online career fair profiles.
It is possible that some virtual career fairs will require more of a Skype style face to face web conference. In these settings it would be appropriate to dress professionally as you will be seen and heard.
Hidden incentives
Virtual career fairs get companies in front of workers who know how to use new technology and are not afraid of it.
The greater ability to gain access to currently employed individuals that can sneak in on their lunch break on their PC from work, home, or smart phone. It’s much easier to close a window or put your email window up when the boss comes by to micromanage you. Versus sneaking around in a suit and tie, when you generally wear Khakis and a Polo shirt.
Tips for attending these sorts of events:
- Make sure you have a working PC – install any required plugins like Flash, Silverlight, and Java beforehand.
- Don’t have other distracting applications or windows open
- Many events require a microphone and speakers to participate
- Some will require a video to see face to face with your recruiter
- You will want to treat these like a phone interview, be in a peaceful area without loud noises or distractions
Leave any comments or advice you may have on attending virtual career fairs. It only takes a minute to leave a comment.