Career fairs — like everything else — are turning virtual
Roberto Angulo
May 1, 2020
Career fairs are an essential part of hiring for many employers and the local media companies that serve them.
Spring is usually a very busy time for fairs as students graduate, and hiring ramps up for projects in the coming months. Of course, this year is different, and both employers and job seekers are scrambling to connect in non-traditional ways.
Fortunately, media companies have options to serve this need without the risk of an in-person event.
WHAT’S NEW WITH VIRTUAL CAREER FAIRS?
Media companies are now able to offer employers a range of online events: from a single employer fair, where company or university departments can set up their own hiring “booth” for community or city-sponsored events, with multiple companies participating.
Some event sponsors are also creating boutique fairs for a particular industry, such as biotech, with a highly targeted audience and technical job requirements.
“Career fairs represent both a significant revenue stream for us, as well as a great way to keep our brand top of mind with employers,” Adam DelRadio, director of Advertising with Tribune Publishing, said. “We are looking at transforming our 2020 career fairs into fully online events. We’re excited about the potential of this medium and believe virtual events are not only essential now but will be a great ongoing resource for our local employers and job seekers.”
THE TIME IS RIGHT
Media companies have seen a drop in recruitment advertising since shelter-in-place orders began to roll out.
Industries that have been hit especially hard include retail, travel and hospitality, with volume dropping almost 90% for these sectors.
STRONG SECTORS
According to Recruitology job data, sectors that are holding steady include healthcare, education, IT/ technology and government.
These sectors have seen a less–marked drop or no drop at all. Tech workers such as software developers and engineers are in high demand during this crisis, mainly as companies accelerate plans for digital transformation where everything is going virtual and online.
City and county governments are posting more jobs for roles such as police officers and administrators. Schools, especially K-12, are also continuing to post jobs for principals, teachers and distance–learning experts. And supply chain roles, including warehouse workers and commercial drivers, continue to be in high demand.
EASY TO SET UP AND COST EFFECTIVE
Virtual career fair technology providers like Recruitology are able to offer turnkey events that an organizer can set up in minutes, making the most of technology for online chats with candidates and a seamless registration process. Virtual events are also cost-effective for media companies and their customers, without the need to rent a facility or pay for travel.
Recruiters need to be available just for the open chat times, rather than all day.
SUCCESSFUL VIRTUAL EVENTS
Just like physical events, successful event organizers need to attract both job seekers and employers to create a great virtual career fair. Employers need to be prepared to conduct chat interviews and to provide a friendly job search and application process on their career pages.
Recruitology is currently working with a number of media companies to launch virtual events that leverage features like chat, as well as an artificial intelligence component that automatically prioritizes which candidates employers should talk to first in order to save time.
These events are also useful for employers who want to simply brand themselves and capture candidate registrants for when they are ready to hire.
GOING BEYOND CAREER FAIRS
Conferences and exhibitions of all sorts are also looking to replace this year’s physical events with a robust online presence.
With the availability of immersive technology to create events that people will take full advantage of, now is the time for media companies to add this capability to their line of employer services.
Roberto Angulo is the CEO of Recruitology.
