Understanding, Finding, and Mastering Virtual Career Fairs

Virtual Career Fairs (VCFs) recreate in-person job fairs online with varying degrees of success but the same goal – connect employers with job seekers.

VCFs give you the opportunity to bypass normal job seeking barriers and speak directly to recruiters, hiring managers, or human resources representatives of companies who are actively hiring.

While VCFs have been available alongside the more prevalent local in-person career fairs for some time, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a dramatic increase in going virtual that is likely to continue as the demand for work surges and health concerns around large gatherings remain. In our current climate, VCFs have the added advantages of reducing costs (you’re not traveling) and allowing job seekers willing to relocate to participate in fairs in other regions.

Who hosts Virtual Career Fairs?

There are several different types of VCFs worth exploring.

·      Regional VCF. Regardless of host, job fairs are most often organized by region and co-hosted by a local government or job development entity. The Catalyst Career Group (CCG) and Coast to Coast Career Fairs (C2C) hosts VCFs all over the country and are normally area-specific. CCG recently hosted different Southern California VCFs for Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, and the Inland Empire. C2C is currently hosting a series of VCFs with employers in a single Florida city (e.g. Tampa Job Fair, Ft. Lauderdale Job Fair, Orlando Job Fair, etc.).

·      Single Company VCF. Many companies host their own VCFs and some have the resources to host job fairs in multiple cities. For example, Network Capital Funding Corporation, a financial services company based in Irvine, California, is holding a “surge hiring” VCF this month to fill at least twenty open positions in Irvine, Los Angeles, and New York City. However, it can be any type of company. Sports teams (e.g. the Los Angeles Dodgers) and leagues (e.g. the NFL) host annual job fairs, as do academic institutions (e.g. Harvard University). Due to Covid-19, many of these regular events are now virtual.

·      Industry VCF. “Industry” VCFs bring together different employers in the same field. These are usually regional as well, so instead of a single nationwide VCF for, say, “sales professionals”, there are typically multiple “sales professionals” VCFs based on region organized by the same organization. For example, there is a VCF later this year hosted by HireLifeScience.com with over ten pharmaceutical industry leaders signed on to participate (and that number will climb).

·      Other VCFs. There are no rules governing who can host a VCF, so some VCFs do not fit into the categories above. VCFs can be organized by political offices (e.g. Governor’s Job Fair, Mayor’s Job Fair, etc.), Chambers of Commerce, non-profits, or organizations supporting a certain group (e.g. Veterans jobs fairs, Diversity job fairs, Women job fairs etc.).

Which communications platforms are used to host VCFs?

Every VCF uses the communication platform of their own choice. There are many companies that specialize in hosting VCFs like Brazen, Easy Virtual Fair, and vFairs. Even big-time job site Indeed.com is in on the action with its new virtual arm, “Indeed Hiring Events”, which is everything from remote job interviews to job fairs. Regardless of how the VCF is run, the attendee only needs a computer and internet access.

Others VCFs, like ones hosted by a single company, are more minimalist, and use well-known online communication tools like Skype and Zoom instead of going full throttle on creating an experience that mimics an in-person event. Attendees will need to install any applications required to participate.

VCF user interfaces and formats vary from fair to fair, but for the many entities that strive to recreate the in-person experience, which take place at venues like hotels and convention centers. To that end, many include video, chat forums, and networking “rooms’ on top of an expedited virtual hiring process.

How do I find a Virtual Job Fair?

First stop – jobfairsin.com.  You can search for job fairs, including virtual, and follow the links for more information and registration.

Here is a place that may not leap to mind when you think “virtual job fairs” — Eventbrite. As of this writing, Eventbrite lists 220 virtual job fair events.

Job boards such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Monster have listings for virtual job fairs if you do a search for them.

How Should I Prepare for a Virtual Job Fair?

A Virtual Job Fair is no different than a virtual job interview.

·      Be prepared. Research the participating company or companies and the roles for which they are hiring.

·      Dress as if you are going to an in-person job interview.

·      “Attend” the virtual fair in a private, quiet place free from distractions.

·      Have your resume, references, and websites (i.e. LinkedIn profile) at the ready.

·      During the virtual one-on-one interview remember to look into the camera.

Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.