Tips For Hosting a Successful Career Fair

Over the past two years, businesses and organizations have had to adapt to a virtual-first landscape. The impact of global shutdowns touched nearly every industry, leaving many in-person events postponed or canceled. If you’re still wondering if a virtual career fair is right for your organization, we’re here to put your mind at ease and answer your questions.

What is a virtual career fair?

A virtual career fair is an online event where employers can recruit potential employees through quick video and phone meetings. A virtual career fair is an excellent way to engage active and passive members looking for new opportunities. Members who are actively seeking a new job can attend a virtual career fair and set up on-the-spot interviews with companies, and exchange contact information for the future. Virtual career fairs are also a great way for passive job seekers to see what opportunities are currently available directly in their industry.

Why should you host a virtual career fair?

There are numerous reasons why a career fair can be a major benefit to your association! One of those benefits is providing your members with career-advancing opportunities. When your organization opts for a member-centric approach to events and their benefits, it shows your members that they are a priority to you. That feeling can go a long way in member retention and word-of-mouth recruitment!

Beyond member engagement, career fairs are an excellent source of non-dues-related revenue! Associations can offer exhibitors customized event packages tailored to their needs and budgets. For example, some exhibitors may only want to capitalize on branding opportunities to make their company name more well-known, while hiring managers or talent acquisition might want to review resumes to find the perfect match for an open job or future opportunity. You can create different levels of packages with separate pricing options to meet the needs of all your exhibitors.

What is the Success Metric?

Consider your main goals and key performance indicators. Decide on and write down your quantified objectives - these can be member engagement, lead generation, or exhibitor registration. Use your chosen success metrics to inform every decision you make.

Furthermore, you’ll use these objectives to drive your event planning strategies. These strategies should involve cost-benefit analyses, budgets, marketing plans, and your end goals. When setting up a virtual career fair, you’ll need to consider if it is viable for your organization. To do this, you should estimate the return you can expect on your investment. Then, decide whether the expenses and effort will be worth it.

Marketing your Career Fair

Marketing is key if you want your virtual career fair to be successful. Determine what channels you are going to use and what content you will need for them. Go where your members are to share the announcement about your career fair! If your association emails have above-average open and click-through rates, email might be your primary platform for sharing information. Sharing your next event on social media and direct mail are great ways to ensure your members see your messages. When considering your communications about your career fair, map a timeline of when messages should go out to help your team stay organized.

If virtual career fairs are a new territory for your members and employers, they’ll need your help to navigate them through the process. When partnering with a career fairs platform like Web Scribble, your association has an external sales and marketing team to help you every step of the way!