Traditional hiring events are facing stiff competition from dynamic and user-friendly virtual career fairs. It’s simple to see why they’d be desired by hosts. Everyone wants a piece of the action, from job agencies to universities.

Has the rise in virtual career fairs inspired you to host one too and you’re planning to invite various industry leaders including the mortgage staffing agency in your local area? But first, if you are still unsure what a virtual job fair is and how to host one, this guide explains everything:

What’s a Virtual Career Fair?

A virtual career fair is like an online job fair that allows organizations to run recruiting events using software. It provides employers with a flexible way to find and source talent.

The online platform used to organize a career fair allows companies and job seekers to connect. Everything looks and feels like a live event. Hiring managers and job seekers don’t have to spend money on travel when they attend a virtual career fair. Furthermore, it gives firms the option to choose talent from a global pool of candidates.

The virtual career fair software comes with plenty of features. For instance, you can create lobbies, welcome areas, hallways, booths, video greetings from CEOs and other executives from the company. In this virtual environment, candidates can chat with the recruiters of their choice, learn more about their organizations, current openings, and any other question that pops in their head.

How to Host a Virtual Career Fair

Consider this checklist if you want to host a virtual career fair for your company:

Step 1: Choose a Software

The first thing you need is a virtual career fair platform. Two types of software are available. The first one lets you design a simple webpage with a chat window where your attendees can chat with potential recruiters at a specific time. The second type offers a robust solution. It mimics a traditional job fair and features exhibit halls, company booths, webinars, and even a resource center. The type of software or platform you choose totally depends on what impression you want to give and, of course, what you can afford.

Step 2: Set a Budget for the Fair

Now comes the budget for the fair. It’s determined by several factors which include: the number of events you would like to organize, the scope of the event, and the features you want. The good news is a virtual career fair costs a fraction of what a conventional career fair costs.

Step 3: Develop a Strategy

Never host a career fair without an effective strategy. This strategy must define the objectives of your event. While you’re planning out the event, these are some things you should keep in mind:

• Give your team at least 2-3 months to plan the event and pick the date accordingly.
• Plan and arrange a time for event content creation (video, pictures, and text).
• Determine the scope of the project and the number of companies you would like to invite
• Set goals for the attendance so that you can attract sponsors and companies

Step 4: Staff the Right People

Since this career fair represents your company, it’s in your best interest to find knowledgeable recruiters and hiring managers to help the potential candidates searching for jobs. The staff you recruit should be able to answer their questions thoroughly. Apart from sourcing the right people, it’s important to hire the right number of team members. You don’t want the candidates to be waiting in the queue just because you underestimated the number of people required to do the job.

Step 5: Craft a Marketing Plan

It’s a challenge to find the right candidates to attend your event. But it’s not impossible. This is where your marketing strategy kicks in. use a variety of marketing strategies including public relations, social media, traditional advertising, direct mail, emails, and any other channel that you find appropriate to get your message across.

Step 6: You are Ready to Launch

After putting in all the effort and what’s required from you, you’re now ready to launch. If your platform has a resource center, make sure it’s stocked with downloadable materials from the career fair. This is one effective method through which businesses use virtual events to generate leads.

Step 7: Follow Up With your Attendees

Congrats! It is time to analyze the results of the job fair you launched with so much care. Remember to follow up with the candidates your recruiters chatted with. Use any contact information provided by the recruiters to get in touch with the applicants who haven’t applied yet or who may have additional queries. You may even track candidates who progressed to the next round of the recruiting process to determine the event’s overall performance.

Conclusion

Once you nail the art of hosting a virtual career fair, you will find this investment highly fruitful you’re your business especially when it comes to finding top talent. This technique should be a crucial part of your talent acquisition strategies.

Virtual job fairs are not just for companies but recruitment agencies too. Take advantage of this opportunity and supplement your current recruitment strategy.