hybrid | Premier Virtual

Hybrid Hiring Events Are a Great Option As COVID Returns

Gary Chambers on August 9, 2022

As our lives were held hostage by the pandemic, many of our traditional habits were no longer sustainable. We embraced the concept of working remotely while at the same time letting go of traditional activities such as commuting to work, dining out, teaching in classrooms, weekend getaways, and working out at the gym. Over the past couple of years, businesses were forced to make significant adjustments and learn how to be comfortable with virtual event platforms and virtual hiring software.

What is Hybrid Recruiting and Why Does it Work?

The combination of in-person recruiting practices with the use of a virtual recruitment platform is commonly referred to as hybrid recruitment. The concept involves a strategy for acquiring talent that yields the most significant results compared to how the in-person and virtual practices do separately. Hybridization works because of 3 key factors – 1) it allows people to move forward so they can achieve their goals, 2) it enables increased flexibility in the hiring process, and 3) it reduces the risk of exposure to the virus.

Unique Hybrid QR Code

The Premier Virtual platform takes hybrid events to the next level by generating a unique QR code for each booth at the event. The QR code is printed and placed in front of the booth, which allows candidates to scan it and access all of the employers information virtually. Instead of standing in a long line, they can quickly view the open positions and submit their resume to apply. While the candidate can still meet with the recruiter in person, they can also move on to the next opportunity and come back when there are less people on line. In addition, the recruiters now have all of the candidates information stores electronically for easy follow-up.

Furthermore, hybrid recruitment practices arose out of the need for alternate talent acquisition methods because of adapting to working remotely and canceling in-person activities. Upon further consideration, business owners and recruiters discovered the many benefits of hybrid recruiting. As a result, an overwhelming 81% of talent recruiters agree that recruiting job candidates through the use of in-person interviews and video interviewing platforms will continue post-pandemic and may become the new standard. It has helped access more people living in other cities and countries without the additional cost of relocating them.

The 6 Benefits of Hybrid Hiring Events

Essentially, headhunting takes a proactive approach whereas traditional recruiting is reactive. Because of the following benefits considering the hybrid recruiting approach is well worth it:

It enables recruiters to broaden their approach by creating a solution to their hiring needs and reaching a larger target audience of candidates.
It creates a way for companies to gather all of the in-person activity digitally, for easy access and future follow-up.
It gives job-seekers that are apprehensive about in-person events and opportunity to participate and apply for jobs they might have otherwise not been able to.
It finds individuals that are a better fit for companies and are more likely to remain with them over the long term
It emphasizes the needs and requirements of your business
It provides business owners and employers access to a high-quality talent pool.
It provides more strategic insight into the needs of the business and the role the candidate would be playing if hired
It reaches a global target audience of job candidates.

The hybrid approach to recruiting and hiring enables employers to conduct a more comprehensive search for the right talent. For more information about the best virtual event platforms, call Premier Virtual at (561) 717-9717 today.

Premier Virtual’s new QR Code Generator for Hybrid Events

Gary Chambers on April 19, 2022

In-Person, Virtual, or Hybrid Career Fairs – Which Approach is Best?

When planning a career fair, the common goal is to connect employers with qualified job candidates. A secondary goal is for jobseekers to learn more about companies they may have not considered working for previously.

Traditionally, live or in-person career fairs were the best option, but in today’s world, other options should be considered. Let’s take a minute to review them all.

In-Person- All attendees are physically present in one location

Virtual- People attend the event entirely online

Hybrid- Some people attend in-person and others online. Using Premier Virtual’s new QR code generator, you can record the interactions and easily download all of the reports at the end of an event for efficient follow up.

How do you know which approach is right for your career fair?

There are different factors, such as event size, budget, timeline, the geography of attendees, and a common issue faced during the writing of this blog post – the ongoing issues due to the Covid-19 virus.

Live Events – Still considered the most effective form of communication and is perceived as more credible and positive.

It was not long ago that the idea of meeting people online was denounced. Boomers and even millennials were openly against it and had the opinion that people only chose to go virtual if they lacked interpersonal skills. In a sense, they were somewhat ‘shamed’ for not wanting to connect in person.

In large part due to the Pandemic, and also as part of the natural evolution of digital apps and platforms, virtual events are quickly becoming a perfect alternative to in-person meetings. It is said the pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation by as much as 3 to 5 years.

However, many people still appreciate and seek the opportunity to network in person, with factors such as effective communication, credibility, and overall positive experience as the leading factors.

It’s hard to argue that humans find face-to-face communication as most effective because of the entire experience it produces. Body language, postures, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements do not translate as well, even on a video call online.

Virtual Events – Faster turnaround time, reduced costs, and broader reach

The most common reasons clients choose virtual (pre-covid) include that time and money are at a premium. Virtual events allow the host to quickly create and launch an event, and depending on the size, on a much smaller budget.

Post-Covid, we see that social distancing and keeping everyone safe is the top reason organizations are choosing virtual. When it comes to virtual career fairs, the virtual options have resulted in higher attendance rates for jobseekers and more hiring companies are participating as well, due to the reduction in time and money required to do so.

Everyone who has hosted or attended a virtual event agrees it is a much more efficient process. No one has to wait in a long line to speak with a recruiter, and no company has to deal with the frustration of a poorly attended booth since they will typically receive reports with access to all of the resumes from registered candidates.

Reporting is another huge advantage to virtual events since each employer has their dashboard and is provided reports with all attendees, who attended their booth, and what resumes match their job openings.

While text/chat options or even a built-in one-on-one video interface do not compare with speaking in person, these tools do make it very easy for the recruiter to meet with candidates and get to see if they are a good fit, right on the spot.

Get the best of both worlds with Hybrid Events – Flexibility to reach the greatest number of qualified candidates.

So, while in-person hiring events remain a popular option for recruiters that enjoy face-to-face interaction, the limitation of social distancing, as well as traditional limitations of being available to travel to an in-person job fair make hybrid the best option.

Most often in-person job fairs attract the unemployed jobseeker. A hybrid event allows highly qualified candidates who are employed to also attend. These virtual attendees can quickly log on before work, or during a lunch hour, attend and apply online, whereas attending in-person might have been impossible.

Now Premier Virtual has launched a QR code generator that hosts and employers can use at live events. These QR codes enable attendees to quickly access the event and employers virtual hiring booths, which means that all of the in-person activity can be tracked digitally. Now employers can simply download the resumes they received at the event for easy follow up, and attendees can keep notes as well. This is the best of both worlds because you gather all of the data that comes with virtual events in an in-person setting.

The Pros and Cons of Hosting Virtual Events:

Pros:

Reduced Costs – The logistics of a physical event can be daunting. Renting a venue, printing badges, selling tickets, food, clean-up, etc., all drive up costs, time, and resources. These are all eliminated with a virtual event.
Broader Reach – with zero travel time, anyone from anywhere can attend. In a state like Florida which attracts people from across the U.S., many citizens that want to move have a unique opportunity to attend a virtual job fair and land a job to facilitate the move. In industries in high demand like technology and medicine, you don’t have to limit your job pool to the local population. Also, external factors like poor weather, or emergency events do not affect virtual events, so there is very little chance for interruptions or cancellations.
Increased Productivity – hiring managers can meet with multiple job-seekers simultaneously, and do not have to make the job candidates wait in long lines. Being able to view resumes and start video chats makes it easy for recruiters to choose who they believe will be the best fit.
Reporting – platforms like Premier Virtual offer detailed reports that make virtual events much more efficient as well. Each employer will know, who visited their booths, and who submitted a resume. Each recruiter can rank the candidates and easily set up follow-up interviews.

The Cons

Less personal connection- for recruiters that put a high value on the physical handshake, there is nothing a virtual event can do to replicate that. The personal face-to-face experience is very immersive, so virtual events have to work harder to attract and keep the attendee’s attention.
Distractions – If the job seeker is at work, or multi-tasking it will be difficult to remain focused on the event. It is easy to get distracted when attending virtually, which can hurt retention or the job candidate not attending each booth that matched their qualifications.
Overwhelming – when an event has 300 or more booths, it can be overwhelming for the job seeker. This can create anxiety for a jobseeker that is trying to visit each booth to see what jobs are available. New options that allow job seekers to get a ‘matching job report’ and a job-seeker journey are being added to make their experience more positive
Downtime – although the Premier Virtual platform has not suffered any significant downtime, there is a chance the platform or the attendee’s internet connection is interrupted. This can cause a poor experience and be very frustrating if it occurs during a live interview. Technology doesn’t always cooperate and can be a bigger issue for areas of the country with less service or less broadband access.

Which Event is Right for your next Career Fair?

If you have not hosted a virtual event, here is a chart that helps illustrate the options:

	Face-to-Face	Virtual	Hybrid
Most Effective Communication	X
Faster Turnaround		X
Cost Savings		X	X
Increased Collaboration	X
Greater Reach			X
Digital Reports		X	X
Relaying Complex Info	X
Reduced Travel Cost		X	X

If you would like to get free advice on which option is best for you, or to find out more about our new QR code generator for hybrid events, please contact Premier Virtual online or at 561-717-9717 to schedule a no-obligation consultation with one of our advisors.

We have powered over 6,000 virtual hiring events, where 60,000+ employers have connected with over 650,000 registered job seekers. Our best-in-class platform and experienced success managers are here to ensure you host the most successful virtual career fair possible.

We look forward to meeting you, so you can make the most informed decision to reach your company’s staffing goals.

The Benefits for Choosing Hybrid Hiring Events

Sergio on October 12, 2021

The world is going hybrid. Are you ready?

Premier Virtual is, and with its future-focused technology, its team plans to lead the charge.

Talking in-person or virtual. Which one do you want to do? There’s no need to choose one when you can do both.

Why? Because the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Future-focused technology company Premier Virtual supports the push for hybrid events, meaning, in-person events should also incorporate a virtual platform for the best of both worlds.

Premier Virtual recently executed a case study to see how many people would show up for an in-person versus virtual hiring event at South Florida Tech Hub.

There were less than 100 in-person attendees, but there were more than 500 virtual attendees. By offering both options, they were able to expand their candidate pool and employers were able to meet candidates in person and on the virtual platform.

The benefits don’t end there. Choosing a hybrid route when it comes to the hiring process prevents ATS systems from weeding out qualified candidates.

A recent Harvard Business report revealed that ATS, which is an applicant tracking system, is responsible for blocking or disqualifying many qualified applicants. How?

By ranking relevant keywords, skills, degrees, credentials, responsibilities, and other qualities that indicate to a hiring manager or recruiter that the applicant is qualified for the position. This becomes an issue because some applicants can get lost in the ample applications that are coming through the system.

A hybrid option resolves these issues by allowing hiring managers to take matters into their own hands. They can meet candidates in what Premier Virtual calls a “virtual hiring room.”

With the company’s technology, recruiters are able to schedule an ‘open-house on set days and times where candidates can meet and chat with recruiters. If there is a fit, the recruiter can enter into a pre-screening interview, and then decide if the candidate should be scheduled for a more formal interview.

Given the circumstances of the past two years, we can no longer solely rely on in-person hiring career fairs and events. Virtual hiring is the future, and companies should start preparing for it.

Choose Premier Virtual for Online Hiring Events

Premier Virtual fosters innovation and strives to provide solutions to complex virtual problems. Through building relationships based on integrity, trust, honesty, transparency, and teamwork, the tech-forward company always gets the job done. If your company would like to host a virtual hiring event, contact Premier Virtual today.

In-Person, Virtual, or Hybrid Career Fairs, Which is Best?

Sergio on April 1, 2021

In-Person, Virtual, or Hybrid Career Fairs – Which Approach is Best?

Traditionally, live or in-person career fairs were the best option, but in today’s world, other options should be considered. Let’s take a minute to review them all.

In-Person- All attendees are physically present in one location

Virtual- People attend the event entirely online

How do you know which approach is right for your career fair?

There are different factors, such as event size, budget, timeline, the geography of attendees, and a common issue faced during the writing of this blog post – social distancing due to the Covid-19 virus.

Live Events – Still considered the most effective form of communication and is perceived as more credible and positive.

However, many people still appreciate and seek the opportunity to network in person, with factors such as effective communication, credibility, and overall positive experience as the leading factors.

Virtual Events – Faster turnaround time, reduced costs, and broader reach

Hybrid Events – Flexibility to reach the greatest number of qualified candidates.

Now Premier Virtual has launched a QR code generator that hosts and employers can use at live events. These QR codes enable attendees to quickly access the event and employers virtual hiring booths which means that all of the activity can be tracked. Now employers can simply download the resumes they received at the event for easy follow up, and attendees can keep notes as well. This is the best of both worlds because you gather all of the data that comes with virtual events in an in-person setting.

The Pros and Cons of Hosting Virtual Events:

Pros:

Reduced Costs – The logistics of a physical event can be daunting. Renting a venue, printing badges, selling tickets, food, clean-up, etc., all drive up costs, time, and resources. These are all eliminated with a virtual event.
Broader Reach – with zero travel time, anyone from anywhere can attend. In a state like Florida which attracts people from across the U.S., many citizens that want to move have a unique opportunity to attend a virtual job fair and land a job to facilitate the move. In industries in high demand like technology and medicine, you don’t have to limit your job pool to the local population. Also, external factors like poor weather, or emergency events do not affect virtual events, so there is very little chance for interruptions or cancellations.
Increased Productivity – hiring managers can meet with multiple job-seekers simultaneously, and do not have to make the job candidates wait in long lines. Being able to view resumes and start video chats makes it easy for recruiters to choose who they believe will be the best fit.
Reporting – platforms like Premier Virtual offer detailed reports that make virtual events much more efficient as well. Each employer will know, who visited their booths, and who submitted a resume. Each recruiter can rank the candidates and easily set up follow-up interviews.

The Cons

Less personal connection- for recruiters that put a high value on the physical handshake, there is nothing a virtual event can do to replicate that. The personal face-to-face experience is very immersive, so virtual events have to work harder to attract and keep the attendee’s attention.
Distractions – If the job seeker is at work, or multi-tasking it will be difficult to remain focused on the event. It is easy to get distracted when attending virtually, which can hurt retention or the job candidate not attending each booth that matched their qualifications.
Overwhelming – when an event has 300 or more booths, it can be overwhelming for the job seeker. This can create anxiety for a jobseeker that is trying to visit each booth to see what jobs are available. New options that allow job seekers to get a ‘matching job report’ and a job-seeker journey are being added to make their experience more positive
Downtime – although the Premier Virtual platform has not suffered any significant downtime, there is a chance the platform or the attendee’s internet connection is interrupted. This can cause a poor experience and be very frustrating if it occurs during a live interview. Technology doesn’t always cooperate and can be a bigger issue for areas of the country with less service or less broadband access.

Which Event is Right for your next Career Fair?

If you have not hosted a virtual event, here is a chart that helps illustrate the options:

	Face-to-Face	Virtual	Hybrid
Most Effective Communication	X
Faster Turnaround		X
Cost Savings		X	X
Increased Collaboration	X
Greater Reach			X
Flexibility & Convenience			X
Relaying Complex Info	X
Reduced Travel Cost		X	X

If you would like to get free advice on which option is best for you, please contact Premier Virtual online or at 561-717-9717 to schedule a no-obligation consultation with one of our advisors.

We look forward to meeting you, so you can make the most informed decision to reach your company’s staffing goals.

In-Person or Virtual Hiring Events? Get Both with Hybrid!

Sergio on February 24, 2021

Here we are, basically a year into the Covid-19 pandemic and we are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Several vaccines have been rolled out, and the monumental effort of getting America vaccinated is underway.

As I write this in Spring of 2021, we have begun to see slight declines in the infection rate, and hospitalizations are coming down. Best of all the death rate is also coming down, although we recently surpassed the morbid milestone of 500,000 deaths in America. However, there are reports of 20 states experiencing increases and the talks of a possible fourth spike in cases.

One thing is certain, Covid-19 was a virtual technology accelerant. From one day to the next the American workforce was forced to work from home, and turning to virtual is what made it possible. Without a pandemic like COVID-19, corporate America would likely have continued to do business the same old way, and just inch along the technology curve.

Now, we have giant corporations such as Google and Twitter telling their workforce, they never have to return to the office. I’ve seen many of my colleagues do the same, and now the ‘new normal is that when it comes to office work, most of us are just as capable to be as productive or even more so, working from home or remotely.

The same has happened in the career fair space. What was once an in-person-only event, has migrated to virtual events and the results have been more than impressive.

A recent statewide virtual job fair in Virginia had 350 employers who were able to fill critical open positions from over 15,000 registered job-seekers! Not only is this an amazing accomplishment, but it’s something that could have never happened in person. Think about it, in a state like Virginia would it be possible to choose one central location, and have 350 companies set up booths to meet and greet over 15,000 job seekers. Not to mention the weather was cold with terrible travel conditions!

So now what? If we return to a new-normal post-COVID-19, are we going back to an in-person career fair and abandoning the virtual career fair model?
The answer is yes and no! We believe a hybrid model that offers both is the best strategy moving forward. Just ask anyone that has hosted or participated in a virtual career fair, as an employer or a candidate. They will tell you that the virtual event was amazing, easy to navigate, and most of all, extremely efficient and effective. Here is some of the feedback we are hearing from job-seekers:

• “This was a great experience! I was able to search for openings, have my resume viewed, and communicate just with the employers I was interested in, all without leaving my desk. The idea of a virtual career fair takes the pressure off of the job seeker and employer.”

• “The career fair was super easy to navigate. I quickly saw a few employers and job opportunities that I liked and was able to apply for. The recruiter was right in the room with me and after chatting a bit, we did a quick video interview, before I knew it, I had an offer to intern.”

• “Our generation has been chatting, texting, anything of that nature for our entire lives. Being part of a virtual job fair is a natural extension of the way we are used to communicating and doing things. I liked it, and I had a few recruiters contact me right away, and one made me a job offer!”

We know that hiring managers, workforce development boards, chambers of commerce, the military, tech organizations, and large corporations all over America have also had success well beyond their expectations, and they all agree that remote hiring will remain a vital part of their recruitment strategy going forward.
So, the numbers prove remote allows for unlimited participants on both the company side and job-seeker side, resulting in more quality hires. We also know that many people still want to offer the physical ‘meet-and-greet’ if and when it becomes viable.

With a virtual hiring platform like Premier Virtual, you don’t have to choose between the two. We make it easy to add a virtual option to your in-person event so that you can offer both options, and your organization can benefit from offering a hybrid event.

We are certain that the organizations that do, will have a competitive advantage over those who don’t. These organizations will be the beneficiaries of attracting top talent, by offering a hybrid option that will not limit their events to the local population, or to those who can physically attend the day of the in-person event.
To learn how you can create hybrid events, please visit www.PremierVirtual.com

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561-717-9717

Hybrid Hiring Events Are a Great Option As COVID Returns

Premier Virtual’s new QR Code Generator for Hybrid Events

The Benefits for Choosing Hybrid Hiring Events

In-Person, Virtual, or Hybrid Career Fairs, Which is Best?

In-Person or Virtual Hiring Events? Get Both with Hybrid!

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