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Expand your Talent Pool with Virtual Career Fairs

Sergio on June 2, 2021

Let’s face it; everyone wants to hire a Rockstar employee eager to learn, show initiative, and is a team player. Unfortunately, many employers feel that they can attract top talent simply because of their brand or reputation, but the tide has turned.

There is a severe labor shortage as I write this post in June of 2021. It’s not just the hi-tech or MBA positions either. We’re talking truckers, welders, restaurant workers, hospitality…you name it, and most likely, there is a challenge to find qualified workers.

There is a myriad of reasons and some that include the COVID crisis. Many of the workers at or near retirement age figured this was the right time to make that decision. There has also been a migration of jobs since people had the time to retool and retrain.

Overall, while much has changed, one thing still holds, it’s different to find top talent, which is why adding virtual career fairs on online job fairs makes so much sense.

To put your job opening in front of the right candidate’s talent, acquisition teams need to do more than outreach. Essentially, if you don’t give job seekers a more efficient way to engage with your company, you’ll only reach the candidate pool with the time to spend on the job search. Offering in-person only job fairs typically attracts the unemployed but does not offer the ‘unhappily employed’ flexibility to make the same effort.

Adding a virtual job fair means that anyone, anywhere, can log in and participate. Jobseekers can quickly scan jobs that match their criteria, chat with a recruiter, and enter into a video interview if there is a good match.

Think of all the time and energy it takes to do all of that in person. It’s often enough reason for a qualified candidate not to attend and send in their resume, which, no matter how qualified, can be quickly passed over or never even reach the hiring manager’s desk.

The same holds for the hiring managers in your company. Recruiters work hard to attract the best candidates for the position, but they often have to make a less than optimal hiring decision because of demands placed on that opening.

Virtual job fairs tend to increase attendance rates by 30% to 50%, and they have a registration to an attendance rate of over 70%. For example, we powered a state-wide career fair in Virginia with 350 employers, and 15,000 job candidates attend! Those are numbers that are impossible to achieve in person.

Another great tactic is to use the virtual platform to host other events that can engage potential candidates, such as a Tech-Talk or Virtual Mastermind that features a keynote speaker or a group of panelists with a Q&A format. During your event, you can have several sponsors host virtual booths to offer more information on their companies and invite a recruiter to be available and answer any potential work-related questions.

These events are part of your recruitment marketing strategy and go beyond the traditional social media posts and email or text messages. Now you can use those platforms to invite candidates to something of value, regardless of whether they are currently in the job market or considering your company for a potential career change.

These types of events create a great opportunity to partner strategically with local career coaches or resume writing services. These partners will gladly participate for free to have a chance to speak in front of potential prospects. In return, you’ll be building value with the community and positioning yourself as a category expert.

Using a virtual career platform in this capacity will also likely get you some attention from the local media. Use it to your advantage by inviting them to y our event. Offer them a free booth to promote any openings they might have. This goodwill will often result in mutual support and a mention of the event on the local news! Job creation is always a newsworthy topic.

It all leads to a broader talent pool, which means your recruiters have better choices. The goal of hiring the best candidate for every position is achievable when you attract the best talent. The best part is that many of these tactics do not require an increase in your budget. For example, the Premier Virtual platform lets you host unlimited events per license, per location. The more you use it, the more you save, and the greater your ROI.

If you have not done so already or are using a virtual platform and are considering alternatives, please contact us for your free, no-obligation demo.

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5 Steps To Kickstart Your Virtual Career Fairs!

Sergio on May 10, 2021

1)         Choose The Platform – First and foremost, you have to choose a platform to host your virtual career fair.  Deciding which platform to use can often be the most challenging part of the process since there are many options and varying levels of features and sophistication.  To determine which option is best for you, make sure to consider the following criteria:

  1. What is the size and scope of your event?  Suppose you are a single employer looking to fill a dozen or fewer open positions in one geographic location. In that case, you may be perfectly fine with just a video conferencing program like Zoom or Teams.  If, however, you are a host of an event with multiple employers and each has a significant amount of job openings or a large corporation with many openings and locations, video-conferencing alone will not be enough.  You will need a dedicated virtual career fair platform with expanded features such as uploading resumes, one-on-one chat, a customizable lobby and booths, and access to reports with all of the critical data collected during such an event.
  2. What is your budget? If you require a virtual career fair platform, the next consideration is your budget.  Many platforms charge an upfront fee and then charge additional fees based on the number of participants and or the number of resumes downloaded, booths, etc.  These costs can become prohibitive if your event draws a large attendance.  Make sure to go with a platform that offers a flat-rate price that never increases, which is something that Premier Virtual always guarantees!
  3. Is ‘ease of use’, something that concerns you? Is ‘ease of use’ something that concerns you? If so, we highly suggest that you demo each platform you are considering and put yourself fin the shoes of your employers and your attendees.  Once again, Premier Virtual prides itself on its ease of use and its top-rated customer service.  Ask if the platform you are considering provides a dedicated account manager and live training so that everyone that participates fully understands how to use the platform and ensures a successful event.  You can click here for a checklist of features you should be looking for in a virtual career fair platform demo.

2)         Lead Time – Once you’ve selected your platform, give yourself enough time to have everyone adequately trained and to promote the event. Preparing everyone, the hosts, administrators, employers, and attendees is the best way to set yourself up for a successful event.  Waiting until the last minute to register and navigate through the platform often results in a poor user experience or a lower return.  Equally important for a successful event is to have a strong turnout.  Successful events require all of the typical marketing efforts through social media, as well as paid ads.  I highly recommend that you offer each employer a flyer to post and promote the event. It’s also crucial to send out an official press release at least seven days before the event. We suggest the marketing manager personally invite the local press to attend as an employer if they have relevant openings.  I recommend you not charge the local media for their booths in exchange for some ‘goodwill’ that can help your efforts to have your event mentioned in the news.

Another best practice is opening your event with a training webinar for attendees. Announce the webinar in your marketing materials and all of your registration pages. In addition to the training videos, let attendees know there will be a live ‘walk-through’ of the platform on the day of the event.   Premier Virtual offers this service if requested by our host/client and something we highly recommend.

3)         Added Value – Add value to your event by including resume writing webinars or a tech talk with a keynote speaker.  These additional features add value to the attendees and create other points of interest to promote and help draw even more participants to your event.  Along those lines, if your event has a well-known speaker or is offering a free resume writing class or an employment coach session, the press will also have more incentive to feature your event in an article or live on the news.

4)         Event Team – Designate a point person for each facet of the event.  Creating a point team may seem obvious, but some large organizations with many different layers can struggle with it, or smaller organizations expect one person to do everything.  A successful event requires the following point persons:

  1. Administrator –This person has full access to the platform and is typically the point person between Premier Virtual and the organization.  The admin will assign all other users their roles and access to features and information in the platform.
  2. Event Manager – This person is responsible for learning the platform to the best of their ability and be an internal point of contact to help others register and answer basic questions.  Other duties include organizing training webinars and working directly with the Premier Virtual account manager to address any issues before the day of the event.  We also highly encourage the event manager to review employers’ booths to make sure they are doing everything possible to prepare. The booths should be customized; all social media links should be active and provide videos wherever possible.  After the event, the administrator or the admin should access reports and provide the information and follow-up support to whoever needs it.
  3. Publicity/Promotion/Marketing – This person will lead the marketing activity to ensure that the event is being marketing properly and the point person for any press/media or others looking for more information.

5)         Thorough Follow-up – A successful event does not mean that you hire everyone on the spot.  It does mean that you have received enough qualified candidates and had enough engaging one-on-one conversations that you want to follow up. A good platform will provide recruiters with thorough reporting that includes everyone who attended, booths they visited, resumes they submitted, and chats or video conferences that took place.  A comprehensive report will have all of the information you and your employers need to appropriately follow up with qualified candidates eager to make a decision.  Timely follow-up is key to making the right hire, and if you feel strong enough about a candidate during the event, you may want to make that initial offer so you don’t lose them!

If you are considering hosting a virtual career fair and have more questions, please feel free to contact us to schedule a free demo.  Our platform has hosted over 2,000 virtual career fairs, connecting more than 20,000 employers to over 200,000 registered job seekers.  We have the experience and the technology to help you host a successful event.

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The Lessons We’ve Learned from Virtual Career Fairs

Sergio on May 4, 2021

After powering nearly 2,000 virtual career fairs, we’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons, and we’re ready to share them with you.

In this webinar, Premier Virtual CEO, Steve Edwards will be joined by a group of existing customers, that have hosted their own virtual hiring events. The purpose of this webinar is to learn first-hand the most difficult challenges transitioning from in-person to virtual, the pros and the cons, and what the career fair landscape looks like moving forward.

One thing is certain, virtual career fairs have changed staffing and recruiting forever, and those who have experienced them believe they are here to stay. If you’ve been debating whether or not to go virtual, or you’ve attended virtual events and are now ready to host your own, this is a great place to start. We also look forward to the input from attendees who have their own lessons to share.

The webinar will be a round table Q&A forum and will be followed by a short demo of the Premier Virtual platform. We look forward to seeing you there! The webinar starts at 2 PM EST.

Confirmed Panelists:

Morgan Romeo – Executive Director at Virginia Career Works – Blue Ridge

Lawrence “Larry” Miller-Director for Warrior Games Operations & Logistics. United States Veterans Chamber of Commerce

Dana Morrison – Teacher Recruitment Manager at EBRPSS. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States

Sharon G. Nelson, MBA- Talent Acquisition Manager – Human Resources

Michael Corbit – Vice President, Business Development -CareerSource Florida/Palm Beach County.

Jill St. Thomas-Executive Director – Tampa Bay Tech

Click here to register for free!

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7 Reasons to Add Virtual Career Fairs to Hiring Strategy

Sergio on April 20, 2021

Nearly 7 in 10 Employers Expect to do More Virtual/Remote Hiring in the Future.

It’s clear that Covid was the catalyst that shifted how employers see hiring. The forced move to widespread remote work made virtual hiring events the clear winner, and truthfully everyone was better off for it. The results have been so promising, most employers plan on continuing or increasing their participation in virtual hiring events.

Participating in virtual recruiting events that other organizations host is a great way to experience the benefits of virtual hiring to expand your reach and attract more qualified candidates. When you couple this with hosting your virtual hiring events, being a sponsor or exhibitor allows you to access new talent pools and interview qualified candidates outside of your immediate geographical area, making it easier to fill positions immediately as well as filling your pipeline.

In competitive talent markets, connecting with top candidates is a growing challenge. Now more than ever, employers need diverse strategies for expanding their talent pipeline and building a broader talent community.

Today, virtual multi-employer career fairs play an important role. As unemployment goes down and the job market is more competitive, it becomes more challenging to attract and hire the best available talent. For this reason, employers are relying more on virtual to expand their talent pipeline and increase the talent pool. The results prove that multi-employer career fairs play an integral part in helping companies achieve these goals.

Being an employer at one of these events helps strengthen employers’ visibility and branding in the community. It shows that your company is innovative, not afraid to pivot, and willing to empower a remote workforce. Candidates seeking this type of work environment know that companies in virtual career fairs are much more likely to offer those opportunities. It is a clear competitive advantage for companies that participate in virtual career fairs over those who don’t, to the point where soon it won’t be an option any longer.

Here are 7 Reasons to Add Virtual Career Fairs to Your Company’s Hiring Strategy:

1) Stand Apart: Employers who participate in virtual career fairs stand out from all the other employers trying to hire from the same local talent pool.

2) Lower costs: Avoid all the costs associated with in-person career fairs, such as travel and lodging costs, shipping costs, and even missed work.

3) Data: With a virtual career fair, you collect much more data than at an in-person event. Such as everyone who attends, submits a resume, chats with you making it easier to identify those you want to follow up with, resulting in a more efficient recruiting process.

4) Larger candidate pool: A virtual career fair or online event allows you to reach more qualified candidates. In today’s remote workforce, you can hire from all over the world. No longer are you limited by your physical location.

5) Go where the candidates are looking: For a long time, attendance at in-person job fairs and results were dwindling. The shift to online has happened in every part of our lives, and the same can be said when looking for a job. Virtual career fairs and online events allow you to meet the job seekers where they are more comfortable, and recruiters have embraced as well. Take advantage of this shift.

6) Strength in numbers – when 300 employers participate in a virtual career fair, it draws a lot of attention. It brings the unemployed as well the coveted employed job candidates to the event. A recent event in Virginia with 350 employers attracted 15,000 registered job seekers!

7) The future is here now! The old way was in-person, the new way is virtual, and the future is hybrid, offering both options for the best of both worlds. Don’t let another pandemic put you out of business, or short handed because your company remains unprepared. Digitize your recruiting and make virtual hiring events central to your staffing strategy.

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Virtual Career Fairs: The 5 Most Common Questions Answered!

Sergio on April 20, 2021

According to NACE – the National Association of Colleges and Employers, more than 90% of employers have attended a virtual career fair this fall. As you can imagine, that is a steep increase from previous years, and as we all know, COVID was the catalyst.
Regardless of how we got here, there is no going back. Everyone who has attended a virtual career fair, either as an employer or job candidate, can agree that this format has many advantages. While challenges remain to replicate the actual ‘meet and greet’, or issues with internet access and potential technical problems, expectations are this technology will continue to improve and become a regular part of the hiring process.
So, what are the most often asked questions when it comes to hosting a virtual career fair? Let’s address the top 5.
1. What are the benefits of a virtual career fair? The most glaring advantage is the reduction in time and cost, thus increasing efficiency and productivity. In a virtual fair, you do not have to shop around for a venue that will accommodate your needs on the day and time you need it. There will be no costs for ‘drape and pipe’ otherwise known as your booth, and you can leave behind all of that printed material and brochures that can often be very expensive and a real hassle to transport.
Virtual career fairs allow you to attend even if you are not feeling well or if the weather decides to take a turn for the worse the day of your event.
Logistics aside, a virtual career fair will open the doors to anyone that has access to the internet and knows about your event. You are no longer limited to the talent pool in your immediate vicinity. If someone wants to move to Florida but lives in New Jersey, they can now attend your career fair, same as anyone locally, and that can be a real game-changer.
Also, the Premier Virtual platform allows for an unlimited number of recruiters in a booth, and the ‘chat that follows’ means you can carry on several conversations at the same time. Recruiters can view all of the resumes and receive all of the data from the event in real-time. This data is often the biggest advantage of virtual because of how easy it is to review and then access again electronically for follow-up.
As companies embrace this format, job seekers recognize innovative and flexible brands, making them more appealing. A savvy job-seeker that prefers to apply online instead of inline will appreciate those companies that are offering that option, creating a competitive advantage over those who don’t.
2. How does a Virtual Career Fair work?
Well, you might be surprised, but it closely mirrors an in-person event. The employers have logos in the lobby that job seekers can attend with a click of the mouse. Once you do, it takes them to the employer’s booth where they can research the company, view open positions, download materials, and see if there is any interest. If so, the candidate can enter into a chat with an available recruiter and even move into a video interview. In the Premier Virtual career fair platform, all chats are one-on-one to ensure privacy, and the video conferencing is built in. If there is a fit, candidates can submit their resumes, and recruiters can make an offer right on the spot. It’s easy to use and navigate, and participants can get a lot done quickly.
3. What are some of the disadvantages?
People will tend to keep a physical appointment more than a virtual one because virtual appointments can be very easy to ignore. To keep attendance rates high, it’s important to send reminders via email and text. Using a platform like Engage By Cell can be a very effective way to accomplish that. Of course, nothing can replicate the physical handshake or eye-to-eye interaction of an in-person event. Participants can become distracted, and recruiters might find it harder to get a good ‘read’ on a person or get that ‘warm and fuzzy; that’s often part of the decision process and before deciding someone is a good fit for the companies culture.
An option to address these shortcomings is quickly growing in popularity, called the ‘hybrid’ career fair that offers both in-person and virtual access. Anyone who prefers to attend in person can do that, and you still open up your talent pool by providing a virtual option.
4. How do I create and market a virtual career fair?
• Set-up & Training – Once you have the license to the software, Premier Virtual gives you access to your dashboard. In just 15 minutes, you can customize your event, and go live! It’s that simple, especially now with the built-in setup wizard that’s part of Version 2.0 of the platform. Not every platform offers this feature, so you want to make sure to ask about the setup process.
After set up, you want to make sure that everyone participating becomes familiar with the tool and resources. Premier Virtual assigns an account manager to each client. The account manager will schedule a training session and provide support throughout the process. This kind of training and support is crucial for a successful event. The platform should also have training videos easily accessible for all job applicants that will be attending the event. Nothing will kill your virtual career fair faster than a platform that is difficult to navigate or not user-friendly.
• Promote – As with any event, you want to promote it as much as possible. The virtual registration page makes it easy to share links and for attendees to register, and it should be included in all of your marketing efforts. It would be best if you went through the normal channels of social media, press releases, and asking every employer participating in the event to do the same. Use emails and text messaging when possible to increase engagement. A good idea is to invite the local media. Offer them a free booth at your event to promote any positions they might have. It might very well help garner media coverage of your event, and they will also benefit.
• Day of Event – Make sure that all recruiters are logged in before the event start. Usually, the most considerable amount of visits will happen at the beginning of the event. You will want to be prepared to handle as many questions or video meetings from job seekers as you can so that you don’t miss any opportunities to hire a star player that gets there early and wants to impress you the most!
5. What is the best virtual career fair platform?
The answer is easy; Premier Virtual has proven to be the best-in-class for many reasons, including some already mentioned in his article. Despite winning awards and the accolades from so many customers (their platform has powered over 1,500 career fairs, connecting nearly 20,000 employers to over 200,000 registered job seekers!), they continue to improve the platform. While there are lots of options out there, Premier Virtual is dedicated to career fairs which gives them a unique advantage over platforms that are not. The founder and CEO of Premier Virtual, Steve Edwards, is a former recruiter who put on in-person events for nearly 9 years. Steve took all of those experiences, both good and bad, and poured it into developing this platform to make it the best possible option for virtual career fairs.
In May of 2021, Premier Virtual is launching version 2.0 with enhanced analytics, real-time reporting, additional custom options, and so much more – all while keeping the platform easy to use to ensure the best possible user experience. Their team is 100% based in the U.S. and their customer service is second to none. Their reliability has also proven itself time and again. In fact, a recent statewide career fair in Virginia had 350 employers and over 15,000 job candidates on the platform at the same time with zero downtime! Ultimately your virtual event will only be as good as the platform it is on. If you have disruptions or downtime the consequences can mean you lose out on a great new hire, and that is a costly consequence.
If you haven’t done so already, make sure to schedule a free demo at www.PremierVirtual.com and see for yourself. The platform you choose will significantly impact the success of your event.

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Video Conferencing Software for a Virtual Career Fair?

Sergio on April 12, 2021

You won’t have trouble finding great video conferencing programs on the market. Let’s face it, without programs like Zoom, this entire pandemic would have been a much more difficult landscape to navigate.  However, when it comes to virtual events, there are advantages to using a dedicated event platform like Premier Virtual.

Ultimately, whether or not you can use a video conferencing program to power your virtual career fairs depends on your needs.  If you’re an employer with just a few job openings, you may want to host a virtual career fair to attract more candidates and gain exposure while doing so.  In that case, a video conferencing program like Zoom can be a perfectly acceptable option.

However, if you’re hosting a career fair with multiple employers or your organization has dozens of job openings with locations throughout the state or country, your needs will far outweigh the features that video conferencing programs can offer for a successful event.

Essentially, video conferencing is just one element in a virtual career fair.  While some of these programs offer additional features like chat and breakout rooms, they don’t include the unique features offered by virtual event platforms that will increase your event’s ability to mirror in-person events.

In the Premier Virtual platform, recruiters can review resumes well before ever speaking with a candidate.  They can also view pre-recorded video resumes.  If the employer feels it might be a good fit, they can enter into a one-on-one chat or invite the candidate into an interview using the integrated video feature.  These features make it possible for recruiters to engage with more than one candidate simultaneously, increasing effectiveness and efficiency.

It’s also important to note that this is not a group chat that everyone else in the room can read.  In the Premier Virtual platform, the job candidate’s communication is always ‘one-on-one,’ securing both parties’ privacy.  The Premier Virtual platform also has a ‘smart-chat’ feature that follows the candidate throughout the event.  This feature allows the candidate to start a chat and continue with the event without having to wait in a long queue or for a response from a recruiter that might be busy at the time.  Whenever the recruiter is available and responds, the candidate will receive the chat message and continue the conversation.

This process is much more cumbersome with video conferencing.  The host or employer would have to schedule an interview with the candidate ahead of time, or the recruiter has to ask that candidate to leave the main group and enter into a ‘breakout’ room.

There are many other advantages to using an event platform.  For example, if you have multiple employers, you can customize the lobby so that each company has its hiring booth, complete with logo, bio, job openings, social media and website links, as well as downloadable PDFs.  Everything you need to replicate an in-person event.  Not to mention the robust reporting that employers receive before, during, and after the event that makes follow-up much more effective.

Event platforms also allow you to scale very quickly without needing additional upgrades or bandwidth.  For example, a recent statewide career fair in Virginia had 350 employers with thousands of job openings that attracted over 15,000 job applicants.  Those are numbers that could never be replicated in person or managed properly using video conferencing software.

Monetizing Your Career Fair

One key advantage is the ability to use our virtual platform to monetize your events.  During Covid-19, many chambers of commerce organizations and event organizers in general, have had significant setbacks due to CDC guidelines for in-person events. Using a virtual event platform like ours allows you to easily monetize events by selling booths and securing sponsorships just like you would in a live event.

The bottom line is if you’re managing hundreds of employers, thousands of jobs, and tens of thousands of job candidates, it is simply beyond the capacity of video-conferencing platforms.  When it comes down to virtual career fairs, choosing a virtual event platform that is dedicated to powering them like Premier Virtual is the wise business decision.

If you’d like to learn more about the Premier Virtual event platform, please visit www.PremierVirtual.com for a free demo.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Is Your Workforce on Board?

Sergio on April 7, 2021

Premier Virtual is the #1 virtual event platform in the workforce development industry.

Virtual Career Fairs have emerged as one of the best ways to hire over the past year and they’re here to stay.

Our virtual career fair platform is the best way for your workforce board to drive qualified candidates into your employers’ hiring pipeline while transcending geographic barriers.  Here is a growing list of boards that have signed licensing agreements with our platform:

State Level:

Massachusetts (17)

Virginia (17)

Tennessee (14)

Wisconsin (11)

Florida (24)

Individual:

Texas (17)

California (18)

Ohio (5)

Colorado (2)

Maine (1 for three years)

Maryland (1)

Minnesota (Dakota County career force)

New York (1)

Utah (1)

Washington (1)

Not Career Centers:

New Jersey (Dept of Economic Development)

Job Training Centers:

N.Y – Schenectady Job Training Agency

Schedule a demo to see why Premier Virtual gives you more than any other virtual hiring event platform on the market!

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?

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 – 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.

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.

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 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 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.

Questions to Ask When Choosing a Virtual Job Fair Platform

Sergio on March 31, 2021

Top 10 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Virtual Career Fair Platform

An effective virtual event platform is first and foremost, easy to use, at all levels.  The participants need to have little to no learning curve, resulting in a positive user experience.  It’s equally important for the host and other participating organizations or vendors to be able to quickly ramp up, which requires excellent support and a knowledgeable sales team.

With this in mind, all of your questions ultimately should address whether or not the features make the event easier to set up and use.  After all, even the best technology is useless unless it makes sense to everyone.

Some platforms focus more on certain types of events than others.  For example, if you have a trade show or a career fair, some platforms will offer more features and benefits because they specialize in such events. For this article, we will focus on platforms that specialize in virtual career fairs.

1) How will my recruiters or hiring companies communicate with the candidates?

The best platforms offer easy-to-access chat features that allow candidates to initiate a conversation with the recruiters. Also, there should be an integrated video chat, as well as an option to add whichever video platform your company already uses.  This is important in the case of government agencies that may have firewalls or restrictions that do not allow for third-party teleconferencing access.  You don’t want to be troubleshooting that the day of the event.

In addition, it’s important to understand if the chat is one-on-one or group chat.  The best platforms offer one-on-one chat with the ability for the recruiter to quickly access a list of pre-programmed answers to be able to chat with as many applicants as possible.  Finally, advanced chats will follow a candidate throughout the event, meaning the job candidate doesn’t have to wait in that recruiter’s booth (or in the queue) to receive an answer before moving on.  At any time when the recruiter answers, the candidate will receive that answer in their chatbox.

2) What happens if the candidate or hiring company has an issue registering or during the event?

For the job candidates, registering for the event includes adding all of the contact info, uploading their resumes, and so on. This should be as easy to navigate as possible.  Make sure to ask for a demo to see how this process works since many of the issues reported during the event revolve around user login, and uploading information.  This holds true for the hiring companies that want to customize their booths, adding bios, links, and downloadable documents.  With any issue, the best platforms offer 24/7 support and quickly respond to requests through either email, chat or even live calls.

3) How many recruiters can participate at the same time?

The best platforms offer an unlimited number of recruiters to participate. Typically events receive a large amount of foot traffic as soon as they start, so having extra recruiters at the start of the event is a good strategy.   Each recruiter must understand how to access their admin dashboard and how to chat with a candidate or invite them into a video interview.

4) Do you offer training?

This leads to the next question…how will the host, hiring companies, and candidates be trained to use the platform? Again, the most important feature is ease-of-use, but when it’s a user’s first time, there will be some getting used to it.  All platforms should offer a library of detailed training videos for each type of participant.  These videos should be readily accessible as soon as the participant registers. Also, the best platforms offer a dedicated account manager that will schedule an onboarding call to show you exactly how the platform works, and make sure everyone on your team is ready.  Beyond that, you can ask if they offer any other live webinar or group training options for your employers or registered job candidates, that are helpful the day of the event, usually just before it goes live.

5) How quickly can I set up and launch my event?

If you have an urgent need, you’ll want to know how quickly you can start using the platform. Premium providers make it easy for you to set-up, so that you can host your first event literally within 24 hours. This flexibility can save you in a pinch, but as with any successful event, you will want sufficient time to promote and get everyone trained ahead of time.

6) Is pricing based on the number of booths or resumes?

This is a very important question since some of the best-known platforms do have charges for booths or resumes that exceed a certain threshold. Your initial price may be based on 100 booths or resumes, and if you go beyond that you are charged accordingly.  This can be prohibitive and results in charges you did not budget for.  The best platforms offer a flat rate price, with no upcharges. Pricing can also be discounted when you sign up for yearly, or multi-year licenses that are paid upfront.  Keep in mind, the more you use the platform the more value it offers, and the less you pay per event on a flat-rate/licensing model.

7) What kind of reports will I receive?

The data collected and reports you receive, offer some of the biggest benefits of participating in a virtual career fair. Your employers or hiring managers will love it when they receive a complete list of who attended the event, who visited their booth, a copy of all the questions asked, and of course, all of the resumes submitted.  The best platforms offer real-time reports that update as the event goes on, and some have integrated APIs that automatically move that data to your existing CRM tool. You can also ask if there are reporting tools such as ‘ranking a candidate’ or other ways to make notes during the event which are very helpful to improve the follow-up process.

8) How many people can be on the platform at the same time?

The reliability or stability of a platform is ultimately the most important factor. If the platform crashes or lags, it will interrupt the event, causing candidates to leave or have a poor experience.  Make sure to ask if the platform you are considering has had any issues like this, or you can check their reviews on reputable sites like G2, Capterra, and Select Software to see what others have said.  Premier Virtual recently powered an event for the workforce board in Virginia that saw over 15,000 job candidates and over 350 employers on the platform at the same time, with no downtime! That’s the kind of reliability you want to know your platform will provide.

9) Can I use the platform for other types of events or purposes?

It’s amazing once you have this tool, how many other purposes you can use it for. Make sure to discuss with your sales rep all of the different possibilities including things like; internal training, onboarding, webinars, trade shows, etc, and see how the platform can be adapted to handle these requests.  Once you start using the platform for other purposes you add more value, reducing your cost per event and increasing the return on your investment.

10) Is there a wait time between events, or can I host unlimited events?

Finally, make sure to ask if the use of the platform is truly unlimited when you license it. Some platforms require you to wait up to 14 days between events which can limit your options.  The best platforms do not require any wait time between events and believe me, you will want to use the platform as much as possible once you have it!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us to schedule a free demo so we can address any other needs you may have.

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