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Hire The Right Employees With a Virtual Hiring Platform

Sergio on September 17, 2021

Today’s job market is an ever-changing, evolving, and rather difficult to navigate place for both employers and job seekers. Employers struggle to find reliable, qualified candidates, and for employees, finding an employer that is going to support them the right way is also a challenge. Creating that perfect match of a perfect employer and ideal employee is a challenge that has been at the forefront of the motivation that drives the team behind Virtual Premier. CEO Steven Edwards has worked in the job and career fair and event industry for over a decade, connecting companies with candidates, both in person and in the virtual space. 

Edwards successfully embarked on the path of entrepreneurship and business ownership himself over a decade ago and knows firsthand how vital having the right team is. Employees can make or break a business, as they are representatives of both the brand and the owner. These are trusted individuals who are there not only to better their own lives, but to help your company run efficiently, and thrive. Recruiting, hiring, and retaining the right employees, keeping them motivated to continue to work for your brand and organization, and moving the business forward starts with how accessible the job is, and how many qualified candidates one can reach. This means not simply throwing an ad up on online job boards. Career fairs have long been the best place to find a large pool of candidates and going online with that concept has only broadened the range of people an employer can connect with.  

A good hire can increase productivity, build a positive company culture, inspire innovation, and connect with the team that already exists. It is more than a process of simply looking over a resume or checking an online profile. Social skills, personality, and long-term goals and aspirations all play a part in who an employee is and how well they will serve your company. Happy employees drive revenue and can reduce operating costs, and are the lifeblood of driving your brand, reputation, and customer loyalty. On the opposite foot, the wrong candidate, or simply settling for the first person who seems like a fit can lead to a catastrophe down the line.  

There are some things that employers can do when looking for a new hire that can streamline the process and yield a higher number of well-rounded potential candidates. The first part of that is crafting a candidate-centered job description. This is not a one-sided process, and any prospective employee wants to know that they are a good fit as well and are getting involved with an organization that is aligned with their values, goals, and long-term career trajectory.  

Relying on free, local, and mass job sites is not going to yield the best candidates, so investigate hosting your own career fair or job event. With platforms like Premier Virtual, employers can create a customized event, with assessments, tasks, and pre-event vetting processes, ensuring that they find and meet with candidates that have true potential and fit what the company needs. Every candidate will have unique strengths they can contribute and get to know them properly during the hiring process fosters a better connection, and a happier workplace in the long term.  

Premier Virtual is the number one workforce development site in every state, dedicated to building the strongest connections between employers and top job candidates. As a veteran Edwards has long been dedicated to helping others and continues to do so through his company, “Our platform is opening up opportunities for people, those that might not have been able to apply for these jobs, people from all over the world, connecting companies with top-level talent. This is bettering people’s lives, every day.”

Connect on the company website, https://premiervirtual.com to learn more about how Premier Virtual leads the way in employee recruitment and hiring for companies large and small worldwide.

Premier Virtual Powers Record-Breaking Virtual Job Fair!

Sergio on September 9, 2021

From August 16th through August 20th, the State of Massachusetts held a state-wide virtual hiring event that broke all previous records!

  • 1,679 Employers 
  • 17,323 Attendees
  • 46,709 Job Postings
  • 1.3M Booth Views

Our goal at Premier Virtual is to make it as efficient as possible for employers to connect with qualified job candidates, and this is a great example of how our platform does that.  These numbers could never have been achieved in an in-person event, and quite frankly, the larger the turnout of an in-person event, the more difficult it is to manage effectively.

Employers and attendees reported how easy the platform was to use, and how they made quality connections, and job offers were made on the spot!

Learn how your school, company, or organization can do the same by scheduling a free demo today.

The Future of Hiring is Here Now!

Sergio on September 3, 2021

Why Virtual Career Fairs Are The Future For Job Seekers And Employers Alike, From Premier Virtual

Most employers these days expect potential employees to connect online, and the virtual career or job fair has become a highly utilized tool in the global business world. Prior to COVID-19, some companies held virtual or hybrid career fairs, however, the standard of most industries was to host an organization-based, or industry-specific in-person career fair. COVID-19 forced things to accelerate rapidly, and online recruitment and hiring became the norm. Now, as the business world starts to recover, the virtual career fair is here to stay. 

Premier Virtual, led by CEO Steve Edwards, has developed an innovative, customizable virtual event platform that led the way when industry worldwide had to learn how to operate solely in the digital space. Premier Virtual has powered 2,500 virtual job fairs, connecting 25,000 employers to over 250,000 job seekers, and believes that this new frontier is the best of both worlds, benefiting job seekers and employers alike. 

For employers the benefits of a virtual career or job fair are plentiful: 

  • Virtual job fair events draw a larger number of applicants and can reach a greater geographical area, bringing in a more diverse group of candidates. Virtual job fairs have a higher rate of attendance 70% than in-person events, 50% according to data from Brazen.
  • Virtual job fairs embrace technology and forward-thinking, which can lend itself to a positive company image and brand reputation.  
  • More efficient use of time, virtual events require far less planning and setup, do not require extra staff, there are no extras like catering, parking, etc. 
  • Far more organized, ability to streamline the process and target candidates with specific qualities and skills. As well, virtual career fairs will attract candidates that are comfortable with technology and working in the digital space. 
  • Allows for a more targeted applicant pool and sets up a larger network and pipeline of potential employees for future positions. 
  • Less costly than in-person events, very low overhead, and a good return on investment. 

For job seekers, the virtual job fair has become a very welcome alternative to the long lines, confusion, lack of focus, and chaos often experienced at an in-person career event. Along with convenience there are several reasons job seekers are on board with the transition to virtual career fairs: 

  • Less time consuming, and far more convenient., making these events more accessible to people who may not otherwise have time or the means to attend. Rather than a trip across town, they can log in and join in from a place and time that works for them. 
  • Many candidates find in-person career fair events to be very stressful, full of anxiety, and with a lot of pressure to make a perfect first impression. Taking away that level of stress of meeting in person has been a welcome change for many job seekers, allowing them to feel more comfortable, and make more genuine connections with prospective employers. 
  • Improved candidate experience and more engagement from candidates before events, as well as two-way interaction, allowing candidates to be more involved. 
  • Virtual career fairs are far more reliable than job boards, and allow candidates to vet potential employers, and learn about them before interviewing. 

Premier Virtual is the number one workforce development site in every state; the company is dedicated to lead the way, break new ground, and set the bar for virtual career fairs worldwide. Learn more and connect with the Premier Virtual team on the company website, https://premiervirtual.com.  

Benefits of Virtual Career Days

Sergio on August 13, 2021

Virtual career days and online job fairs have emerged as the most efficient and effective ways for employers to recruit. Mainly because job seekers who attend do not only learn more about your company, but they also have an opportunity to meet your hiring managers and interact during the event.

Scheduling a weekly Virtual Career Day is a great way for your company to open your doors and meet qualified candidates without the limitations of an in-person event.  It also gives you more flexibility, since you don’t have to schedule it around a job fair or hiring event.  By offering this access, both employed and unemployed job seekers have an opportunity to learn more about your company and meet your hiring managers.

A great strategy is to promote a weekly Virtual Career Day at a set time, say every Wednesday from 12-2 PM.  This is a great time since many people can log in during their lunch hour if they are currently employed but looking for a better opportunity.

One big difference to physical career fairs is the advantage of reaching the highly coveted, employed job seekers. These people are usually highly qualified experts still employed at another company but open for attractive job offers. They do not attend physical career fairs but will participate virtually or online to gather information through more anonymous ways.

The biggest advantage is being able to view the candidate’s resume, enter a live chat, and if your hiring manager feels there’s a good fit, move right into a pre-screening video interview.  Also, students and young professionals strongly prefer online channels to find a job.

To date, our platform has been leveraged mostly to host career fairs and hiring events with multiple employers.  That remains a great option for many employers who gain to benefit from the exposure.  However, those job seekers are also meeting with your potential competitors and applying for the same jobs at other companies.

By promoting a link to your Virtual Career Day along with your job listings on whatever job board you post them, you’ll be attracting talent directly to your organization for an opportunity to pre-screen them one-on-one.  Let’s face it, anyone can look good, or bad on a resume, and many times a recruiter or hiring manager may never see the resume of someone who could have been a good fit.

Virtual Career Days offer that unique opportunity to chat and meet the candidate, if even for a few brief minutes to see if there is a fit and move forward in the application process.  Hiring managers love the ability to choose who they want to enter a video interview with, and can often find a diamond in the rough, that could have been easily overlooked by basing a decision solely on a resume.

Jayson Waller, the CEO of SolarHOME has hired over 700 employees during the pandemic.  In a recent podcast interview, he mentioned a few pointers that have helped make their recruiting efforts so successful.

One is to hire based on character and ambition more than on skills and experience.  Save for a few positions like accounting and recruiting, the company is much more willing to hire a person that has the right attitude and desire to learn, than to hire an experienced installer, that has high demands and may come with bad habits from previous employers.

By offering a weekly Virtual Career Day, less qualified job seekers know they can meet with the hiring manager and ask questions that reduce the intimidation of sending an ‘unqualified’ resume for a job opening.  And as we already mentioned, the highly qualified job seeker is much more apt to attend virtually and initiate the job application process as well.

See how you can add a Virtual Career Day option to your job listings and make it easy for candidates to meet your recruiters without either person having to leave their desk.

Click here to schedule your free demo today.

How the Pandemic Affected Job Hiring

Sergio on August 10, 2021

This article was originally published by Sarah Marie for NY Weekly – click here to access.

When COVID–19 forced companies to transition to online and work from home setups the world turned to digital platforms and tools to stay connected. With many jobs lost and industries changing and adapting to what the new demands and necessities were, the hiring process has completely changed. Steven Edwards, CEO of Premier Virtual, has been helping companies hire qualified candidates for over a decade and has given a little insight on how the pandemic has affected job hiring practices and how the virtual space is only going to grow.

Edwards saw a shift happening in hiring practices a few years ago and started working on adapting his business to serve those needs. In early 2020, his business partner and himself launched a new platform for online hiring and recruiting through Premier Virtual, quickly becoming an unrivaled leader aiding companies with their hiring and recruitment needs through the pandemic. Premier Virtual is the number 1 virtual career fair platform in the workforce development industry nationwide and has connected thousands of employers with qualified candidates. They have transformed the traditional job fair into a highly efficient recruitment system for any level of employment, including top-level executives, benefiting employers and job seekers all over the world.

When recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and holding in-person events were not an option, hiring practices were adapted to be completely virtual. Companies found themselves overwhelmed with applications on online job sites like Indeed, and qualified job seekers felt discouraged when they saw that hundreds of other people were applying for every job. Employers reported having difficulty finding qualified applicants, and applicants found the competition to be simply daunting.

Quality of hire has become a growing concern for many companies, and with so many applicants, they have started to look for a more streamlined recruitment and hiring process. More and more companies are turning to online candidate screening and assessment tools to narrow down targeted qualified contenders. Social media has become a heavily used recruitment channel. Interviews can happen through email, text message, chatbot, and more.

Aware of these concerns and ever-changing industry needs, Premier Virtual created a unique and innovative platform that enables companies to create a custom virtual hiring event. The platform is fully customizable; employers can set different parameters for submitting applications, testing skills, interviewing, etc. Outside companies also have access to licensing the software. Through this software, Premier Virtual has supported thousands of companies connecting with and employing individuals, even in the hardest of hit places and times over the last two years. The platform has powered 2,500 events to date, connecting 25,000 employers to 250,000 job seekers, and has earned industry-leading ratings on review sites like Capterra and G2. Edwards prides himself on the dedication of his team, and how they have truly impacted and changed lives across the world.

Edwards is a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army and describes what his company does as a parachute that prevented many industries from crashing to the ground during the pandemic and kept them going. Connecting companies and individuals from all over the world, getting people connected to jobs in a time when they needed it most, Edwards knows that the virtual job and career fair model is here to stay. He is ready to take on whatever the industry needs; his goal is to better people’s lives every day.

“Our platform is opening up these opportunities for people, maybe those that live in rural areas, and those that might not have been able to apply for these jobs, people from all over the world. We are connecting companies with top-level talent, making this an easy-to-use, stand-alone platform that allows companies to increase their candidate pool, and get more qualified applicants opportunities to apply. This is bettering people’s lives, every day,” he said.

Edwards and his team have supported companies and organizations of all shapes and sizes in all industries as the hiring practices have evolved and will continue to do so. They are always seeking ways to improve and make the platform better, setting the bar for the rest of the industry. Connect with Edwards and the Premier Virtual team on the company website.

SF Tech Company Accelerates Growth, Opens New Location

Sergio on June 15, 2021

Office Expansion Enables “Premier Virtual” to Fast-Track Customer and Employee Successes

Delray Beach, FL. June 14, 2021 – Premier Virtual, South Florida’s fast-growing virtual job fair platform, recently opened a new office in Delray Beach, Florida. The move will accommodate the company’s rapid growth, leverage the area’s diverse high-tech talent pool while responding to the critical need of employees and employers throughout the country.

“We are enthusiastic about our success over the past year, and our new location reflects our culture of innovation and excellence,” said Steve Edwards, CEO of Premier Virtual. “It’s the perfect time for us to make this move to maximize the potential for our team and growing customer base while allowing us to respond to critical demand from employers and employees.”

Premier Virtual has powered over 2,500 virtual career fairs, connecting 25,000 employers to over 250,000 registered job seekers, since its official launch in March 2020. The company was in its infancy when everything practically changed overnight due to the virus. Virtual event options suddenly became the only option, and Premier Virtual was at the forefront.

According to the US Department of Labor, joblessness remains at an all-time high, and the number of unemployed persons is still nearly 10 million. Back in April 2020, the unemployment rate jumped to a level not seen since the Great Depression, and as of April 2021, it was still a grim 6.1 percent. The good news though is the number of Americans filing “new” claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level in nearly 15 months.

The impact of the virus and the economic effect have been widespread. Both employees and employers nationwide are still feeling the fallout, including a labor shortage.

Premier Virtual is helping people get back to work by connecting employees to employers. The company has grown from two employees to more than 20 in the past year. The platform has been a catalyst for companies across the country who are looking to hire by providing them a virtual option to connect with job seekers, while potential employees enjoy an interactive experience, versus submitting their resume to an algorithm. Premier Virtual is the exclusive virtual career networking platform for CareerSource Florida and Tech Hub South Florida.

Nationally, Premier Virtual is the #1 platform among workforce development boards, with nearly 200 accounts. Beyond workforce agencies, many school boards, institutions of higher learning, and tech organizations have patterned with Premier Virtual to host their virtual career fairs. The US Veterans Chamber of Commerce and American Legion are also using the Premier Virtual platform to help Veterans find gainful employment.

During this virus, in-person career fairs were prohibited, and Premier Virtual’s platform provided a great alternative to connect employers and jobseekers. Post-Virus, many organizations recognize that virtual career fairs are a more effective and efficient way to hire. Based on the positive results and ROI, the trajectory of virtual events continues to expand.

About Premier Virtual

Premier Virtual is an online virtual job and career fair platform. The online hiring events are designed to bridge the gap between technology and human experience. The company has hosted more than 2500 job fairs over the past year and is poised for continuous growth. Premier Virtual is a future-focused company that believes through innovation, it can provide clients with the best possible solutions to be successful. Relationships are built with integrity, trust, honesty, transparency, and a culture of teamwork built on servant leadership.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

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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