virtual job fair | Premier Virtual

Tips For Event Hosts On Engaging Your Virtual Audience

Sergio on February 10, 2022

There’s no getting around the fact that you need to create an engaging environment, especially if you’re hosting a virtual hiring event or job fair. Job candidates will be more engaged with the right content to access, and your employers will have a more successful event. There are certain things you can do to create this type of environment.

Have Interactive Events

You need to interact with your guests if you want your event to be successful. It doesn’t matter which type of event it is. You can do this by:

Have live polls and feedback – you can allow attendees to give live feedback regarding the overall nature and success of your virtual events. Do this in the form of live polls and feedback sessions.
Attend the live Q&A sessions that your presenters host – the questions and answers to them will give you valuable feedback as to what you can be doing better in the future. The Q& A session should revolve around a pre-defined topic. Be sure to inform attendees ahead of time for better results.
Host interactive discussion panels – make your events more engaging by allowing attendees to interact with each other in virtual discussion panels. Make sure that they’re separate from the panels that your presenters hold. It may not be a bad idea to ask the attendees the topics they want to discuss and make them the focus of your discussion panels.

Be Sure To Recreate The Hallway Track

Hallways in real events make for some interesting conversations. Make sure that your virtual events have these as well. You’ll be sure to create an interesting virtual event that everyone will want to participate in if you do this. Hosts need to make sure to offer informal networking opportunities as well.

Informal networking: Make sure that employees have the chance to connect with each other informally during your events. It can lead to great opportunities and conversations. You can do this by scheduling various breaks throughout your event.

Live chat and social forums: Continual communication will ‘break the ice and make strangers feel like comrades. Make sure to build these opportunities into your events.

Share Engaging Content

You need to deliver high-quality and engaging content if you want your events to be of any use. Doing the following makes this possible:

Pre-event content offers – engage your audience and encourage them to listen to your information even before you host the event. This will guarantee that you will have a greater turnout and interaction during your actual event. You can do this through interactive and engaging marketing emails and social media posts.
Use downloadable resources – make sure that you have downloadable content. Seeing something in writing will make what you’re discussing even more powerful and impactful.
Have an always-on environment – have a perpetual event. You’ll find that it will engage more interaction and lead to greater attendee turnout in the future.

To learn more about Premier Virtual and the solutions we offer such as virtual career fairs, visit https://premiervirtual.com/ or call 561-717-9717.

Virtual Hiring Must be Part of your Digital Transformation.

Sergio on January 11, 2022

Digital Transformation is not a new thing. In fact, it began for many companies long ago as they realized the importance of data. By digitizing information, you can easily gather, sort, and create reports to analyze.

From the migration of paper to digital and written forms into online forms, digital transformation continued to expand. E-commerce has taken front and center as Covid-19 completely shut down in-person access to many businesses and events.

All around the globe, organizations have had to suddenly reevaluate their business plans. The need to create a memorable digital experience for your customers has never been greater. Having the luxury of delaying your digital transformation is gone and could mean falling behind your competitors while they fully embrace theirs.

This has never been truer in the world of recruiting and staffing. The evolution of hiring has taken us from classified ads in the newspaper to online job boards and ATS systems that filter and track applicants. The next stage that was accelerated by the pandemic is virtual hiring and hosting online job fairs or hiring events.

Not that this strategy is completely new, but the tools and platforms to do so have evolved tremendously. For example, on the Premier Virtual platform recruiters can host and attend a virtual job fair from the comfort of their desk. Applicants can participate from anywhere in the world. Recruiters can quickly glance at resumes, enter a chat, and invite job applicants into a video interview, in a matter of seconds.

The platform streamlines the screening process and reduces time to hire from an average of over 30 days, to under 7 days in many cases. That type of functionality was not possible before platforms like Premier Virtual when all companies had access to was MS Teams or Zoom.

Maybe the most crucial feature of remote hiring events is again the data that brings us back to digital transformation. At one time, resumes were collected on paper at these events and taken back to the office to sort. Now all resumes can be downloaded with a click of the button. Recruiters can keep notes during the event and download reports to follow up accordingly.

Businesses and organizations continue to recognize the importance of virtual hiring but have fluctuated from in-person to virtual based on the current climate. If there is a new variant, and covid cases spike, we see an immediate return to virtual. One recent Forbes article according to Burbio, a firm that monitors school data, more than 2,000 schools were prepared to close for at least one day, due to Covid-19 concerns for the first week of January. There are about 21 states with at least one school district closed or transitioning to remote learning this week. Reuters reports that thousands of U.S. schools have delayed this week’s scheduled to return to classrooms, following the holiday break, or switched to remote learning, as the Omicron variant spread.

As 2022 begins, many New Jersey school districts are going virtual to deal with the ongoing spike in Covid-19 cases and the staffing shortages it has caused. The data shows that the vast majority of these are poor, underserved children. This is a disaster for both the children and parents.

Just in the last week, we had 3 schools, Richland School District 2, District 5 Lexington and Wade County Public Schools that had to pivot from in-person job fairs to virtual. Because they have a license with Premier Virtual, they had the virtual job fair set up and ready to go in the event they would not be able to move forward with the in-person event, and that’s exactly what happened. The results were extremely positive with hundreds of applicants attending virtually and many new hires and connections were made at each event.

The stark reality is that Covid is here to stay. We must plan for a world that mitigates this challenge the best way possible, and integrating virtual hiring is a key component. There is no more time to wait or consider if virtual is right for you, it is right for everyone.

We see more and more candidates choosing to apply and attend virtually and looking for remote or virtual job opportunities. The better prepared your company or organization is to offer these options, the more talent you will attract and retain.

If you are still wondering if you need to add virtual to your hiring strategy, do not delay the decision any longer. The sooner you put a platform like Premier Virtual in place, the sooner you will set your company staffing needs up for success.

To schedule a free demo with Premier Virtual please visit our website.

Is your ATS System Blocking Qualified Candidates?

Sergio on October 12, 2021

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

This system, which ranks 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 has been deemed impersonal, and quite frankly unfair to applicants who don’t know how to use such keywords.

The online virtual job and career fair platform Premier Virtual has an innovative solution to this complex problem.

Virtual hiring rooms. That’s right. The future-focused technology company has positioned itself as a go-to company to help employers create virtual hiring rooms to make job hunting more personal and fair.

Now, hiring managers can meet candidates in a virtual hiring room. Think of it as a 24/7 office that can be linked to your company’s job listings. This allows company recruiters to schedule an ‘open-house on set days and times where candidates can meet and chat. 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.

This tool has proven to reduce time to hire from an average of 30 days to just over 7 days.

What’s included in a virtual hiring room? Here’s what you can expect:

Fully Customizable Hiring Room
Live Reporting During Events
Video Interviews
Candidate Matching Based on Experience
Registration Setup Wizard
Ability to Host Webinar
Built-in Text and Email Reminders
API to Integrate with Current ATS Systems
Candidate “Journey” with Ability to Rank Companies and Track Their Progress in the Event
Organization ability to tag candidates before an event to show interest and schedule interview

Premier Virtual is the no. 1 virtual career fair platform in the industry, with nearly 200 Workforce Development Boards choosing the company for online career and hiring events.

Don’t let the ATS systems choose your candidates for you, take back control of the hiring process with your own virtual hiring room.

Host Virtual Hiring Events With Premier Virtual

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.

Showcase Your City with a ‘Live, Work, Play’ Virtual Expo!

Sergio on September 14, 2021

Many cities across the U.S. are looking for ways to attract new companies, events, and residents. There is also the very real challenge posed by the Pandemic, which has many employers struggling to hire.

An innovative option is now being considered that offers employers, as well as local travel and tourism boards, and real estate companies to showcase their wares. This option is a ‘Live, Work, Play’, Virtual Expo!

By combining these three areas, you’re able to bring together the best of what your city has to offer, all in one place. Best of all, anyone can attend from anywhere in the world! This is a great opportunity for companies and families that are looking to relocate and are considering a move to your city. The virtual expo allows them to see what career opportunities are available, and meet with those recruiters on the spot! They can also view all of the ‘real’, real-estate openings and speak with realtors. While there, they’ll want to know all of the fun and exciting things your city has to offer, and that’s where your travel and tourism board comes in. Attendees will leave with a much better appreciation of what it will be like to live in your town, and it will be a great resource for residents that already live there as well.

We’ve seen how these events have successful drawn attention from potential new residents by showcasing all of the benefits of living there. The ability to attend the event, without having to travel is a tremendous bonus. This is a great way, to make a great first impression, and potential residents can do their research before booking costly travel arrangements.

It’s a classic, WIN-WIN-WIN!

To find out how your city or municipality can host a Live, Work, Play Virtual Expo, simply fill out a free demo form on this site, and one of our representatives will contact you immediately. We look forward to showcasing your town!

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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.

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.

Virtual Career Fairs Have Changed The Staffing Industry

Sergio on August 3, 2021

It is sage and common advice for job seekers, new graduates, professionals, and the like to be encouraged to go to a job or career fair. Attending these kinds of events connects employers with a large number of prospective employees, and vice versa. Job seekers can interact with peers, and connect with potential employers, companies get their brand out there and are more recognizable to the workforce, networking happens, many good things come out of these events on both sides. That being said, the job recruitment and seeking landscape has changed significantly in recent years, and companies are taking many of these kinds of career fair events online.

No one knows more about the way the staffing industry and job recruitment environment have evolved than the team at Premier Virtual. After almost a decade of managing in-person events, co-founder and CEO Steven Edwards jumped into offering virtual events in 2018, as he saw the demand and market change. In early 2020 Premier developed their own innovative software platform for companies to host events, quickly becoming one of the top-used planforms in the nation when the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to go virtual. Premier Virtual is the number one virtual career fair platform in the workforce development industry.

Edwards explains that he started to see the shortcomings in the in-person job fair market, employers were missing out on connecting with qualified candidates due to long lines, and candidates walking away. Candidates were finding themselves frustrated as well. Edwards describes it as a process of walking into a crowded room, then waiting in line to hand over a resume and saying “Hire me?”, and then walking away always dissatisfied and doing it all again. The process was not efficient, so Edwards set out to create a space for both employers and job seekers to have a better experience.

The Benefits Are Clear

Cost-effective
Far-reaching, not limited by the geography of the size of the venue
More efficient, save time to travel and set-up
Fantastic lead generators
Increase brand recognition
Easily accessible for everyone
Make instant connections with targeted, highly qualified candidates
Reduce Time to Hire from 30 Days to an average of 7 days
Increase the quality of your bench
Attract candidates from all levels of experience, not just entry-level

Traditional job fairs tend to offer introductory and lower-level jobs, whereas on the online platform companies can hold executive-level career and hiring events, recruiting the top qualified candidates from all over the world. The system that Premier Virtual created goes far above and beyond, offering companies the ability to create a custom career recruitment system, as well as employing a one-of-a-kind flat licensing rate system allowing companies to hold multiple cost-effective events. Premier Virtual 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.

Born and raised in small-town Wisconsin, Edwards is a veteran, serving in the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army, as well as in the Florida National Guard. Edwards is always working to think outside of the box to see how he can make the industry better, and help people daily in a way that benefits their lives. He, along with business partner Gary Edwards lead a diverse, innovative team, motivated to drive advancements in the industry. “We are a ‘Future-Focused’ company, and we are every day innovating and making improvements. Our goal is to create a stand-alone platform that can provide all the solutions human resource executives need, in one place.”

Connect with Edwards and the Premier Virtual team on social media and through the company website, https://premiervirtual.com.

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]

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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561-717-9717

Tips For Event Hosts On Engaging Your Virtual Audience

Virtual Hiring Must be Part of your Digital Transformation.

Is your ATS System Blocking Qualified Candidates?

Showcase Your City with a ‘Live, Work, Play’ Virtual Expo!

Premier Virtual Powers Record-Breaking Virtual Job Fair!

How the Pandemic Affected Job Hiring

Virtual Career Fairs Have Changed The Staffing Industry

SF Tech Company Accelerates Growth, Opens New Location

7 Reasons to Add Virtual Career Fairs to Hiring Strategy

Virtual Career Fairs: The 5 Most Common Questions Answered!

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