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Making the most of Virtual Jobs Fairs
Virtual jobs fairs or Virtual careers events take place online and they are an excellent opportunity to connect with prospective employers and training providers from the comfort of your home, office or on the go.
Attending a jobs fair can be daunting, virtual jobs fairs are transforming the way in which people and potential employers/training providers engage. Using interactive features like webinar presentations, webcasts, live chat, chat rooms and more, virtual career fairs are a great way to access a wide range of real time information from a single web portal.
Virtual job fairs offer people the freedom and flexibility to interact directly with potential employers and training providers so they can make more informed career decisions. All that’s needed to attend is a computer, tablet or mobile device with internet connection.
1 What are the different types of virtual jobs fairs?
Virtual Jobs Fairs are becoming increasingly popular. Businesses and training providers have had to transition from their traditional in-person jobs fairs to online events.
The various virtual events have their own unique features, the main types of online events are:
with teachers, staff, students and virtual tours of the college
2 Preparing for a Virtual Jobs Fair
You should take some time researching the organisations exhibiting at the virtual jobs fair before attending. This will ensure that you have identified the organisations that are of interest to you beforehand and organised your day should you wish to attend the various live webinars and webcasts as these are usually delivered at particular times.
3 Update your CV
Sharing your CV with prospective employers at a virtual event is a great way to start an engaging conversation. This will be your first opportunity to introduce yourself to a prospective employer and a quality, up to date CV is a must!
You can tailor your CV to match particular jobs to show how your experience and skills match these jobs.
You should give some thought to how you will introduce yourself to the companies and have this to hand. This may include an introduction about yourself, your education, work experience and why you are interested in the job or training offer.
4 Practice Interview Techniques
It is likely that you will be asked many questions when speaking to companies during the event. These conversations may take place over chat, the phone or even via video platforms.
It is therefore important that you prepare and think about the questions you may get asked.
5 Dress Appropriately
The importance of first impressions cannot be emphasised enough. The companies may wish to speak to you via video call using platforms such as:
- Zoom
- MS Teams
- Skype
- Webex
You should therefore be smartly dressed and look presentable to leave a good first impression.
6 Technology
Before you join an online event, you should make sure that:
- You have access to a reliable internet connection and that it is working
- the battery on the device you will be using is fully charged and you have the charger to hand with access to an electrical point should you need to charge your battery.
- You have tested you microphone and webcam to ensure they are working
- You are using an internet browser that is compatible with the virtual jobs fair platform
You should ensure that the environment you are sitting in is quiet and tidy, especially if you are likely to appear on camera.
7 During a virtual jobs fair
Spend some time getting used to the online event. Click into a few company virtual stalls to get a feel for the platform and the structure of the event. There will usually be a range of services on offer, you may find things like:
- CV advice
- Careers advice & guidance
- Workshops
- Webinars
- Webcasts
- Virtual conferences
It is important that you:
- Are always polite and formal when speaking to employers
- Have your prepared introduction ready
- Ensure that grammar and spelling is correct before sending your CV, covering letter and if your using an online messaging portal
- Take notes as you will meet with a lot of people at the event.
8 After a virtual job fair
If you have found a potential role and been encouraged to apply, you should do the following:
- Contact the employer and follow up
- Tell them what impressed you about the organisation and the role the most
- Ask any questions you thought of since you spoke to them at the event.