UNL students and employers had their very first virtual career fair experience in fall 2020. After looking at career fair data, hosting an employer advisory board, and being experienced in this virtual setting, University Career Services has some tips, tricks, and best practices to support your recruitment and career fair goals.
Spring 2021 Virtual Career Fairs registrations are open now! Click here to register and for more information.
Build your team of recruiters early
Handshake data shows that the earlier employers onboarded their recruiters and had their schedules created, the more students they saw! Did you know that every representative attending the fair needs to have a Handshake user account? Representatives who are not recruiters might need some extra assistance on creating their Handshake account, be sure to reach out to them early.
For anyone needing more of a deep dive on how Handshake works, please view our past employer webinar about Handshake basics, best practices, tips & tricks.
Post and vamp up your job postings
Students are still applying to jobs and internships! Students are still utilizing Handshake to search for opportunities.
According to Handshake, 58% of fair attendees viewed an employer, browsed jobs, or applied for a job on Handshake within 2 weeks. Before the fair, have all of your job postings up and invite students to meet with you at the virtual career fair to discuss the opportunity. Include a direct link to your session.
Connect with the Colleges on campus! Learn more about where specific students are at and other Career Services staff at the College level. Contact Holly Pham if you’d like to connect with our Colleges.
Attend an Employer Education Webinar hosted by us
Come and join a webinar made just for you! Learn data from the fall career fair, Handshake basics to your teams that need to be acquainted with the platform, show you how to schedule your schedule, and tips and tricks from other employers that had a successful virtual fair experience.
Participate in sponsorship opportunities
For Spring University Career Fairs, we are offering 3 additional promotion opportunities to further your reach. Learn more here.
Prepare the group and 1:1 session experience
Be creative with group sessions to make a lasting impression
Utilize 30-minute group sessions to get creative while engaging with students! Consider specific group sessions for different types of students or things students may be looking for such as a group session for engineering majors or just internships (you can even have your current interns be hosts), having a group session just for freshman/sophomores who are more looking to connect to build your pipeline, and one just for seniors looking for full-time work. Another example is if you’re looking to expand your diversity and inclusion efforts, is to host a group session with a panel of diverse representatives on how your organization supports diversity and inclusion initiatives. Throw in some fun questions to ask your panel of representatives too!
Bring the fun gadget and gizmos that you would normally have at your booth, to the group session! Host a giveaway using a virtual spinner, give a quick virtual tour of the office or at home workspace – how has your work environment changed, have a mini competition with music where whoever can name a tune first, wins, or have a trivia at the end about your organization.
Intentional conversations during 1:1’s
You may have relied on student traffic to reel in students at your booth in a traditional career fair space. Students now have to set up a time to meet with you, almost like a mini-interview. You may see fewer students overall since students are less engaged at UNL in general, but the quality will be higher.
To make the best of your 10 minutes 1:1 conversations, prepare to break the ice by having a list of questions to ask students. By getting to know the student a bit more, you are able to tailor the conversation based on their interests! For example, if a student voices they like having mentors, then you describe how your organization supports employees.
Adjust your marketing & branding
It might be time to visit with your marketing and brand team to adjust their efforts during this time of transition. Here are a few ways you can highlight your brand on Handshake right now:
Have Your Interns & Husker Alums Leave a Review
Reviews are a great way for current students to gain more insight in a peer-to-peer setting that can create a positive impression. Reviews asks what they liked in their role, what they wished was different, and advice they would give to other students. Here are instructions you can send to your interns or alum to leave a review.
Add Media Material
You can add photos, documents, and videos to your Handshake employer page. You can create a video featuring your CEO thanking employees or highlight how your organization is reacting to the challenges of the pandemic.
Guide Students to your Profile
In your job postings, you can even call out to check out your reviews and media material to learn more about your organization.
Visit Handshake for more employer resources in their blogs that highlight trends, tips, and more.
Please contact Holly Pham if you’d like to connect and ideate your recruitment goals for Husker students!
