In a pandemic, social distancing is a mainstay practice everywhere you go. From the grocery store to a favorite restaurant you like to pick-up from, staying distant from others is a safe way to decrease the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus. Despite the new health protocols, life must go on, and that means people are job hunting. One issue you may encounter is that it’s impossible to hold job fairs as you once did. Does this mean you’ll need to cancel them altogether this year? No! There have been many companies that have held virtual and drive-thru job fairs. Not only do they keep safety a priority, but they efficiently deliver the information job seekers need. One may be more ideal than the other depending on your industry. Let’s take a look at each type of job fair and how you can set them up.

Drive-Thu Job Fairs

Drive-thru job fairs have been used by companies that wish to have an in-person experience with job seekers. While job seekers sit in their cars, recruiters or hiring managers can conduct interviews standing outside of the vehicle. Each of the parties is masked and the recruiter is keen on social distancing.

To set up a drive-thru job fair, it would be similar to how you’d approach a traditional event. However, it may be wise to set a limit on the number of job seekers coming, as you will have a line of cars waiting for their turn to speak to someone instead of being dispersed throughout a room. First and foremost, send out specific safety protocol information to attendees. This should clearly outline how candidates are expected to interact with your staff. As each job seeker pulls up to a specified location (like your company parking lot), have a masked staff member hand them paperwork to fill out to be matched with relevant opportunities. Once the paperwork is complete, the job seeker will then move on to the right booth(s) to interview with hiring staff. Some companies have allowed candidates to exit their vehicles and move on to socially distanced outdoor interviews. This is entirely up to you.

Over the course of several hours, your hiring staff will have interviewed a sizable pool of potential hires without risking safety in the process. Seeing one another face to face will allow your staff to get a better feel for candidates, which is a bit of a downfall with virtual job fairs. Keep in mind that with each party wearing masks, it can be a bit challenging to speak and listen clearly during interviews.

Virtual Job Fairs

Virtual job fairs are more common than drive-thru events. They’re accessible and easier for candidates to commit to since they will be attending in the comfort of their homes. You can also expect virtual job fairs to be lower cost but take more in-depth planning.

To begin creating this type of job fair, you’ll first need to determine which platform you’ll host the event on. There are several like Paradox, Brazen, and CareerEco that feature chat rooms, branded booths, live streams, and more. Choose the right platform for your company and specific hiring needs. From here, you’ll also need to consider aspects like the number of attendees expected, the type of resources you need created for the job fair, the cost of the platform you’ve chosen, additional software you need, and whether or not you wish to work with recruitment firms. Answering questions like these will help you manage the rest of the planning process.

Within these virtual job fair platforms, you can create booths for job seekers to find relevant information and speak with your staff or recruiters. Take time to make these booths feel engaging and look attractive. After all, you want candidates to find your event worthwhile and interesting! Some platforms allow video uploads, while others offer the possibility of virtual tours. Candidates may even be able to upload their resumes before the event begins. Again, your choice of platform is crucial to the success of your job fair. Once you have everything in the platform set up, it’s time to notify hiring staff, recruiters, guest speakers, and others you want in attendance. Ensure you have enough staff ready to look at resumes, supervise chatrooms, interview candidates, create content for the job fair platform, and handle general marketing of the event. Talk about your job fair on your company’s social media platforms and other relevant locations to alert potential hires. From here, it’s a simple matter of sending reminders and other details leading up to the event.

This may seem like a complicated process, but usually these virtual job fair platforms are quite user-friendly! Give yourself and your staff plenty of time to get acquainted with the software.

For your next job fair, try one of these COVID safe methods out to bring in new talent to your business!