Virtual Career Fair Technology Summary 2020

The year 2020 has changed the world drastically and forced all of us adopt technology more than ever in our day-to-day lives. When it comes to Higher Education and Recruitment, virtual career fairs have been the buzz word in 2020. Virtual Career Fair or Virtual Recruitment Fair is the new normal and is here to stay. The year 2020 saw the emergence of several Virtual Career Fair technology platforms that enabled institutions and organizations organize and participate in virtual career fairs. Here is a summary of what the Virtual Career Fair technology arena has witnessed in 2020 and some of the evident trends.

No Restriction Platforms in Demand 

Several technology providers entered the market with Virtual Career Fair platforms trying to allure customers with tall claims. By the end of December 2020, it was evident that what the market needs is career fair platforms with absolutely no restrictions. Most of the newly introduced and existing products had restrictions on the number of fairs, number of one-on-one meetings and restrictions on the duration of the meetings. Most of the institutions and recruiters felt that the technology platform should not restrict them on the number and duration of meetings. The Institutions should be in control of the event and not the technology provider.

Minimum staff/organizer involvement preferred 

Virtual career fair solutions that demand very minimum involvement from the staff members/organizers on the event days is preferred by most of the customers. The platform should facilitate seamless virtual interaction between the students/job seekers and the recruiters. The platform should also facilitate effective event monitoring and provide real-time analytical reports on various parameters of the virtual career fair.

Need for tried and tested collaboration tool  

The collaboration tool is the most important component in a virtual career fair solution. Some of the newly introduced solutions had come with their own collaboration technology which was not tested enough. Those newly baked solutions were more prone to technology glitches when compared with solutions that used tried and tested virtual collaboration technology such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Solutions such as Cynaptx Virtual Career Fair platform enabled users to conduct virtual career fair using Microsoft Teams.

Easy to use with minimum clicks  

Ease of usage of the virtual career fair platform proved to be a decisive factor in the success of the fair. It was evident that the users prefer solutions that would enable them to use the application with minimum number of clicks and easy to navigate.

One platform for different events  

Flexible virtual event platforms which can be used for hosting different types of events are in demand as it is cost effective and offers more value for money. Since the same platform can be utilized across multiple departments/teams, the cost is being shared between departments/teams which makes it financially viable for all types and size of organizations. For instance, Flexible Virtual Event platforms can be used for hosting virtual career fairs for students and for conducting hiring events for recruiting teachers and staff members.

Platform should work on low internet speeds  

Students preferred Virtual Career Fair platforms that worked smoothly even on low internet speeds. Several platforms with jazzy user interfaces and 3 D virtualization proved to be network heavy and students struggled using them. Moreover, they don’t work well on mobile devices. Virtual Event Platforms built using enterprise grade technology such as Microsoft Teams were able to offer better user experience for students.

Customer Support and Handholding  

Users expect dedicated support from the technology provider on the day of the event. Since most of the institutions and organizations are new to virtual career fairs, extensive handholding is needed. Virtual Career Fair platform providers should be ready to provide live support during the event and few rounds of training before the event.

Recruiters prefer familiar technology  

Recruiters prefer technology solutions built on Microsoft Teams and Zoom as they use those solutions on a day-to-day basis at work. In fact, Microsoft Teams is one of the most sought-after enterprise grade collaboration tools in the world used by millions of organizations across the globe. A virtual event platform that lets the users use Microsoft Teams to participate in the virtual event offers a lot of convenience and avoids confusions for the recruiters.