Face-to-face interactions, a diverse pool of candidates, unlimited brand exposure to the right audience group, and all in one place - these are just a few of the many benefits of career fairs.
Although they may seem like a relic of the past, don’t be fooled - career fairs are still a valuable avenue for finding the perfect candidates for your team.
Instead of recruiters wading through a stack of resumes that can’t communicate abilities, soft skills, and competencies, especially for early career talents, a career fair allows you to meet talent head-on and discover hidden attributes of candidates with great career potential for your organization.
Now, what you get out of these events depends on the efforts you put in to stand out in the crowd and deliver the ultimate experience to job seekers. An effective career fair strategy can shorten your hiring process and have you making conditional job affairs right then and there.
Let’s review some strategies for improving the results you get out of career fairs.
1. Use QR Codes for a better candidate experience
QR codes can be an excellent way to streamline the job application process at career fairs. Instead of having to fill out a lengthy paper application, job seekers can scan a QR code with their smartphone and access an online application form or be directed to their preferred messaging platforms for immediate screening and to complete their application. It beats manually collecting candidate information in such a high-speed environment which could result in long, unattractive queues around your booth.
For Alorica, the company sources candidates from a vast amount of heavily attended job fairs all over the Philippines.
Learn how Alorica processed 2X the candidates in half the time with Talkpush.“We needed to find a more efficient way to process candidates. With the help of Talkpush, we were able to use a QR code that made our sign-up process easier and more convenient for both our recruiters and our applicants.”
- Marvin Vinluan, Strategic Sourcing and Recruitment Marketing Director at Alorica PH.
Additionally, by creating a custom QR code for each job opening, recruiters can track which positions received the most applications and which job seekers were most interested in specific roles. This data can then be used to optimize future job fairs and recruitment efforts.
2. Implementing conversational AI for answering FAQs
Career fairs can be overwhelming for job seekers, and they often have many questions for recruiters. Frequently asked questions (FAQs) can range from job-specific queries to general inquiries about the company culture. To simplify the process of answering these questions, recruiters can use AI chatbots to field questions at the event so they can focus on building connections with potential candidates.
Chatbots can answer FAQs by using natural language processing (NLP) to understand and interpret job seeker queries. They can provide answers to questions related to job openings, the recruitment process, and other general inquiries about the company.
Additionally, AI chatbots can provide personalized answers to each job seeker by analyzing their submitted job application. Using chatbots at career fairs can help recruiters save time and energy while also providing job seekers with accurate and timely responses. With the help of AI, recruiters can focus on more complex queries and engage in more meaningful conversations with job seekers.
3. On-site assessments to expedite screening
On-site assessments are a valuable tool that can be used to speed up the recruitment process at career fairs. These assessments can be used to evaluate job seekers' skills and abilities and determine whether they are suitable for the available job openings. On-site assessments can include language proficiency tests, skill tests, personality assessments, and situational judgment tests.
They are beneficial for both job seekers and recruiters — for job seekers, they provide an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and abilities and potentially secure a job offer. For recruiters, on-site assessments can help identify the best candidates quickly and speed up the recruitment process.
These assessments also provide employers with an opportunity to evaluate potential candidates on the spot and offer jobs to the most qualified applicants.
For job seekers, on-site assessments can provide valuable feedback on their skills and areas for improvement.
However, it's essential to note that on-site assessments should be used judiciously. They should not be the sole factor in determining whether a job seeker is a good fit for the organization. Instead, they should be used as one of several tools to evaluate job seekers' potential.
Looking to find the right assessment tool to help you hire the right candidates? Find out here - 12 great assessment tools to accelerate volume hiring
4. Video/voice asynchronous interviewing
AI-powered video/voice asynchronous interviewing allows recruiters to interview potential candidates asynchronously. This means that candidates can complete their interviews at their convenience and from any location.
Recruiters create a pre-recorded set of interview questions designed to assess the candidate's qualifications, language proficiency, ability, and suitability for the job. Job seekers can then record their answers to these questions at a time and place that is convenient for them, especially if they do not want to spend so much time at the fair.
This means they can complete the interview on the go, without having to take so much time off work.
AI-powered video/voice asynchronous interviewing can also help recruiters to filter through the large number of applicants they receive during a career fair. They can review the video recordings of the interviews and identify the most promising candidates for further consideration. This makes the process more efficient and convenient for both recruiters and job seekers.
5. Encourage referrals
When companies encourage referrals at career fairs, they are essentially tapping into the existing networks at these fairs to identify and attract other talented candidates. This approach can be particularly effective for hard-to-fill positions. Offer referral incentives to get job seekers at these fairs to help get the word out about your open positions.
In addition, referrals can help to speed up the recruitment process, as candidates who come through referrals often have a shorter time to hire than those who apply through traditional channels.
6. Post-career fair follow-up and feedback
N.B. Best use of company representatives at career fairs
One of the essential aspects of a successful career fair is the presence of company representatives. Company representatives are typically senior employees or managers who attend the event to represent the company and interact with job seekers. Their role is to provide job seekers with information about the company, its culture, the available job opportunities, compensation packages, and the benefits of working for the organization. They should also have the authority to make on-the-spot decisions like extending job offers.
While they should be interacting with job seekers, they shouldn’t get carried away with repetitive tasks that can prevent them from making the rounds and building connections. This is where recruitment technology like Talkpush plays a key role. Talkpush automates 95% of the front-of-the-funnel recruitment processes including lead processing and scoring, prescreening, and interview scheduling so your company representatives have the freedom to mingle and keep their eyes out for the next best hire.
Ready to see how Talkpush can help you deliver an exceptional experience at your career fairs?
