Despite the increasing popularity of virtual job fairs, hosting an in-person hiring event in the post-pandemic recruitment landscape is inevitable. For a significant section of candidates and recruiters, in-person recruitment allows for personal and hands-on interaction between the two parties.
Ultimately, both sides can gain a better understanding of the employment opportunity. However, the Covid-19 Pandemic has taught worldwide event hosters that no extra precautions are excessive. Candidates’ experience and health and safety elements must be on-point to host the perfect post-pandemic physical event. That is why recruiters should look into the following list of things they can consider for career fair preparation.
Why Should a Physical Career Fair Be Held After COVID-19?
Statista survey conducted in March 2021: 42% of American individuals chose to partake in physical events only, compared to 6% virtually.
Even with multiple quarantine orders, a 2020 report by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events emphasized that live events generate over 6 million jobs that year. As the trends in the prevalence of “Hybrid” models are in evidence, we can expect virtual career events and physical fairs to both play a vital role in the hiring funnel.
It is also in our nature as humans to socialize, especially after a period of quarantine. A 2020 article on Time discussed the harmful effects of individuals after the lengthy lack of physical interactions. Hosting a post-pandemic career fair is an excellent way to capitalize on candidates’ eagerness to establish physical contact. Users can then have a list of primed candidates ready to enter the recruitment funnel.
In-person Event Preparation – Tips and Best Practices?
First and foremost, we would like to encourage readers to contact your local CDC branch, whether through a representative office or the official website, to check on new directives or approved guidelines before hosting or participating in an event.
In this section, we have compiled some of the best practices for any host or participant eager to get back to physical events this season.
Take These Factors Into Careful Account Before Deciding to Host an Event
Where and when the event will take place can significantly impact the safety of your team and visitors. Whether you are a host or an attendee of an event, make sure you always calculate these factors before deciding on the physical details of your event:
If any point in this checklist still concerns you, your event team is still at risk. Read on for some of the best practices to keep your team and visitors safe!
Career Fair Preparation Tip #1: Utilize Digital Solutions
A tool’s utility is only limited by the user’s creativity. Do you know recruiting solutions like a text recruiting app can help make your event safer? Here are some examples of recruitment tools to boost your event safety level.
If you are hosting an event, consider:
Text recruiting app as a public announcement system: In a typical setting, given enough information, this app can help users, recruiters, and event organizers alike, reach plenty of candidates using automated text campaigns. Knowing this, why don’t we use an SMS recruiting solution to help deliver event safety information to our candidates? From facemask requirement notices to code of conduct, simply create your text campaigns and let the automated text function handle the job.
Besides the purpose of the announcement, you can also use automated SMS campaigns to start collecting such essential data as the method of travel and location of residence.
CRM solution as a contact tracing tool: now that you have collected a sizable amount of data through your SMS recruiting tool, it’s time for the recruiting CRM to help you keep your candidates safe. Similar to how you would group, sort, and create talent pools based on candidates’ skills, talent, and background, you can do the same based on the risk of exposure to the Covid-19 virus.
Consider integrating a text recruiting tool with the CRM in this application. Any information collected by the app can immediately show up on the CRM to help the organizer track an entire group or individuals. If you are unsure about this application of a CRM solution, know that you are not the first to do it.
If you are attending another event, consider:
Keep a clear communication channel using messaging apps: With chat-room applications like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger so readily available, most recruiting teams attending an event usually have one or several chat rooms to handle operation and logistics. Now, chat rooms can also play a role in protecting the health of your team.
A recruiting team attending an event can open a dedicated chatroom to report on their health or raise concerns if they expect they have been exposed to the sickness. The key here is to establish a clear and constant communication line across the whole team. Good communication means you can speedily provide aid and attention to an ailing member and have their position filled without too much hassle.
Use an automated check-in app: One way to protect your team is to enforce distancing measures and limit the number of candidates visiting your booth at a time. However, implementing these rules can severely affect the result of your recruitment program. That’s when an automated check-in app comes in. Essentially, the app’s core mission is to collect information on candidates your team could not get to at the event. With the data, you can freely reach out at a more opportune time. That’s why we have implemented it in our Rakuna Event App as Kiosk Mode!
With the help of technologies like ATS, CRM, or Virtual Career Fair App, physical career fairs, as we know, are steadily transforming into a Hybrid recruiting model where both physical and virtual elements can be combined to give candidates the best experience. Want to experience the future of event hosting? Check out this video on Hybrid events from IMEX Group!
Career Fair Preparation Tip #2: Maintain Safety Protocols
These are some of the most direct methods to guarantee all participants’ safety in an in-person event like a career fair as a host:
As a recruiting team joining an event, your responsibilities are limited to your booth and the visiting candidates. However, that is no reason to lower your vigilance. You can follow these safety protocols to keep your team and visitors safe:
Career Fair Preparation Tip #3: Ensure Social Distancing and Logistics Availability
Logistics of an in-person event will dramatically change during the recovery period after COVID-19 as they need to be arranged within social distancing guidelines.
Pay attention to the following essential aspects:
Conclusion
We have just gone through essential points to ensure the safety of participants in a physical career fair organized after COVID-19. Career fair preparations are a big deal at any time. Hopefully, this guide will be a robust foundation for a successful recruiting season during the recovery period. As the “Hybrid” model trends are on the rise, it is worth considering using virtual tools during post-COVID career fairs. If you have yet to optimize your post-covid recruiting strategy, consider giving this compact guide a look!
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