More of the business world seems to move online every day. Today's students can expect to balance their future careers between the virtual and physical worlds. Fortunately, many of these students grew up surrounded by technology and have negotiated online activities and relationships. But are college students prepared to be their best at a fully digital career fair?
Advantages of a Digital Fair
The benefits of a digital career fair are numerous. It’s more convenient for employers and students. Employers don’t have to travel so that they can attend more events. There are no traffic or parking nightmares, and you save money by not renting a venue or recruiting event staff. Students can quickly check in from their phone between classes and not worry about how they look.
Maybe Not an Advantage?
Let’s look at that last advantage. College students are incredibly comfortable online. Etiquette, grammar, and standards, in general, are more relaxed online than in work life. Students are intelligent enough to know that they need to act professionally for potential employers, but are they prepared to do that at a digital career fair? If they do know how to communicate professionally, will they slide into more familiar habits under stress or if a recruiter tells a joke?
Employers Want Professional Communication Skills
As the host of a career fair, you want your students to be successful. They need to show business recruiters that they have the skills companies want. In a recent survey, the National Association of Colleges an Employers (NACE) found that companies hiring on college campuses listed professional communication skills as the most-desired competency in 2016.
Set Students Up for Success
The transition from student to employee is challenging. Presenting themselves to hiring recruiters is stressful under the best circumstances. A physical career fair gives students the structure they need to separate their student identities from their budding professional personalities. It sets them up for success.
Employers Want to Meet Students
Digital career fairs are more convenient for employers, but the price of that convenience is not meeting students in person. Conference-call technology is impressive compared to what it used to be, but it's still more productive to meet a person in the real world. Interacting with students lets recruiters get a better sense of how students might fit into the corporate world.
Conclusion
Physical career fairs serve employers and students better in most cases but that doesn't mean that digital career fairs don't have their place in the world. Of course, there are going to be times when a digital career will be the best option. You can have the best of both worlds by using the mobile app from CareerFairPlus. This powerhouse application gives students the flexibility to research employers and plan for a physical career fair using their phones or computers. Then they can meet the employers in person and make the excellent impressions they need to start their professional lives.
