The Changing Nature of Virtual At-Scale Recruitment: Vying for Candidate Engagement

“The largest challenge came for educators, public sectors and employers who relied on scale engagement for recruitment.”

by  Alex Martin, VP of Sales, SeeMeCV

Engaging and recruiting talent virtually is a trend that has been growing over several years – with new technologies across all facets of engagement developing over the last decade. It is an unsurprising fact that COVID-19 has been a catalyst, accelerating the development and deployment of such technology.

But far beyond being a ‘flash in the pan’, many of these technologies are now becoming ‘the norm’; with the benefits of its application extending beyond an age of social distancing. In the APAC Talent Solutions Report by LinkedIn, 72% said that Virtual Recruiting will become the new standard.

In 2020, interviews and even onboarding went almost entirely online. While for one-to-one engagements it took some adjustments, it was adopted rapidly without any major changes in the process.

The largest challenge came for educators, public sectors and employers who relied on scale engagement for recruitment. Be it for internships, early careers, or at-scale employer branding, adjusting the nature of mass engagement online posed a specific challenge. However by the end of 2020, many found delivering virtual career fairs as a norm for engaging, informing and attracting talent.

Fast adoption with little time for adaptation and limited use-cases meant that ultimately the types of virtual solutions implemented were extensive and varied.

“Virtual Career Fairs” is a term that has encompassed everything from scheduled ‘webinars’ on existing webinar platforms, to virtual speed interviews and fully immersive virtual fairs which include virtual booths, interview platforms, and mass-engagement presentations.

Each format has its own merits, be it the speed of execution, simplicity of engagement or providing immersive, content-rich environments primed for 2-way engagement.

But in 2021, the challenge is now compounded.

In 2020, there were a limited number of online events by merit of both the reduced number of opportunities and dependence on an organization to adapt quickly in providing an online forum. In 2021, there are more opportunities (one SeeMeCV fair had a 40% increase in jobs available between 2020 and 2021 for the same group of employers) and most organizations have decided on and invested in the platforms needed to deliver their set of requirements.

The result? Candidates’ attention is more divided than ever across multiple platforms, events, opportunities.

A lot of employers, as a result, are finding that their challenge is no longer about providing the platform for engagement – but rather ensuring their platform is memorable, engaging, and provides clear calls to action so that their Virtual Career Fairs result in conversions and applications.

For every fair that is organized by employers, they need to be asking themselves

What is the primary and secondary objective of my fair and does the platform support this (i.e. Is a pure Webinar the best format if your primary objective is to drive applications?)

What are my metrics for success and does the platform support this analysis?

Is the content of my virtual event truly engaging and memorable? Does my pre-event marketing reflect this and have I got the follow-ups planned in order to convert registrants into attendees?

Even for employers who have implemented solutions in 2020 and 2021, they may be missing opportunities in this more competitive market. This is where a more holistic solution comes into play – and where SeeMeCV has always aimed to stand apart.

We provide immersive virtual fairs which include 3D booths designs, chat rooms with post-event candidate sorting and auditoriums – all in a customized environment. Our client and candidate experience come first – where engagement is the priority – ensuring employers put their brand message front and center, with candidates having a memorable experience.

That’s why our client work always begins with one question: “What are your primary and secondary objectives?” From there, we utilize over a decade of experience to guide and facilitate fairs that are built for purpose. We have even consolidated our experience into a ‘playbook’ that has multiples chapters of Best Practice Virtual Fair guidance for employers and exhibitors.

Virtual Career Fairs are here to stay – but the environment for organizers will only continue to get more competitive.

Ultimately, having the right partner is as important as having the right platform.

TalentView is an official partner of SeeMeCV in the APAC region.