Perhaps one of the biggest advances in 2020 is that everything’s gone virtual: weddings, classes, conferences, concerts, and the list goes on. In business, recruiting has been a leading application for virtual events platforms but virtual events aren’t just for mass hiring. An online event platform doesn’t just help companies meet candidates, it can be used at all different points in the recruiting funnel and even well beyond hiring. Finding creative ways to use virtual event platforms helps organizations take further advantage of cost and resource savings, and contributes to a stronger employer brand, boosts employee engagement, and strengthens organizational culture.
Here’s a look at six creative ways to use virtual events to support your business—and benefit your employees.
Virtual information sessions
A virtual career fairs platform like Brazen's isn’t just for hosting online job fairs where recruiters interview job seekers. Hosting pre-recruiting events that help job seekers learn about your company and prepare for their job search can help you improve the quality of candidates who attend your career-focused events, and build a talent community you can harvest from in the future. A virtual information session can showcase your company’s mission, history, and community involvement, or offer job seekers resources to improve their quest for employment, such as resume and interview tips or even virtual connections with job search consultants.
These types of events are common among workforce development agencies and other organizations that exist to support job seekers. Private companies can also use this strategy to redeploy employees after layoffs, in addition to hosting information sessions to support the very top of their recruiting funnel.
Virtual career fairs
Also known as a virtual job fair, these events are perhaps the most popular type of virtual events an employer might host. During these events, employers can connect with candidates from any location, in nearly any skill set, and conduct quick online interviews via text, audio, or video. Virtual career fairs make it easier for employers to target candidates with niche skill sets, and engage with more candidates in the same amount of time (or less) than during in-person job fairs. Virtual career fairs typically have much higher attendance rates (averaging 60-70% vs 40% with in-person events) and thus result in a higher proportion of quality hires.
The full scope of virtual career fair benefits is long, and the returns can improve over time as employers learn from event data and hone their strategies. Spending adequate time and energy to carefully plan virtual career fairs in advance also improves the outcomes.
Virtual new hire orientation
Onboarding new employees is a crucial part of the hiring process, and is essential for investing in your employees’ success. At a time when it’s not advisable to host large group gatherings and many new employees are both being hired remotely and will work remotely, virtual events are the answer. A virtual new hire orientation allows employers to connect with new employees across time zones, and gives them the same warm welcome they would experience in person. Virtual onboarding events can be structured to include all the same information and resources as in-person orientations, and they’re easy to plan in advance once you know how to host a successful virtual onboarding event.
Virtual benefits fair
Disseminating benefits information, either to new hires or during open enrollment, is always a challenge. For companies with remote employees or with teams spread out across different locations, a virtual benefits fair makes a lot of sense. During a virtual benefits fair, employers can set up booths to share details about new enrollments, plan changes, and other perks to help employees take full advantage of benefits offerings. Virtual events for benefits information can cover all the necessary details and even include one-on-one meetings to help employees who need additional support. Learn everything you need to know about hosting virtual benefits fairs.
Virtual hackathon
Business must continue to innovate to stay in the game, no matter the industry. Hosting a virtual hackathon is an easy way to leverage technology to tackle and solve some of your company’s biggest problems. On a virtual events platform, a hackathon could span several days or even a week for a small fraction of the cost of an in-person event. These events can bring together talent across your organization or even from the public, without any geographic barriers, travel expenses, or venue rentals. Unlock solutions to take your business to the next level once you know how to host a virtual hackathon.
Virtual events offer unlimited opportunities
These examples are just a handful of ways employers can use virtual events to find, connect with, and support candidates and employees, based on examples we’ve learned from Brazen clients. It’s not surprising that virtual events have proven to be an easy, effective way to communicate with people during the pandemic, and we know these events will continue to play a huge role in business going forward, due to the wide array of applications and advantages they offer. There is no end to the innovative ways you can use virtual events, and we’ll keep an eye out for other great ideas to help you get more out of a virtual events platform.
