GCCA | Graduate Careers Council of Australia

Graduate Careers Australia

Graduate Grapevine - Number 11, Winter 2008

Virtual Careers Fair – It Just Gets Better and Better

In 2008 the Virtual Careers Fair (VCF) continued the success of 2007 with a moderate increase in the number of visitors to the site but a substantial increase in the amount of time spent on the site by users.

Why Students, Careers Professionals and Graduate Employers Participated

The VCF offered organisations the opportunity to raise their profile and promote their employment programs to graduates and students through this cost-effective and wide-reaching event. VCF offered organisations an innovative medium to present themselves interactively through the online Hosted Forums, as well as having their corporate information profiled during the course of the Fair.

Students found the ability to contact prospective employers, irrespective of their location or schedule, a big plus. This is of particular importance to part-time, regional and external students, and metropolitan and other students who are unable to attend their own university’s onsite fair.

Online applications have become a standard procedure for many employers of graduates, and each year VCF gives students the ability to link directly to the application pages on employer websites, quickly and efficiently.

This VCF is the largest event of this type in Australia and New Zealand and was once again endorsed by the National Association of Graduate CareersAdvisory Services.

What Happens at the VCF?

The VCF is a ‘traditional’ Careers Fair, but it operates in the virtual environment and can therefore take full advantage of web-based benefits.

The Fair operates during the conventional Careers Fair season (normally in March), with the site (www.vcf.graduatecareers.com.au ) remaining open in a passive state for a further three-month period. The Fair has a ‘preview’ state that allows students to pre-plan their visits during the active phase of VCF.

The primary components of the VCF are:

• a searchable database of employers and employer profiles
• direct web-links to exhibitors’ online recruitment sites and application areas
• real-time online chat rooms to provide a forum for exhibitors and students to speak directly to one another
• the VCFPod Centre, containing downloadable podcasts with employer interviews and video clips
• resources to support student job search activities
• further interactive facilities for students, such as the very popular Interview Quiz and daily Mini-Surveys.

Participation prizes are awarded to students to encourage active involvement and repeat visits.

Benefits for employers

The VCF provides employers with a cost-effective way of promoting their graduate recruitment programs, as the corporate profiles are available to a large audience of potential applicants.

Other benefits include:

• no travel, accommodation or set-up costs
• no productivity losses from pulling staff from core activities
• registration and participation takes place in the office
• company profile and brand recognition is enhanced
• students can be reached across Australasia, individual cities or regional areas
• on-campus promotional strategies are complemented
• links are available to company online application forms.

Students can access any organisation’s information from anywhere!

Employers can also elect to participate interactively at the VCF hosted forums in a simple online chat room, providing personalised contact with interested parties. Employers can also be ‘interviewed’ by the VCF team, or provide their own audio clips, for inclusion on the VCFPod Centre.

Results Speak for Themselves

• During this year’s VCF (3-20 March), the site increased the number of visitors from 13,561 in 2007 to 13,688.
• Page views went from 111,402 to 170,932.
• By 20 May the site had received 21,743 visitors and over 200,000 page views.
• The most popular part of the site was the Job Search/Employers profile area, with nearly 28 per cent of total traffic since the VCF opened.
• During the Fair, employer profiles received nearly 20,000 views with the average company profile receiving 232 visits.
• The 2008 VCF also involved 68 chat sessions, and the VCF Pod Centre was visited over 1300 times.

Here are some statistics from a recent survey of 910 VCF users. Of the 95 per cent who were students or recent graduates:

• 94 per cent were satisfied, or more than satisfied, with their VCF experience.
• Of the 94 per cent who accessed the Job Search/Employer Profile area, nine out of 10 said this facility was ‘useful’ or ‘most useful’.
• Also rated ‘useful’ or ‘most useful’ by the majority of those who used them were the chat room area (75 per cent) and the VCF Pod Centre (64 per cent).
• Of those who indicated their country, 88 per cent were in Australia and 11 per cent in New Zealand.

Students and recent graduates participating in the VCF represented the following areas of study:

NB: As more than one area of study applied to some students, this table does not add to 100 per cent.

What the students had to say…

“I especially found the online chat sessions extremely engaging and informative.”

“I used the website to research employers who were attending my university Fair.”

“Great information, helpful live discussions with relevant companies and good tips – thanks again!”

“It provides a complete range of information regarding graduates opportunities.”

“The site has been very informative, enabling access to organisations previously not considered. Thank you.”

“VCF made it easy to find out about companies that were looking for graduates in my field of study (IT/Telecommunications).”

“Very clear and had to-the-point offers and instructions.”

“Enjoyed very much and would recommend to others.”

“Valuable information was given, freebies were very useful and the environment got me to mingle and learn from other students in my situation.”

And employers…

“…I was very pleased with the Virtual Careers Fair. We have hadgood feedback from students. I would like to thank Anton and Kathy fortheir help and attention. I am looking forward to the next opportunity.”

“…VCF is developing into a great online destination for students and graduates to access career info in various engaging formats. Keep up the good work!”

Contact GCA at [email protected] if you would like further information in enhancing your recruitment activities next year by participating in the 2009 Virtual Careers Fair.