Fleishman Center connects students to opportunities through virtual fairs
The Fleishman Center continued to offer opportunities for students to be connected to the same opportunities offered in years past, ensuring that career services don’t stop amid the pandemic.
Realizing that traditional in-person fairs were not possible for the fall semester, the center worked quickly to transition fairs to a virtual format to provide the same opportunities students were accustomed to, allowing them to make valuable connections with employers and graduate schools.
The Fleishman Center was able to use the University’s existing career services management system, hireBING by Handshake, to hold virtual fairs that offered students a comparable experience to in-person fairs. Unlike other virtual fair platforms, students were able to pre-schedule 10-minute one-to-one sessions with representatives and sign up for group information sessions. The platform supported video conferencing, allowing face-to-face conversations as well as chat functionality.
The fall virtual job and internship fair took place Thursday, Sept. 10. More than 860 students and 120 employers with 324 representatives participated. As we were unsure what to expect from employers in this new virtual format, it was decided to discount employer registration to entice them to participate in the virtual fair. The virtual format assisted in attracting several new employers that traditionally were not able to participate in on-campus recruiting for various reasons.
The Ccenter received positive feedback from students and employers on the virtual fair through a survey. Following the success of the fall job fair, the center also hosted Binghamton University’s annual Graduate School Fair and Law Day for students who are considering further education. Over 180 students and 240 graduate and professional schools attended.
In addition to hosting Binghamton University’s own fairs, the Fleishman Center worked to partner with other universities and offered students additional opportunities to connect with employers and learn about career opportunities during the fall semester. Binghamton University students were able to attend the University Network Career Fair in late October with students from several other distinguished institutions, such as Northwestern, Yale and Vanderbilt. The center also worked with other SUNY schools to offer the SUNY CDO (Career Development Organization) Fair in early November.
Several virtual fairs are being planned for the spring semester. Providing students with opportunities to connect with employers is critical for career success, and the Fleishman Center has been proactive to ensure students have access to as many virtual programs as possible during these uncertain times.