Handshake Virtual Fairs

Through Handshake virtual career fairs, candidates can learn about employers and share their profile when participating in group sessions or 1:1 sessions with recruiters using their browser or Handshake’s mobile app. Students and employers will have access to video, audio, and text-based chat during these meetings, enabling the personal connection of in-person fairs in a virtual, accessible setting.

Virtual fairs in Handshake offer employers and candidates the opportunity to participate in:

  • 30-minute group meetings that accommodate up to 50 candidates each. Multiple recruiters can attend, talk with the candidates, and share their screen.
  • 10-minute 1:1 meetings for candidates are hosted by up to 15 recruiters. Each employer representative sets their own schedule and chooses qualifications that students must meet to attend.

Employers will be able to see profiles and public resumes, as well as message the candidates they engage with at the fair.

Scheduled Chats and Sessions

Handshake – Quick Fair Tips
Virtual Fairs in Handshake: A Guide for Employers
Creating a Schedule for Virtual Fairs
Video: How to Set a Schedule for a Virtual Fair
Hosting Virtual Fair Sessions
Handshake Video Test

Managing your Team’s 1:1 Schedule

Creating an Employer Account
Adding a teammate to the fair/event
Editing group sessions/1:1 sessions

Outreach to Candidates to Fill Your Schedules

– Send targeted invites to candidates. Please see the email with the subject line “Promoting Virtual Fair Chats and Sessions” that provides instructions on how to access the resume book of all registered candidates. Note: Students can register through the day of the fair, October 13th, so
–Utilize Handshakes “Talent List Feature” to search and filter those students who have made their profiles public. Note: this includes all students, not just those already registered for the fair.
– Consider if your schedule qualifications for candidate sign-ups are too limiting. Click the button “Manage Sessions”, then click on “Edit 1:1 qualifications”. In the popup, select the team member that you would like to edit qualifications for and make changes as needed. In the lower-right corner of the popup, click “Update Qualifications” to save your changes. Repeat these steps for each team member’s schedules as needed.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE

– Each individual session is 10 minutes long and group sessions are 30 minutes long
– The entire 1:1 schedules can be transferred, but not individual sessions
– Employers cannot add a candidate to their schedule, the candidate must sign up in Handshake. Information for candidates on how to sign up for chats and sessions is provided on our Candidate Information page.
– If you run out of time with a candidate, the candidate will be able to sign up for another slot, but only with a different representative from your organization.
– Chrome is the preferred web browser when participating in virtual fairs. If you experience issues with your video camera or zoom rooms, please access the fair through Chrome and try again.

Before the Fair

– Complete your profile in Handshake
– Upload your resume and make your resume visible to employers in Handshake
– Read Handshake’s Guide to Attending a Virtual Fair for tips on preparing for and participating in a virtual fair on Handshake, and more.
– Read Signing up for and managing virtual fair sessions.
– Register early to schedule chats with your top employers of interest well in advance of the fair date as slots fill up quickly. All chats during the virtual fair will be at scheduled times – there will be no first-come, first-served option. On the day of the fair, there will not be virtual waiting lines to chat with an employer. You will be able to continue to sign-up for a specific timeslot with employers throughout the day of the virtual fair.
– Reserve space in CAPD for the Virtual Fair. If you need a quiet space to participate in a virtual fair, book a room in E17-294 (available Monday – Friday, between 10-4pm). Learn more and submit your reservation online.

Day of the Virtual Fair

– Select Chrome as your browser when participating in the virtual fair. You can also use Firefox or participate using the Handshake mobile app
– Turn off VPN
– Cancel your sessions IN ADVANCE, if you cannot attend a session you have signed up for with an employer. This is respectful of the employer’s time, allows other candidates to register for that slot, and ensures you will be able to sign up for other sessions during that timeframe
– Review the additional links and tutorials found in the Resources and Support section of this page
– Use the Virtual Help Room offered by Handshake for virtual career fairs
– Chat with CAPD staff! Pop into the Help Room offered for each event, if you need help. Help room links are offered in the fair details located in Handshake.
– Download the Handshake App on your phone or mobile device through the Apple Store or Google Play for access to the fair map and list of employers. Learn more about using Handshake Mobile

Scheduled Chats

– Each individual session is 10 minutes long and group sessions are 30 minutes long.
– You cannot sign up for multiple 1:1s with the same rep at an organization, but you can sign up to meet with different reps at the same organization
– If you run out of time with an employer representative in your individual timeslot you can sign up for another available timeslot, but you will only be able to speak with a different representative with that employer.
– Day-of availability of sessions may be limited or unavailable for high-interest employers.
– You may sign up for multiple sessions with an employer, but are limited to one chat per employer representative. Each additional session you sign up for will be with a different person from the company.
– Sessions cannot overlap in terms of time. If signed up for a group session, you cannot leave a group session early and join a 1:1 during the timeframe of the group session
– If you miss a session, you will need have to have the employer cancel the earlier one to be able to sign up for a later one
– There is a Handshake Virtual Help Room listed in the fair on Handshake and a general Help Room offered by the fair organizers as well.
– To join a session, click on “Join Video” and then choose whether to keep your camera and mic on or to participate by text chat instead.

After the Fair

– Follow-up with employers you had a “session” with after the fair. Look up the fair in Handshake and then click on your schedule tab for a list of your signed-up sessions. The session host’s name, job title, and the company will display. Click “Send a message”, to the right of the host’s information, if you’d like to follow-up with them directly.