3rd March 2010
Murdoch University (WA)

4th March 2010
The Big Meet (WA)

5th March 2010
University of Tasmania (TAS)

9th March 2010
RMIT (VIC)
University of South Australia (SA)

10th March 2010
University of Melbourne (VIC)

Flinders University (SA)
Curtin University (WA)

11th March 2010
Monash University (VIC)
Flinders University (SA)

12th March 2010
The Big Meet (NSW)
Victoria University (VIC)
University of Adelaide (SA)
WASM (WA)

15th March 2010
Deakin University (VIC)

16th March 2010
La Trobe University (VIC)

17th March 2010
Swinburne University (VIC)
Macquarie University (NSW)

18th March 2010
The Big Meet (VIC)
University of Woolongong (NSW)
USC (QLD)

19th March 2010
UWS (NSW)

*These dates may not be correct. Please contact your University for most up to date Graduate Career Fair Details.

Every day more business’s embrace technology and Social Media by integrating them into their business model. Whether that means finally creating a facebook page, a Linkedin account, or tweeting their first tweets, it’s about time. In a world where Facebook, in just five short years, has surpassed Myspace as the number one social network and Twitter has nabbed the number three spot in less than three years, it is vital to quickly embrace technology as it emerges. To do otherwise is to short change yourself. The newest technology to explode on the scene is Virtual Events. However, while much of the business to business market has been quick to embrace and use this technology to their advantage, there are still many companies and schools that are dragging their feet. I can only rationalize this by assuming they have yet to learn of Virtual Events and their great benefits.

My own school, Melbourne School, for example, could do to embrace this technology for the sake of their student body. Each Fall Melbourne hosts a very large Career Fair with many important companies attending. It’s a great way for seniors to start their job hunt and the rest of the student body to start their summer internship search. I am currently studying abroad in Madrid, Spain and while here, it has come to my attention that it is Melbourne’s policy that you must attend the Career Fair to interview with a participating company.

Unlike the physical career fair where some people do not attend due to the long lines and overcrowding, the virtual experience allows you to quickly navigate to the booths you are seeking. When you first arrive, you fill out your personal information, submit your resume, and fill out a questionnaire that ranks the present companies in order of compatibility. This aids you in prioritizing which companies you would like to visit. My only complaint is that it could be a little more extensive, but on the other hand, this questionnaire doesn’t exist in the physical fairs. The booths themselves present the visitor with many options like submitting your resume, checking their job listings, applying for one of these listings, and chatting or web conferencing with an employee. This component helps to address the critics that say the virtual experience is too impersonal. An additional way to address this might be adding the option of submitting a 30 second video clip in which you spend the 30 seconds describing yourself, or essentially selling yourself. While 30 seconds is no substitute for an in person meeting or interview, it is a great way to add a more personalized touch to your credentials as well as project a little of your personality.

Every university could stand to benefit from a Virtual component to their Career Fair. It helps students who have fallen ill as well as students who have gone abroad to keep connected and have an equal chance of finding the right job and company for them. I know I would have attended.

Companies can stand to benefit by buying a stand as well. Not only is it cheaper, but it allows them to pull from the entire talent pool instead of just the ones who manage to make it by their booth. It also allows them to obtain all of the submitted resumes virtually which saves them a lot of time and effort.

In 2010, it has been predicted that over 5000 virtual events will take place. Now is the time to take the virtual plunge and be at the forefront of this great new wave of technology.