Career fairs allow recruiters to meet quality candidates face-to-face and form meaningful relationships. With the global pandemic making travel and in-person meetings difficult – and in some cases nonexistent – live career fairs needed to be replaced.

The solution? Virtual career fairs.

This shift lets recruiters continue to make valuable connections and communicate with candidates actively looking for opportunities. Exhibiting at virtual fairs differs from live events, so Andrea Leland, Manager Talent Acquisition at Dartmouth Hitchcock shared some lessons and best practices their organization has learned from their experience.

In uncertain times, one thing is sure: Things change.

The COVID-19 impact on physician recruitment has varied in organizations across the country. While some departments have slowed their recruiting efforts and assisted in other areas, we have heard from many organizations that their recruiting strategy continues for today’s needs as well as the future.

But how do you find new candidates for your organization’s needs when many of your traditional recruiting options aren’t available? One solution is to make a virtual connection.

Virtual events – like career fairs – provide a unique opportunity to still connect with potential candidates. They’re a good solution anytime as a way to save on travel expenses, and they’re especially helpful when face-to-face interaction is discouraged or not possible.

Career fairs can be tremendously effective ways to meet and connect with many candidates in a short period of time. We all go into a career fair optimistic, thinking we are going to find a great hire. However, it is not as simple as showing up, talking to candidates, then going home.

Don’t just think of a career fair as an event that starts at 5 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m. Instead, the foundation for a successful career fair is laid well before the event. Use these nine tips to increase your career fair ROI.

You wouldn’t expect a job-seeking physician to use only one method of searching for their next practice, right? Then why only use one method to recruit the best candidates for your organization?