5 Job Fair Ideas to Attract Top Talent (Plus Giveaways People Love)

Finding the right candidate for each new job role can be a challenge, especially if your team is short on time and resources. Enter the job fair: an effective way to find potential hires among pools of candidates in one location. 

Job fairs create opportunities for recruiters to connect with promising talent and help set your company apart from the rest of the crowd. You can use them to show off your company culture, discuss your business’ mission and values, and give potential hires an up-close look at what it would be like to work for you. Plus, they save time by allowing employers to meet numerous candidates in one place.

The catch? A lot of other companies also know how useful job fairs can be, creating stiff competition to catch the eye of top talent roaming the floor. Standing out of the crowd is tricky but not impossible. Here’s how you can help your company shine.

What Is a Job Fair?

A job fair is an event that brings together employers, recruiters, and job seekers in one place. The goal is to connect people who are seeking employment or career advancement with companies that have jobs available. 

For employers, the biggest benefit is that it gets you face-to-face with high numbers of potential hires, so you can make connections and (hopefully) fill some of your current vacancies.

Additionally, job fairs provide a great opportunity for businesses to showcase their company culture and values. They allow potential employees to meet you and learn more about your organization, current openings, and how working with you might be beneficial for their careers.

Five Engaging Job Fair Ideas

Here are some fun ideas for your next job fair to make your company stand out and attract top talent.

1. Gamify Your Table

To keep things interesting, consider adding a gamification element to your job fair set up. Give potential employees the chance to earn points by interacting with your company — for example, leaving their contact information, booking a meeting with a recruiter, or speaking to a number of different representatives. Then, you could offer a prize draw with the chance to win a fun prize.

This will help you get more people coming over to chat to your representatives, and give potential candidates a fun impression of the company.

2. Keep It Casual

By removing the formality of a job fair, candidates can feel more comfortable. This allows them to demonstrate their personality, skills, and knowledge in a relaxed setting. It also encourages employers to get to know potential hires on a deeper level rather than solely focusing on hard skills. Furthermore, it helps build trust between employers and job seekers, which is essential for any successful hiring process.

To keep it casual, consider changing the set-up of your employer booth. While many companies go for a table with a few chairs around it, could you swap for a sofa or some comfy chairs? You could even bring a coffee machine and invite interested attendees to grab a coffee with your recruiters to make the experience more relaxed.

3. Use Speed Rounds

This will need buy-in from the job fair organizer, but it’s a great way to get lots of people speaking with lots of different employers. With speed rounds, employers can talk directly to curious candidates and organically explain the benefits and opportunities.

This works by inviting employers to sit at a table. Each candidate gets to speak to the company representative for three to five minutes. Once their time is up, rotate all the employees to the next table. This helps you speak to multiple candidates in a short time period while, at the same time, giving your full attention to each of the individual conversations.

4. Host An Open Day Office Tour 

Job fairs don’t have to happen outside of your office. If you’ve got a large number of vacancies to fill, you could run your own internal job fair and open up your office to potential hires.

Organize tours of your office to let curious candidates imagine what a day in their life could look like if they joined. They help candidates to really get a feel for the work environment and decide if your company is the right fit for them. Tours also provide an opportunity for potential hires to ask questions and interact with current employees. And, job seekers are more likely to trust the opinion of current employees, a study by CareerArc found.

5. Get Interactive — Speak on a Panel or Run a Q&A

Taking part in a panel can be an effective way to engage with potential employees by showcasing your expertise. You could talk about some of the hiring trends, explain your company’s hiring processes, or highlight the challenges your company’s looking to solve with their new hires.

Alternatively, you could run a Q&A session for potential employees. Have a representative from your company take questions from the audience. This will give potential candidates the chance to ask about everything from the company culture to the leadership team. It can be a less daunting way for attendees to learn more about your company, without having to walk up to your booth and find a recruiter to speak with.

How to Plan a Job Fair

Job fairs, as we know, are a powerful strategy for attracting new talent. However, it's the meticulous planning and preparation led by HR professionals like you that truly make them successful!

As you embark on the journey of planning a job fair, remember that there are three phases to conquer: before, during, and after the fair. Each phase presents an opportunity for you to showcase your skills and bring in the best talent for your company. 

Pre-fair Preparations

In the weeks leading up to the fair, take time to set a baseline of what you hope to accomplish and whose attention you wish to attract. This includes:

• Establishing your objectives: While some companies want to fill specific roles, others seek more exposure. Clarifying your goals from the outset makes every other phase of planning more manageable. 
• Figuring out basic logistics: Establishing a date and time, booking a venue (or reserving your space within one), and determining your budget are all vital during initial planning.
• Defining your target audience: Are you hoping to attract college graduates for entry-level positions or established professionals looking to upskill? Have you considered diversity metrics in your audience approach? These questions will help your company put its best foot forward during the fair.
• Sending out strategic invitations: You know who you want to attract, so it's essential to know the best places to get their attention. Social media recruiting is increasingly becoming a powerful way to help you create your dream team.

Other methods to get the word out include email blasts to relevant job boards, partnering with universities and career centers, or placing ads in industry-specific publications.

Day-Of Game Plan

Mastering the candidate experience starts with recruitment. And there's no better place to attract top talent than a job fair. When the big day arrives, here's what you need to remember:

• Make signs: These help bring more people to your company's post at the fair and help direct general traffic. 
• Create a clear layout: Designated areas for registration, demonstrations, or planned activities will make navigating your booth easier.
• Have plenty of staff on hand to help out: From employee representatives to discuss your company culture and clerical staff to help with logistics, having plenty of hands on deck will help with a smooth execution.
• Ensure adequate seating: You want your booth to feel spacious, with room for people to gather and mingle comfortably.
• Provide additional materials: Employee toolkits or company brochures are good examples of materials to help distinguish your company from others at the fair.
• Consider providing snacks or simple refreshments: People are more likely to stick around when they have a beverage or something to nibble on.

After the Fair

What you do after the fair is just as crucial in securing new talent:

• Follow up with promising candidates: Don't let the enthusiasm fade! Reach out to potential candidates quickly after the fair to schedule interviews or further discussions.
• Show your appreciation: A simple thank-you goes a long way in building a positive reputation, so send out notes of gratitude to those you had meaningful interactions with, even if the position wasn't a fit.
• Do a post-fair evaluation: Did you meet your objectives? What did you do well? What could you have done better? By analyzing attendance, quality of leads, costs, and feedback from your staff, you can gauge what worked well and what needs improvement for next time.

11 Job Fair Giveaway Ideas

Job fair giveaways can be a great way to make a good impression on candidates. Who doesn’t love a gift? They also send potential hires home with a memento that will make them think of your organization. 

Since what you offer fair attendees impacts how they view your organization, it’s important to consider how your giveaways will shape your employer brand. Handing out items that help people take care of their wellbeing can be an effective strategy. Considering that nine out of 10 workers consider their wellbeing as important as their salary, wellness items can be a big hit!

1. Branded Reusable Water Bottles

2. Fitness Trackers

3. Ergonomic Mouse Pads

4. Yoga Mats

5. Stress Balls

6. Healthy Snack Packs

7. Portable Phone Chargers

8. Webcam Covers

9. Desk Plants

10. Hand Sanitizer Bottles

11. Coffee Tumblers

Attract Top Talent With Your Company’s Wellness Benefits

When job seekers are perusing the booths at a job fair, they’ll be paying close attention to things like employer branding, company values, and the way you treat and care for your team members. In fact, 62% of workers say that employee wellbeing is a top priority whenever they’re applying for a new job, according to Future Workplace.

Help your company stand out by showing these curious candidates exactly what you’re doing to support employee wellness. Share more information about the wellness programs and benefits your company offers. And focus on any initiatives you have to ease the transition for employees new to the workforce, to help them lower stress and improve the employee experience.

Wellhub gives your workforce access to gym memberships, nutrition plans, and resources to support their mental wellbeing so you can build a great wellness plan for every employee. Talk with one of our Wellbeing Specialists today for help crafting wellness programs that attract new hires!

References

• David, T. (2021, December 14). 23 surprising stats on the future of recruitment – Infographic. CareerArc Social Recruiting. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.careerarc.com/blog/future-of-recruiting-study-infographic/