How does a virtual career fair work? Read on…

My name is Smitha, and I work in Talent Attraction at Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group in the UK. So, why a virtual career fair? Well, we know that job seekers have busy, full lives. And we wanted to create a hassle free and inclusive way for you to meet our team and talk job possibilities.

A great way to get your name into Atkins

Attending and chatting online to our team could turn out to be an amazing career step for you. So whether you’re new to virtual career fairs, or would just like to feel more prepared – here are 8 ways to get the most out of our online job fair:

How virtual career fairs work

Just like at a traditional career fair, you’ll get to meet our managers and discuss opportunities. The only difference is that we’ll be hosting it digitally. The virtual environment will look like a real-life career fair, complete with booths with information on our different business areas. So get ready to interact with us through videos, career stories, talking to our managers… and a live webinar featuring our latest, most exciting projects, followed by a real-time Q&A.

1. Think about the device you plan to use

Make sure your device can support you. Our hiring managers might want to have a video call. So it’s better to have a device with a camera. If you can’t attend from a quiet, private location, have headphones at the ready. If you don't have a camera, or can’t take calls, no problem. You can use our chat functionality, which is also supported on mobiles. Other than an internet connection, you won’t need any special software or equipment to take part, just log-on via your browser.

2. Decide if this virtual career fair is right for you

Check which market our current online career fair is focused on, and see if we have any jobs that match your skillset. If nothing seems like a good fit, don’t worry, we’ll be running more throughout the year, across all of our practices, so keep an eye out on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.

3. Do some research on Atkins

After registering, visit us on our website to find out about our projects and culture. Think about the top questions you have for us, the positions that you’re most interested in, and where you’d like your dream career with us to take you.

4. Register early

Register well ahead of time. Not only will this prevent any last-minute hiccups. It will give you plenty of time to get your CV up-to-date and proofread by someone else, for the best first impression.

Once you’ve registered, you’ll get an email with login details. You’ll receive a reminder to attend the day before. All you’ll need to do on the day is log in at a time that suits you and start interacting with our hiring managers in the booths. You’ll be able to dip in and out of the virtual fair around your work and life commitments.

5. Prepare your ‘pitch’

These one to one conversations with our hiring managers and recruiters will be less about personal chemistry and more about your skills, experience and achievements. The questions you ask and how you talk about yourself is key. So make the most of being able to prepare these carefully in advance.

6. Preparing for video chat

Once a hiring manager starts a chat with you, the ball is in your court. Be ready to introduce yourself and ask any questions about us and our open positions. If you’re comfortable in a suit, great. If not, our virtual fair and office vibe is smart-casual. Not used to video chat? Get practicing. And take note of your body language and how to maintain eye contact.

7. Coming across well on chat

Use your written communication to present your most articulate and professional self. Avoid poor grammar, text-speak, slang and emojis.

8. What to do if you can’t make the assigned times

If you’re tied up all day you can log in later that night, or even the next day and leave us an offline message. If that’s still going to be difficult, we have many more fairs planned for the rest of the year. You’re also welcome to apply directly to any of our open roles here.