A Virtual Connection To Find A Real Job, Towson

Press release from Towson University:

By Kyle Hobstetter on September 28, 2020

Each term, the Towson University Career Center brings hundreds of employers to campus as part of the Spring and Fall Career and Internship Fairs.

Usually held at SECU Arena, it helps students make connections that could lead to
a job or internship.

But what happens when COVID-19 prevents employers and students from meeting in-person?
You give them a virtual, interactive space to connect safely.

The Towson University Career Center will host its first Career and Internship Virtual Fair on Friday, Oct. 2 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

After canceling the spring edition in April, the Career Center staff started preparing
for a fall virtual fair almost immediately.

“This has been a mammoth project and a heavy lift, but our amazing team at the Career
Center has been working hard to get everything ready for our students,” says Manette
Zinkand, associate director of external relations at the TU Career Center. “This is
the biggest recruitment event that's going to take place this fall term, virtual or
not. It's a fantastic opportunity for our students.”

In the past, getting employers to come to campus hasn’t been a problem: The last two
Career and Internship Fairs had a record number of employers. But the Career Center
staff was concerned a virtual fair wouldn’t be as attractive.

So Zinkand and colleagues were a little surprised when they not only met their 100-employers
goal but surpassed it. While she credits the hard work of the Career Center staff,
she understands the main draw is the TU talent.

“Towson University talent is top notch and in demand, and employers want to stay in
touch with us, global pandemic or not. TU students are a valued commodity, and we
want that reputation only to get stronger.”

A preview of what the Career and Internship Virtual Fair's main arena webpage will
look like for attendees.

To host the virtual career fair, The Career Center partnered with vFairs, a virtual
events platform that hosts online conferences, virtual job fairs and other large-scale
events.

Through this partnership, TU’s event will offer many of the same experiences of an
in-person career fair.

The Career and Internship Virtual Fair will feature a main arena, with organizations
lined up in aisles, with specially decorated booths that match their branding. Interested
students can text chat with a representative or have one-on-one conversations through
audio and video chat options.

“I have to say that their virtual platform looks and feels, even though you're on
a flat screen the whole time, like you're at a real fair,” Zinkand says. “I feel like
our student attendees and young alumni who attend our fairs in this virtual world
will think that it's a little bit easier to access employers than an in-person fair.”

To attend the event, participants must register online and will be directed to the vFairs platform where they must click Register
Here to set up their required site account.

Once an attendee account has been created, vFairs will confirm the account and include
instructions for how to set up a profile and access the Get to Know the Fair site.
Employers will have access to the attendees’ vFairs profiles and LinkedIn pages.

According to the Career Center, there are several ways for participants to prepare
for success:

• Get your resume reviewed at the Career Center by e-mailing it to expresshours@towson.edu.
• Be ready to text or chat BRIEFLY with employers of interest, showing knowledge of
  what they do and the specific opportunities they offer. For virtual fair formats,
  check out some good pitch approaches in this 30-second commercial guide.
• Dress professionally as the virtual fair platform allows for video or audio chat, if invited by an employer.
  Also, have a professional background, with proper lighting.
• Check out how to make a job fair work for you (PDF).

Along with the Career and Internship Virtual Fair, the Towson University Career Center
is offering events throughout the fall term. Check out their website, along with their
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for more information.

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: Lifelong Career Center.

This press release was produced by Towson University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.