Virtual Job Fair (VJF) Introduction

Holding a Virtual Job Fair (VJF) event? It is best to plan ahead 4 – 6 weeks out with your team to hold a VJF event. This will give you enough time to plan, prepare, and coordinate the event details. To start off, start considering these questions:

  • When do you want to hold your event?
  • Will this be a regional or industry-based event?
  • What is the format of your event? i.e. single session or multiple sessions?
  • What local resources and services do you want to share with job seekers in your area?

Review the Timeline for Setting up a Multi-Employer VJF Event to learn about the preparation needed for your event. You should also review the Virtual Job Fair Partner Guide page. This page includes information such as articles, training materials and videos, a full list of VJF resources, updates to the system, and upcoming events for partners.

Invite Employers to Participate

After answering the first few questions above, you should begin to compile a list of employers that you would like to participate in your event. You may reach out to other organizations and contacts in your area to get a sense of the needs of job seekers and employers in your area.

There are resources you can share with employers to encourage them to submit a booth page and participate in a larger event. In the VJF Partner Guide, you can use a spreadsheet to keep track of employers you invite and confirm for your event. Once your list of employers has been compiled, sent out invitations for them to setup a booth on the VJF platform. Ensure that all employers have a booth created prior to participating in your VJF. Continue to reach out to employers if they are interested and have not yet setup a booth.

Coordinate Event Details

If you reach out to Illinois workNet staff to coordinate an event, we will create the registration page for your VJF event, but it is important to finalize the details below ahead of time so that the registration page can be as informative as possible for interested job seekers:

  1. Employer Booths
  2. Agenda
  3. Zoom Training, if applicable

Marketing and promotion on social media, email lists, and more.

If you choose to hold the event without Illinois workNet assistance, then you will need to ensure that the event is added to the workNet VJF events calendar and the participating employer(s). Please see the VJF partner guide on how to add these items.

Final Preparations

Leading up to the event, please provide presentation materials that you or employers plan on sharing:

  • Leading up to the event, please provide presentation materials you and/or employers plan on sharing with Illinois workNet staff. Each employer’s presentation will be combined into one PowerPoint.
  • Find out who is presenting from their company so that the appropriate individuals can be made co-hosts during the event.
  • If your team or participating employers require Zoom training, Illinois workNet staff can hold a meeting prior to your event to go over the basic features and address any questions or concerns that may arise.
  • Please provide the final list of presenters and phone numbers they may call in from to Illinois workNet staff so they can ensure the appropriate Zoom access level.