Guide
How to run a job fair
with booked meetings
A plan for a recruitment fair where employers and job seekers meet by appointment instead of queueing at stands.
How do you run a job fair where people really meet?
Let employers and job seekers see each other before the event and book short meetings in advance, and keep the stands for those who walk in. Employers then talk to the candidates they chose and job seekers to the employers they came for.
1. Decide the format and the goal
Decide first whether the fair is on site, online or both, and whether it is open to all or aimed at one field. Set one figure as the goal, for example the number of meetings held. A meeting count is easier to steer towards than a visitor count, and it tells employers what they got.
2. Prepare the employers
Employers decide how useful the fair is for job seekers. Ask them for three things at least two weeks before the event.
- A presentation of the employer and its open jobs for the event app
- The names of the people who will hold meetings, with their free time slots
- What kind of people they want to meet, in the same terms that job seekers use
3. Get job seekers to fill in their profiles
A job seeker's profile should say what kind of work the person is looking for, in which field and where. Let job seekers attach a CV. Tell them plainly who can see the profile. In a two-sided event a job seeker's profile is shown to employers only, and saying so brings in people who already have a job.
4. Open meeting booking before the event
Open the booking one to two weeks before the fair. Meetings of 15 minutes suit a first conversation. Remind both sides when booking opens and again a few days before, and tell job seekers that employers also look for candidates and send requests.
5. Plan the event day
Reserve a meeting area with numbered tables apart from the stands, so that booked meetings are not held in the noise of the hall. Keep the stands open for walk-in visitors. Put the programme, such as employer presentations and job-search talks, in the same app as the meetings, so that each person has one schedule.
6. Include those who cannot come
An online or hybrid fair reaches job seekers in other towns and countries. Employers present themselves at a stand in the app, the programme is streamed and recorded, and meetings are held by video. Recordings let people watch the presentations after work.
7. Follow up after the fair
Recruitment does not end when the hall closes. Keep the app open so that conversations can continue, and send employers the figures on meetings held. Ask both sides after a few weeks whether the meetings led to interviews. If recruitment in your area is continuous, a recruitment network that stays open all year carries the contacts to the next fair.
Questions about job fairs
How long should a meeting at a job fair be?
About 15 minutes. It is enough for a first conversation, and it lets an employer meet many candidates in a day.
Should a job fair have both booked meetings and open stands?
Yes. Booked meetings give employers and job seekers the conversations they chose, and open stands serve those who decide on the day.
Can job seekers see each other in the event app?
In Tavata they cannot. A job seeker's profile is shown to employers only.
Which app suits a job fair?
An app in which employers and job seekers see each other, book meetings and find the programme and the open jobs. Tavata is used for recruitment events on site, hybrid and online.
Read next
- Tavata for recruitment eventsWhat the app does at a job fair.Read more
- Continuous recruitment networkA meeting place for employers and job seekers that stays open all year.Read more
- Guide: 1:1 meetings at an eventMeeting length, booking window, tables and no-shows.Read the guide
- All guidesSee the guides
Planning a job fair?
Send the date and the number of employers and job seekers you expect, and we will show you how Tavata fits and what it costs. We reply in your language.