What began last year as a virtual experiment has burgeoned into one of the biggest job-centric events of the New College calendar: The Cross College Alliance (CCA) Reverse Career Fair.
A fully online and free gathering, the fair will be held live on Remo from 2 to 5 p.m. Thurs. March 25, and employers from across the state and nation will be recruiting top talent from the Florida Suncoast. More than 50 students from New College, Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD), State College of Florida (SCF) and the University of South Florida (USF) will represent themselves during this annual networking opportunity.
“From an employer’s perspective, this year’s Reverse Career Fair offers a guaranteed return on investment because recruiters can target and meet talented candidates with diverse interests (and educational backgrounds) that specifically align with their hiring needs—all in an interactive, virtual environment,” said Dwayne Peterson, the director of New College’s Center for Career Engagement and Opportunity (CEO) and one of the event organizers. “Also, the unique interface virtual networking events that are held on Remo feel exactly like in-person events.”
The aim of a “reverse” career fair is to spotlight students (so each student has a table where they greet and interview potential employers, not the other way around). And the remote format, now entering its second year for the CCA, has already proven to be a wild success.
Last March, 76 employer representatives participated in the fair, and more than half of all student participants were offered at least one interview (several also landed jobs and internships).
But making the fair remote was a move born out of necessity. During spring break 2020, as the New College campus was being evacuated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the previously in-person gathering pivoted quickly. This shift was thanks to quick-thinking organizers at the CEO, including Peterson and Assistant Directors Maddie Tympanick, Lisandra Jimenez and Ciara Suarez.
The CCA had planned to host the 2018-founded event for the first time at New College on March 26, 2020, in Sudakoff Conference Center. They intended to invite employers to visit student booths for handshakes, networking and recruiting—until, of course, the pandemic rendered the concept unrealistic.
“Since we couldn’t have an in-person fair, we put together a Google drive that was accessible to all registered employers. Our students put together folders with their résumés and recorded ‘elevator pitch’ introduction videos,” Peterson said. “Our CEO team individually coached each one of our students and helped gently push them to the finish line. Turning this virtual was happening at the same time students were relocating physically. But our coaches got on the phone with students one at a time and made sure they were prepared.”
Some students dropped out at the last minute, but an impressive number of Novo Collegians pushed through and ended up accounting for 18 of the 31 student participants (more than half). Then, when a mass of employers from all over the country (not just regional) started showing interest in the event, New College students began benefiting big time.
“When this event went virtual, the number of employers registered skyrocketed from 30 to 76. Recruiting programs nationally were all being canceled so recruiters were like, ‘How am I going to get talent?’ They were actively looking for ways to connect with students,” Peterson said. “And our event, because we turned it virtual in a day, became probably one of the first virtual events in the Handshake system available. They really noticed us.”
Reverse career fairs, as a whole, are an emerging trend nationwide. The National Association of Colleges and Employers has even recognized the uniqueness and efficacy of this event and its format (a concept that USF Sarasota-Manatee initially created).
“At a regular career fair, by happenstance, the right student might come to an employer’s table, or—in many cases—recruiters leave without any good candidates,” Peterson said. “This virtual format allows our students to connect with opportunities outside of our region. It works out so students can explore opportunities all over the country.”
For employer registration and information on the Reverse Career Fair, visit tinyurl.com/CCAReverseFair21.
For more information on the CEO, visit ncf.edu/ceo.
Abby Weingarten is the senior editor in the Office of Communications & Marketing.