Taking College Fairs Online: with the obvious advantages of saving time and money, colleges are finding that online fairs can help recruit students efficiently. But there are obstacles to overcome on the Web

Matrix: The Magazine for Leaders in Education, June, 2001 by Nicole Rivard

"I am an advocate of online fairs, but beyond that I think we as educators need to be more aware of the role technology is playing in the entire admissions process," she says. "We need to develop a comfort level with the tools students are using to research colleges, and share in the enthusiasm they feel."

BEYOND RECRUITING: VIRTUAL CAREER FAIRS

Western Illinois University MACOMB, ILLINOIS

Three years ago Western Illinois University's career services department went paperless. Instead, the school uses the Web to connect students with employers. Students are encouraged to register for the online placement early. It allows them to maintain a credential file from anywhere at anytime which goes into a database that can be accessed by employers who also are registered with the school. Students can schedule interviews with employers and communicate with them in cyberspace.

The school also leads its state in virtual career fairs--it hosted its fifth fair in April.

"We are in a geographic location in the state that does not have a mass population density," says Alfred Waters, director of WIU's Career Services Office. "There are many employers who would like our students, but we are 3 1/2 hours outside Chicago. A lot of them don't have the personnel or the dollars to go to every school. So we've invited them to go online and partner with us."

Two hundred companies participated in the first online career fair and about 14,000 undergrads and alumni responded. There are no registration fees for either students or companies, and the school saved by not having to rent tables or feed employers as they would at a traditional fair.

Waters says developing the technology to support the virtual fairs in-house was more cost-effective.

"If someone wants to put together a program it's not difficult," he says. "There are dozens of companies trying to make a name for themselves by putting a formatted program out there and selling it to a school. I would much rather see the schools do their own so it doesn't become the tail wagging the dog."

Waters says administrators should not get discouraged if their first attempt at a virtual career fair fails, because many employers are still unfamiliar with the concept.

"Virtual career fairs are a means, not an end," Waters says. "I'm still not willing to trade in the personal approach; neither are employers. But, it allows greater visibility for larger numbers of people."

Technology is far from replacing career centers or their staff members, he says.

"As more students become excited about this, they are more proactive about putting their credentials together, researching companies and learning how to interview. They have put a much greater demand on us. That's really what this is all about: providing a service to students is what we want."