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April 8, 2022

Handshake Team

3 main takeaways from Fall 2021’s Virtual Fair Benchmark Report

Building your spring career fair strategy? Review actionable engagement trends from our latest Virtual Fair Benchmark Report!

Handshake’s third Virtual Fair Benchmark Report is here! It shares trends in student and employer engagement at virtual fairs hosted on Handshake in fall 2021.

Here are 3 main takeaways in case you’re bookmarking it for later:

1. A hybrid of in-person and virtual will become the predominant fair strategy in 2022

Here is a breakdown of career fair strategy by institution from August to November 2021.

Career fair strategy by institution from August 1, 2021 to November 24, 2021.

Career Fair Strategy by Institution in fall 2021

71% of students said that meeting employers virtually made it a less intimidating environment to learn about employers compared to in-person. So even as in-person fairs continue to ramp up, maintaining a virtual option is important for engaging all students.

2. Multi-school virtual fairs are on the rise as more institutions collaborate

In November 2021, 1 in 5 virtual fairs involved multiple institutions. Partnering with other schools helps attract a larger pool of employers for your students, and also share administrative work across institutions. For tips on hosting muti-school virtual fairs on Handshake, learn more here!

Percentage of virtual fairs that were multi-school from August 1, 2021 to November 24, 2021.

Percentage of virtual fairs that were multi-school in fall 2021

3. 91K student and employer follow-up conversations were recorded post-fair

Our virtual fair updates in 2021 helped students follow up with recruiters they met 1:1 at virtual fairs more seamlessly. They’re prompted to send a message to recruiters right after their 1:1 session, allowing them to keep the conversation going after the fair ends.

Student and employer engagement stats from August 1, 2021 to November 24, 2021.

Post-fair student and employer engagement stats in fall 2021

If you’re interested in a deeper dive of your institution’s virtual fairs in Handshake, here are links to pull your own reports. Investigate session no-show rates, student and employer registration trends, and more!

Review or download the full Fall 2021 Virtual Fair Benchmark Report below:

Download PDF ↗

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