Handshake [HireARattler] is the #1 place where students find jobs and get hired. We’ve developed a way for you to attend career fairs virtually so you can meet interesting companies looking to hire students like you.
Topics:
- The Virtual Fair on Handshake
- Identifying a virtual fair
- Registering and signing up for sessions
- Preparing for the fair
- Participating in the fair
- Following up after the fair
- FAQs
The Virtual Fair on Handshake
Schools [FAMU] are able to host virtual fairs in Handshake, and employers can register similarly to in-person fairs. Once the employer’s registration is approved by the school, employers are able to generate session schedules for representatives that will be present.
Employers are able to host two types of sessions to interact with students:
- Group Sessions:
- 30 minutes each
- multiple students can attend
- 1:1 Sessions:
- 10 minutes each
- one student and one employer representative can attend
In these sessions, employers will be identified as the Host, and they will be able to share their screen with participants.
Identifying a virtual fair
Navigate to the Events page (via the top menu bar), then use the Virtual filter to identify virtual fairs. A fair may be created by your school, or your school may be invited to participate in a virtual fair from another school.
- You can click on All Filters, then click on Only posted by my school to narrow down the displayed list of fairs.
If you see a fair or event you’d like to save to review later, click the bookmark icon to the far right of the fair name to save it. You can use the Saved filter on this page to locate saved events and fairs.
Registering and signing up for sessions
- In order to sign up for sessions with employers, you must be registered for the fair.
- For details on this process, please see Signing Up for & Managing Virtual Fair Sessions.
- To sign up for Group or 1:1 sessions, you may be prompted to update your profile privacy setting. We recommend using Community to make the most of your Handshake experience, as this will allow you to participate in all fair sessions and engage with other students/alumni!
- For more information on profile privacy, please see Profile Privacy Options in Handshake.
- Review which employers are attending the fair (follow employers you want to check back in with)!
- You’ll be able to sign up for sessions up to one(1) minute before the start time; once the session has started, you’ll be unable to sign up for the session.
Preparing for the fair
Here are some best practices to help you prepare for a successful fair:
- Ensure you have the right setup to support session audio and video. (Chat is available in all sessions.)
- Handshake Video Requirements & Troubleshooting (Students)
- Check out Virtual Fairs: Accessibility to see how we’ve made virtual fairs more accessible and for how you can partner with your Career [and Professional Development ] Center & Handshake to request an interpreter for upcoming sessions.
- Complete your profile
- Upload a resume to your profile, if you haven’t already!
- Tip: After uploading, click the blue button Feature on Profile to make the document public – when you sign up for sessions, this will allow the employer to view your resume!
- See Understanding Document Visibility for more information and instructions on how to quickly change document visibility.
- Video: How to Upload a Document
- Tip: After uploading, click the blue button Feature on Profile to make the document public – when you sign up for sessions, this will allow the employer to view your resume!
Check out our blog post for more tips on how to stand out in a virtual fair!
Participating in the fair
All sessions will have the option for Handshake video, audio and text-based chat. There is no customization for types of interaction; it is up to the employer and student joining the session to determine how they would like to connect.
See details on day-of participation in Participating in a Virtual Fair.
As long as you’re signed up for the session successfully, you’ll be able to join up to 5 minutes prior to the session start and throughout the duration of the session.
We want you to feel as safe as possible while attending virtual fairs and interacting with employers, so we’ve taken several steps to ensure your safety. Read more about these steps in Reporting an Issue at a Virtual Fair.
Following up after the fair
Once the fair has wrapped up, you can followup with employers in Handshake via:
- following their company profile (receive notifications of employer activity at your school)
- messaging other students that have worked for the employer or a publicly listed point of contact for the company
- responding to an employer message
- applying for an active job
- participating in an interview schedule
- attending an event
To quickly see who you attended sessions with, navigate back to the fair in Handshake with the direct link to the fair or browse using the filter “past fairs”. Click on the Available Sessions tab to see your list of sessions populate on the right side of the page. Click on any session from that list to see group session descriptions or 1:1 host name/title.
FAQs
Will students be able to submit their resumes to employers? Without joining sessions?
- Yes! When students sign up to meet with employers in 1:1 and/or group sessions, they are added to a RSVPs list, and employers will have access to these students’ public resumes before and after the fair.
- Refer to Understanding Document Visibility for more details and steps to quickly change visibility.
Will students who live internationally be able to participate?
- There are no restrictions by location, so as long as the student has logged into Handshake they will be able to participate.
Can a student see previously attended sessions?
- Yes! Students will be able to see their previous sessions within the sessions tab.
Will students, employers, and career staff have access to transcripts of the chats they had during the virtual fair?
- Transcripts will not be provided for conversations held during the fair. Instead, there will be moderation options for students and employers to utilize during conversations.
