Expanded Virtual Recruiting Points Toward Expanded Diversity and the SEC & ACC Virtual Career Fair

EXPANDED VIRTUAL RECRUITING POINTS TOWARD EXPANDED DIVERSITY AND THE SEC & ACC VIRTUAL CAREER FAIR

By Stuart Esrock, Ph.D. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to more online/virtual work, and now it is also leading to increased remote job recruiting and interviewing.  The executive director of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) thinks that can make hiring practices more equitable.  

Shawn VanDerziel bases his assessment on an annual survey of employers and students. VanDerziel said, “We know that employers have been looking to diversify their workforce. And in order to diversify the workforce, they need to start with their entry-level positions. That is the future of businesses and that is the pipeline.”

According to the NACE research, online recruiting provides a better job-search experience to multi-cultural students than traditional in-person hiring. VanDerziel points out that marginalized groups, including 71% of Black students and 61% of Hispanic students, say that they learn more about employers virtually than in person; only 49% of their white peers said the same. These minority students also report better virtual interactions with employers and that they receive a more “authentic view” of a workplace virtually than in-person.

UofL students will soon have the opportunity to experience remote recruiting in a major national event.  UofL will be joining 28 other ACC and SEC schools on April 6, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, for the biggest career fair of the semester. Currently, 150+ employers are registered to participate in this virtual event, offering students full-time and part-time opportunities as well as internships.  Some of the participating companies include BMW, Hershey Entertainment, Morgan Stanley, Universal Studios, and the U.S. State Department to name just a few. Follow this link to register free of charge, start researching employers, and sign up to meet individually with employers.