Job Opportunities Offered at Virtual Career Fair

McMaster's first ever cyberspace career fair is proving to be a popular idea with recruiting companies. So far more than 38 have signed up to take part in the three-week virtual event.

Established by the Career Planning and Employment Centre and funded by the McMaster Students Union (MSU), the site will be active from September 11 to 29. It is intended to complement the on-campus Career Day which will be held on September 21 at the Ivor Wynne Centre from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sarah Goodhope, coordinator, Virtual Career Fair, says companies that are already web-based especially like the concept. “It is also popular with business that cannot make it to the campus Career Day,” she says. Many, she adds, are participating in both events.

Goodhope says the site is one of the first University-run online career fairs in Canada. Students and alumni access the site at http.//career.mcmaster.ca/vcf using their student ID and MUSGI number (as of September 11).

The virtual event is attractive to business for a number of reasons. It costs $415 to set up a booth at the one day fair, plus the expenses of have one or two employees on site to answer queries. A booth at the virtual fair is $200, and it is “open” for three weeks. To have a presence at both, companies pay a total of $550.

It is expected that students will appreciate the ability to browse at their own speed and at more convenient times. They can also return to the virtual booths as often as they wish. Since the virtual fair opens before the campus Career Day, students can determine which companies they may wish to target on September 21. Conversely, after doing the rounds at the physical fair, they can revisit the company at its virtual booth for additional information.

Goodhope says the Centre plans on making the virtual fair an annual event.