The Relevance of Conferences and Job Fairs as Recruiting Tools
I was recently assigned to attend the AACN/NTI Conference in
Orlando, FL as an exhibitor for my company in the career opportunity section. I
love attending these things as personally I enjoy meeting all the new people.
In addition it’s a bit like a family reunion, meeting up with many of the other
recruiters I know from around the nation (and will hopefully see at IMAGE in
July). However, while handing out the high volume of kitschy give-aways, I also
had time to think about the effectiveness of attending such conferences. The
main question for ROI that used to be asked was regarding how many hires came
as a result of our presence. I have long given up on that one. Many companies
now require applicants to go online prior to being considered for any positions
and there are other assessments to be considered as well. The conferences are
not a place to conduct interviews or do any hiring. Rather they are to get the
word out as to who we are and conjure interest in our organizations. That’s
certainly a paradigm shift, but still makes attending the conferences
worthwhile, though the results (as in hires) may not be seen for some time. I
wonder what others thoughts are on attending the conferences, both national and
those on a more local basis. Do you find them valuable?
posted by Derek Cunningham, PHR, CHCR
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