Handshake's Guide to Attending a Virtual Fair

Institutions partnered with us can choose to host virtual fairs through Handshake, and employers that recruit from your institution can register similarly to in-person fairs.

Once the employer's registration is approved by the institution, employers 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'll be able to share their screen with participants. 

Navigate to the Events page (via the left menu), then use the Medium filter to identify virtual fairs by adding a check next to Virtual.

A fair may be created by your institution, or your institution may be invited to participate in a virtual fair from another institution.

Note: you can click on More Filters, then check the box for Posted by my institution to discover events posted by your institution only.

If you identify a fair or event you'd like to save to review later, click the bookmark icon to the far right of the name to save it. Use the Saved filter, located in the upper-right corner of this page to locate your saved events and fairs.

To load the fair's overview page and review available sessions, click on the fair's name. 

• From the overview page, click on the Available Sessions tab to review and sign up for sessions.
  • For details on this process, refer to 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 settings. 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, refer to Profile Privacy Options in Handshake.
• Review which employers are attending the fair (follow employers you want to check back in with)!
  • For more information on following an employer, refer to Following an Employer in Handshake.

You'll be able to sign up for sessions at any point, even during the fair (as long as the session hasn't ended).

To help you prepare for a successful fair, check out the followin tips and resources!

• Make sure you have the right setup to support session audio and video. (Chat is available in all sessions.)
  • Attendee Requirements for Integrated Video
  • Learn how we've made virtual fairs more accessible and how you can partner with your Career Centre & Handshake to request an interpreter for upcoming sessions–check out Virtual Fairs: Accessibility
• Complete your profile
  • How to Drive Profile Completion
• Upload a CV 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 CV!
    • For more information and instructions on how to quickly change document visibility, check out Understanding Document Visibility.
  • Video: How to Upload a Document

Check out our blog post for more tips on how to stand out in a virtual fair!

All sessions will have the option for Handshake video, audio, and text-based chat. There's no customisation for types of interaction. It is up to the employer and student joining the session to determine how they'd like to connect.

For details on day-of participation, refer to Participating in a Virtual Fair.

As long as you signed up for the session successfully, you'll be able to join up to 5 minutes before the session starts 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.

Once the fair has wrapped up, you can follow-up with employers in Handshake immediately after your session via the pop-up that appears automatically.

• If the session has multiple hosts, click the Send a message button to the right of the hosts name you'd like to continue a conversation with. 

• If the session has one host, the text box will load immediately.

Type your message within the text box, then click the Send button in the lower-left corner to continue the conversation.

Not sure what to say? We suggest to:

• Follow up on something you found interesting or helpful from the event. 
• Show your enthusiasm for a role, this company, or the industry. 
• Ask questions about the company.

You can follow up with recruiters later by:

• following their company profile (receive notifications of employer activity at your institution)
• messaging other students or alumni 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 review who you've attended sessions with, navigate back to the fair in Handshake with the direct link to the fair or browse using the Date filter on the Events overview page, then selecting "Past year".

Click on the Your schedule tab for a list of past sessions you signed up for. The session host's name, job title, and company will display.

Click the Send a message button, to the right of the host's information, to send a follow-up message.