Dive Brief:
- HackerRank will hold its first virtual career fair Sept. 21-22, 2020, the technical skill assessment company announced July 8.
- The event aims to "connect developers with the world's leading technology companies," according to HackerRank. Exhibitors include: Bloomberg, BNY Mellon, Comcast Corporation, Duolingo, Fortinet, GoDaddy, Moody's Analytics, PayPal and Riot Games.
- "We're launching the virtual career fair to enable students in desperate need of internships and jobs to be placed in open roles at some of the world's most innovative companies," HackerRank Co-Founder and CEO Vivek Ravisankar said in a press release. "Early talent is still in high demand across nearly every industry as we've accelerated the need for more digital products and services to continue to work and live in a state of suspended animation due to restrictions on social interaction and movement."
Dive Insight:
The pandemic has driven employers in a variety of industries to move their recruiting practices online.
CVS, for instance, launched an "accelerated hiring initiative" amid the early days of the virus' spread within the U.S. As demand spiked, the 24-hour employer set a hiring goal of 50,000. To accomplish this goal, the organization took its hiring process virtual, a feat to which CVS Health VP of Talent Acquisition Jeffrey Lackey credits existing partnerships with technology providers.
Some of the pandemic-driven updates to recruitment will outlast 2020, experts previously told HR Dive. Such changes may enhance the candidate experience, especially for younger applicants, for whom tech-driven application processes may mimic natural communication habits.
As for virtual career fairs specifically, COVID-19 may make them popular among employers, but they're not completely new as a recruiting strategy. In fact, CodePath.org, a computer science nonprofit, has held virtual career fairs to boost diversity among entry-level tech applicants. And another digital job fair was held last spring to connect young, unemployed people with employers such as Enterprise Rent-A-Car, FedEx, Five Guys, Hilton, Hyatt, Macy's, Nordstrom, Starbucks, T-Mobile, Target and Ulta Beauty.
