Jan. 26, 2000
Contact: Mary Bridget Reilly
513-556-1824
mary-bridget.reilly@uc.edu

Cincinnati -- Employers are adopting extraordinary measures to find enough workers in the current, boa-constricting labor market.

At regional college campuses, employers are engaging in what amounts to "Creative Recruiting 101" to lure students: CEOs are taking the time to meet with college placement personnel, pizza parties and picnics for students are the pattern, prizes go to faculty who refer the most students for interviews, employers sponsor Monte Carlo nights for students, campus games like remote-controlled car races draw potential prospects, and concert tickets and dinners go to prospects.

An upcoming "web fair" at the University of Cincinnati is the latest in unconventional tools to help employers meet the students they need.

This year's "Virtual Career Fair" is set for Feb. 14-18. It will allow UC students and employers from around the nation meet and greet, screening one another via computer screen. The university held its first-ever cyber career fair last year, with students and alumni (the web fair is also open to alums of the university) making 6,155 booth visits to participating employers' specially designed "Virtual Career Fair" sites.

"I've never done or heard of a virtual career fair before. It's a new realm to reach students other than the college and high school fairs I go to. I'm particularly interested in UC because it is a very diverse campus," said Courtney Nicholas, recruitment coordinator for AmeriCorps.

This year, more than 60 companies from throughout Ohio, Illinois, Texas, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Florida and Georgia, are expected to participate. At least 1,000 students are expected to pay cyber calls on these firms.

The web fair will allow students to:

Search out posted positions on the employers' specially created career-fair web pages which link to company websites

Search out firms by geographic location where students would like to live

Ask general questions via e-mail

Direct employers to the web addresses of their resumes

E-mail resumes

While meeting employers' need during this fiercely competitive recruiting market, the "Virtual Career Fair" also meets the demands of UC students, most of whom work. "Our students are out on cooperative education assignments for entire quarters or are working part- or full-time while in school. UC is a university that works so many have found it difficult to attend the traditional career fair that meets a few hours in the middle of a weekday," explained cyber fair organizer Andrea Dine, assistant director in UC's Career Development Center, who added that the virtual fair is "open" 24 hours a day, and thus, more convenient for UC's diverse student body.

Employers participate in the fair for only $100 while it is free for job-seeking students and alumni. Employers interested in participating in the online career fair can register through the employer's page at UC's career development website at http://www.uc.edu/career/new/employers.htm. Starting at 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 14, UC students and alumni can visit with these employers by going to the same site, clicking on the "students" or "alumni" button. They then proceed to the "Virtual Career Fair" page.