Career fairs have long played an important role in connecting job seekers with employers. They give candidates access to multiple opportunities in one place, while helping employers efficiently engage and screen potential talent. As workforce development and recruiting continue to evolve alongside technology, career fairs have evolved too.

Enter the virtual career fair.

Virtual career fairs aren’t new—but they’ve become a proven, widely adopted approach to talent engagement. Today, many employers and workforce organizations intentionally use virtual formats to expand reach, reduce barriers, and meet job seekers where they are. In fact, virtual recruiting tools are now a permanent part of many hiring strategies, valued for their flexibility, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness.

Successfully organizing virtual career fairs is certainly an art and a science.  Just as you must carefully pick a venue, set the budget, establish event details, set a date and time, and market the event, you must do these activities for virtual events as well.  In any case, organizing virtual career fairs is possible, and in fact can be very effective and enjoyable for both the job seekers and employers who attend them. Check out the steps below (including best practices) that you must conduct in order to successfully host a virtual career fair.

1. Lead the effort- Career fairs are often organized by different groups such as colleges, industry consortiums, local workforce centers, and employers themselves.  Identify what opportunities the event offers, and establish who is involved. You may need to communicate the benefits and value of virtual career fairs, so ensure this messaging is clear up front.

2. Pick a platform- If you don’t already have an LMS, you’ll need to evaluate your options- which can be plentiful! If you’re looking for more information on different LMSs available, there are lots of great articles online about the pros and cons of each.  We’re working on an article as well, so check back here later for more information.  For now, we recommend Canvas as a great LMS option. 

3. Set a budget- Just as in-person career fairs cost money to operate, so do virtual career fairs.  Many LMSs come with an annual fee as well as a cost per user or account created.  According to Jeffrey Harris, E-Learning Development Specialist at EDSI, “When setting a budget, it is always a good idea to establish the total number of user accounts you are willing to spend money on for the event. It is possible to set a cap for events via an API integration, making it impossible to exceed the total number of users that you want to allow into the event.”  Identify event goals- How many employers are involved?  How many different positions need to be filled, and how many positions are open? What kind of information do employers want to display at their booths? How many job seekers will ideally attend? What industry are you targeting? It’s critical to have clarity on these items. 

4. Establish whether or not to include a ‘live’ component- Do employers want to offer live virtual Q&A sessions at a specific day/time? This would involve much more coordination as you need to confirm times with each employer and ensure this information is communicated well to job seekers in the marketing process.

5. Build the fair- This is a more technical component which involves utilizing the capabilities and features of the LMS platform to build out the virtual job fair.  The most critical components are the account setup for participants, event welcome page, and contents of each virtual booth.  The contents of the virtual booth can include: 

   1. Employer ‘about us’ page with text, videos and pictures

   2. Pages for each open position

   3. Resume uploading capabilities

   4. Question submission page for job seekers (questions can be submitted by video or text)

   5. Links to live Q&A sessions

   6. Option for job seekers to schedule interviews

   7. Option for employers to review resumes before scheduling any interviews 

6. Market the fair- Marketing career fairs is a final, and very important step. In order for the event to be successful, you need to effectively communicate the benefits and that the fair is easy to use and access.  Creating inviting imagery, posting on social media and utilizing local partners to help market the event online are all great ideas.

We hope that you’re now more confident and clearer on the steps involved in organizing a virtual career fair using an LMS.  Now let's talk about how the fair actually works. 

Benefits of Hosting Virtual Career Fairs in an LMS

Beyond convenience, LMS-hosted virtual career fairs offer several strategic advantages:

1. Reduced costs
   Organizations already using an LMS may avoid additional platform or venue expenses, making virtual career fairs a cost-efficient option.
2. Improved data and reporting
   Job seeker interactions—such as booth visits, resume uploads, and interview scheduling—are automatically tracked, simplifying reporting and follow-up.
3. Streamlined application process
   Job seekers can apply directly to specific roles, upload resumes, or link to employer application systems with minimal friction.
4. Greater accessibility
   Virtual career fairs can be accessed from a computer, tablet, or smartphone, reducing transportation, time, and mobility barriers for participants.
5. Flexible timelines
   Events can run for a single day, a full week, or longer. Live employer sessions can be scheduled to create engagement while still allowing on-demand participation.

Looking Ahead

Virtual career fairs hosted within an LMS are no longer a temporary solution—they’re a practical, scalable tool workforce organizations and employers can use to connect talent with opportunity. When designed thoughtfully, they create meaningful engagement while expanding access and efficiency.\

To learn more about other virtual job search tools that supplement the virtual job fair, check out this blog. 

If you have any more specific questions on how to organize your virtual career fair, please fill out the form below and one of our experts will get back with you soon.