On Friday, Sept. 25, 115 CBE students and 43 employers participated in the annual Accounting Open House, which took place virtually through the TU Handshake platform.
“It was the first virtual career fair we have done for CBE,” says Meghan Behm, Professional Development Partner (PDP) and coordinator for this year’s Accounting Open House. “It was a significant learning experience for everyone involved, including myself.”
Luckily, Handshake, which TU already uses as a career database, recently launched a virtual fair platform that replicates an in-person experience as closely as possible. Participating employers, some of whom included Grant Thornton, EY, KPMG and more, had the opportunity to set up schedules consisting of 30-minute group sessions and/or 10-minute one-on-one sessions. Once employers set up their sessions, students could sign up for which sessions they would like to attend.
On the day of the event, there were 181 group session spots filled and 533 one-on-one session spots filled by students.
Additionally, participants found an unexpected perk. Since sessions were scheduled, students could manage their time more effectively without the anxiety of waiting rooms or locating specific employers.
“While we didn’t get the volume of employers and students we typically get for the in-person event, I believe the quality of engagement between students and employers was high,” Behm says.
“I think this has opened doors for future events, whether it’s career fairs or other virtual networking opportunities,” says Behm. “As we continue to maneuver our way through this ‘COVID-world,’ it’s comforting to know that we have flexible and quality options available.”