Following UVA's plans for fall 2020, all upcoming career fairs will be virtual. Virtual career fairs can help you expand your job and internship search while allowing you to meet multiple organizations that are actively hiring from the comfort of your computer. All UVA Career Fairs will take place virtually on Handshake.
A virtual format will enhance the experience, allowing you to:
- Meet with employers. Interact with recruiters through video, audio, or chat.
- Discover new career opportunities. Get personalized recommendations based on your Handshake profile for which employers to connect with.
- Never wait in line, ever. Pre-scheduled 1:1 or group sessions with employers ahead of the fair or on the day-of.
- Make an impression. Bring your unique perspective to the table, ask great questions, and follow up with recruiters after the fair.
Attention Employers: This page is intended for students. View employer fairs page >>
Fall 2020 Career Fairs
Students can view upcoming career fairs and events on Handshake. To view all upcoming Career Fairs, go to 'Events' and select 'Fair Search'. As you prepare for the fair, it’s important that you register for employer sessions in advance. You can only attend the sessions you registered for.
Sept. 8th
2020 Engineering, Science, and Technology Virtual Fall Career Fair
Sept. 10th
Commerce Career Day (Career Fair)
Sept. 23rd
Graduate and Professional School Fair
Oct. 15th
Fall Job & Internship Fair 2020 - Biotech, Science and Healthcare Careers
Oct. 22nd
Fall Job & Internship Fair 2020 - Non-Profit, Government, Public Service, and Education Careers
Oct. 29th
Fall Job & Internship Fair 2020 - All Career Industries
Registering & Signing Up for Sessions
- In order to sign up for sessions with employers, you must be registered for the fair.
- For details on this process, please see Handshake's guide for signing up For Virtual Fair Sessions.
- To sign up for Group or 1:1 sessions, your profile privacy will need to be set to Community or Employers.
- For more information on profile privacy, please see Profile Privacy Options in Handshake.
- Review which employers are attending the fair (follow employers you want to check back in with)!
- You'll be able to sign up for sessions up to one (1) minute before the start time; once the session has started, you'll be unable to sign up for the session.
How to Navigate a Virtual Career Fair
Read our tips on how to prepare and navigate a virtual career fair.
Virtual Career Fair Registration & Tips for Success
Get the Most out of Your Virtual Fair - Handshake's Video Overview
Video Content Includes:
Introduction (3:47)
Benefits of Virtual Fairs (7:29)
5 Steps to Success at Virtual Fairs (9:06)
Updating Your Handshake Profile (13:10)
Updating Your Resume (22:06)
Exploring Virtual Events on Handshake (24:12)
Signing Up for Virtual Fair Sessions (26:01)
Accessing Your Virtual Fair Schedule (41:22)
Q&A (46:57)
More Virtual Fair Resources (1:00:00)
Important Reminders (1:00:20)
Day-Of Logistics
On the day of the virtual fair, you'll be able to join sessions via the Your Sessions tab in the fair. Note: You must be signed up for the session at least one minute prior to the session start in order to join.
Joining Sessions
1. Navigate to the fair in Handshake and click on the Your sessions tab.
2. Click the blue Launch Video button in order to join the session. You can join up to five minutes early to test your audio and video connection.
3. You'll need to make sure you've allowed microphone and video access in your app or browser in order to participate in audio and video.
Please refer to Handshake Video Requirements & Troubleshooting for additional information to ensure a smooth audio and video experience! Please Note: In group sessions with more than 15 participants, we will automatically disable participant audio and video to preserve session quality.
4. Use the three dots menu icon or the word Settings to access meeting settings:
- Audio settings
- Video settings
- Report a problem
Leaving a Session
Sessions will end automatically 20 minutes after the scheduled end time, to allow for additional conversation. Participants may leave a session and rejoin, but may only be connected to a session via one device.
When the session ends, a prompt will appear asking for quality-related feedback, which uses a 5-star rating system and a text box for additional details.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I register for the fair or view upcoming fairs?
Students can view upcoming career fairs and events on Handshake. To view all upcoming Career Fairs, go to 'Events' and select 'Fair Search'. Learn how to see which employers will be attending each fair here. As you prepare for the fair, it’s important that you register for employer sessions in advance. You can only attend the sessions you registered for. Check out this article to learn how to register.
Why should I attend a virtual career fair?
Career fairs are a great way to get a leg up with companies that interest you. A virtual format will enhance the experience, allowing you to:
- Meet with employers. Interact with recruiters through video, audio, or chat.
- Discover new career opportunities. Get personalized recommendations based on your Handshake profile for which employers to connect with.
- Never wait in line, ever. Pre-schedule 1:1 or group sessions with employers ahead of the fair or on the day-of.
- Make an impression. Bring your unique perspective to the table, ask great questions, and follow up with recruiters after the fair.
How do I introduce myself and what kinds of questions can I ask employers?
Questions to Ask Employers
- What kinds of entry-level positions exist within your company?
- Does your company hire on a continual basis or just at certain times of the year?
- How long does the hiring process take?
- What qualities does your company look for in an employee?
- How many new employees (or interns) is your company looking to hire?
- What makes your company unique compared to other companies?
Questions to Ask Grad School Recruiters
- How many students are in the department? How many professors are there?
- What courses/pre-requisites should I take for graduate school?
- What is the GPA cut-off for the department?
- What graduate admissions test is required for the program?
- What is unique about your school?
- What do you look for in successful applicants?
Will students be able to submit their resumes to employers? Without joining sessions?
Yes! Students will be able to sign up to meet with employers in 1:1 and group sessions during a virtual fair, and employers will have access to these students’ resumes before and after the fair. Sharing resumes in this way is not the same as a typical “resume book,” so if you have formal processes around resume books then we recommend that you consider these processes separately from your virtual fair.
Will students who live internationally be able to participate?
There are no restrictions by location, so as long as the student has logged into Handshake they will be able to participate.
Can a student see previously attended sessions?
Yes! Students will be able to see their previous sessions within the sessions tab.
Will students, employers, and career staff have access to transcripts of the chats they had during the virtual fair?
Transcripts will not be provided for conversations held during the fair. Instead, there will be moderation options for students and employers to utilize during conversations.
How do I report a problem?
Report Technical Issue
You can report an audio issue, video issue, chat issue, or other. This will generate a ticket for our team to review, as well as help us continue to improve our product.
Report a User
To report a participant, right-click on their name in the participants' list, then select Report User. The user will not be alerted that they have been reported. Note: if you report another participant, the session host will be notified and have the option to remove that user from the session.
For more details on this process (including screenshots of what the forms look like), please refer to Reporting an Issue at a Virtual Fair.
