The University of Toronto 2022 Career Fair, held on September 21-22, blended online and on-campus elements, leaving a lasting impact on students, recent graduates and employers. The event featured two employer Q&A drop-in sessions, enhancing their understanding of U of T students’ unique needs. The online component recorded a remarkable 21,057 page views on the Acadiate platform, offering students the opportunity to explore job opportunities and network with employers remotely.
On September 22, the on-campus experience at the Exam Centre hosted 1,400 attendees engaging with 61 organizations and industry professionals, fostering meaningful connections and potential career prospects.
Honouring its ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion and accessibility Career Exploration & Education made special provisions to ensure that all students had the opportunity to explore the fair. To support Indigenous students and students from equity-deserving communities often underrepresented in the workforce, event organizers granted 30 minutes of advanced access to the event, enabling these students to interact with employers in a quieter, less crowded setting.
The consensus from the post-event survey was that students felt that they had gained practical knowledge and would take the following concrete actions:
- adding employer representatives to LinkedIn to continue conversations
- attending Career Exploration & Education appointments and workshops to work on applications and explore opportunities presented at the fair
Similarly, an employer remarked that “We hired a student who fits really well. She started last week.” In sharing of a memorable interaction with a student, one employer shared that “A student asked me about how to put yourself forward in your CV while competing against people with the same or higher GPAs. This was a challenge I faced as well, so I gave some tips like describing their most relevant projects and why they liked doing it.”