Career drives have always been an amazing opportunity for employers to easily find lots of qualified candidates, and, of course, for people seeking to find a new job or switch industries.
But, since the start of the pandemic, traditional in-person career drives have been fading away along with countless other types of events. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Virtual career drives are nothing new and have been held alongside real life ones way before the pandemic began.
It seems that only now companies have realized how much more powerful of a tool a virtual career drive can be than a physical one.
First and foremost, it is a matter of convenience and cost reduction. No longer do they have to spend tons of money renting a space and organizing everybody’s time blocks. Candidates also no longer have to potentially drive for hours on end to get to a single career drive.
Also, with virtual career drives, there is an additional level of pre-screening. Candidates must submit their resumes before they can access the drive, which means employers have a higher-quality pool of people to choose from.
Why Should You Follow-Up?
Virtual career drives usually host large online chat rooms where you can interact with your potential employers. And while a lot of HR managers and recruiters can often tell who is a great candidate right on the spot, it is rare for anybody to get hired immediately.
In fact, recruiters expect you to follow-up with them afterwards. After all, you need the job to pay your bills – they have more candidates lined up. Following up shows that you’re taking the initiative – which is a very important quality for any human being, especially in the professional world.
It can be an email, a LinkedIn connection with a message, a phone call – or all three of these actions combined. Below, we will discuss how you should follow up with recruiters in order to maximize your chances to land that position.
1. Engage With Them In-Person First
Alright, “in person” might be a little bit of a stretch, but you know what I’m talking about.
When sitting in an online chat room with 20 other people that you’ve never met before can be intimidating. And all of them will likely have questions for the recruiter.
Don’t forget to speak up and ask your own – get to know the specifics of the position and try to find out as much about the company’s culture as you can. Recruiters really value active people – and by talking to them a lot, they’re much more likely to remember you afterwards.
By simply talking to a recruiter, you get a good chance to at least gain an acquaintance “on the inside” of the company – this will come in really handy when they will be reviewing your CV after the drive. If they go “Oh, I remember them!” After opening your email, it’s a huge plus for you.
2. Connect On LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a social media tool built specifically for professionals. Before you send them your follow-up email, it’s a great idea to connect with your potential employer on LinkedIn first. After all, this is what this platform was designed for.
When sending your connection request, don’t forget to add a note saying how you’ve met at the career drive. And if you don’t have a profile picture, please add one.
All this works to ensure that your recruiter remembers you once they see your email.
3. Send An Email
Email is the best way to reach anybody for business purposes unless your hiring manager specifically stated that they prefer a phone call or a LinkedIn message.
Using a professional email solution instead of a free Hotmail account displays competence and trustworthiness. Generally, the sooner you send your follow-up, the better. I would suggest sending it within 24 hours after talking to your recruiter at the job drive.
Even if they were rather laid-back and informal when speaking to you, it’s a good idea to stick to a more professional tone in your email communications.
In your email, it’s a good idea to avoid overblown, powerful language. Instead, simply remind them about your interactions, mention something that you’ve talked about, and elaborate a little bit on why you think you would be a good fit for the position.
Feel free to grab this template for your own recruiter follow-ups.
“Dear {Hiring manager’s name},
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me about the position of {the position you’re applying for} with {Company name} this morning. It was a pleasure to learn more about your {innovative strategy/upcoming challenges/core values/industry insights}.
The details you provided me with about the position convinced me that this is a job I’d enjoy and one where I could make a valuable contribution with my skills and experience {refer to your specific area of expertise and how it can benefit your employer}.
I was also thinking about what you said regarding {specific issue discussed during the interview}. In my last role as {your current or most recent position}, I found that {data-backed explanation of how you would tackle the issue in question}.
Finally, attached you’ll find the details of some of the projects we talked about. Please feel free to contact me if you find you need any more information.
I look forward to our call next week as discussed.
Thank you once again, {hiring manager’s name}.
Best regards,
(Your name)”
4. Attach A Cover Letter
A cover letter is never really mandatory for job applications, but definitely appreciated. While your CV is just a dry declaration of skills, education, and past work experience, a cover letter is a longer-form document in which you go into a little bit more detail on the previous projects you worked on, and elaborate more on why exactly you want to work for that specific company.
Again, a cover letter helps you stick out in the memory of your potential employers, and works to create a feeling that you’re really trying to secure that position. And proactivity is everything.
Summing Up
So, to maximize your chances of landing a job after a virtual career drive, you need to:
- First interact with your recruiter at the drive;
- Send them a LinkedIn connection request;
- Send your email follow-up within 24 hours of your interaction;
- Include a cover letter.
This might seem like really simple advice, but just doing these few things will help you stand out amongst other candidates and improve your chances of landing that position.