Recruiters and graduates were back at the VCU Brandcenter this week for the first in-person recruiter session since 2019. (Jonathan Spiers photos)
The annual ritual of job recruiters vying for the attention of the VCU Brandcenter’s latest crop of soon-to-be-graduates was back this week, and back in person for the first time since the pandemic.
Roughly 250 recruiters from more than 150 companies signed up to take part in this year’s Brandcenter recruiter session, which included both in-person and virtual opportunities to meet and review the work of the 95 students set to graduate in the Class of 2023.
Companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Reef, as well as ad agencies such as 72andSunny, Droga5 and Wieden+Kennedy, were represented in the so-called “reverse career fair,” in which the graduates set up their own distinctive interview stations and receive recruiters wanting to meet them, instead of the other way around.
The reverse career fair sees recruiters vying for time with students, many of whom decorate their interview stations to reflect their personalities.
Midway through the two-day Tuesday-Wednesday session, a happy hour for participants was held at Arts & Letters Creative Co.’s Shockoe Bottom office at the Power Plant at Lucky Strike building.
In addition to Arts & Letters, local participants this year included Brand Federation, CapTech Consulting, Elevation, Familiar Creatures, The Martin Agency, Sylvain and West Cary Group.
Brandcenter Associate Director Ashley Sommardahl, a Brandcenter alum herself, said this year’s session reflected a shift in recruiting strategies that has been seen across the industry in the wake of the pandemic.
“We’re all having to adjust recruiting strategies post-COVID, and in a tough hiring climate,” Sommardahl said in an email.
“In past years, it’s been either 100 percent in person or 100 percent virtual. This year, our strategy has been a mix of in-person events, microsite/virtual recruiting, and hosting a series of company/agency info sessions, some in person and some virtually. Basically, we’re trying to accommodate whatever is best for agencies/companies to recruit our students,” she said.
Roughly 250 recruiters from more than 150 companies took part this year. (Photo courtesy Brandcenter)
Sommardahl said the job placement rate for the recruiter sessions is consistently around 95 percent or more, with placements made within six months of graduation. She said five students had accepted jobs as of this week.
The hybrid approach follows three years of virtual-only recruiter sessions. The last session to be held in-person was in 2019, before COVID-19 arrived in early 2020.
This year’s session was also the first held since the Brandcenter’s basement was renovated two years ago. The 10,000-square-foot space was reconfigured with added breakout rooms, phone booths and other features and facilities.
Locally based Suburban Remodeling Corp. was the general contractor on the renovation, which was designed by Architecturefirm valued on a building permit at about $382,000.
The Brandcenter is located at 103 S. Jefferson St., in a former carriage house for The Jefferson Hotel that was converted in 2008.
Recruiters and graduates were back at the VCU Brandcenter this week for the first in-person recruiter session since 2019. (Jonathan Spiers photos)
The annual ritual of job recruiters vying for the attention of the VCU Brandcenter’s latest crop of soon-to-be-graduates was back this week, and back in person for the first time since the pandemic.
Roughly 250 recruiters from more than 150 companies signed up to take part in this year’s Brandcenter recruiter session, which included both in-person and virtual opportunities to meet and review the work of the 95 students set to graduate in the Class of 2023.
Companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Reef, as well as ad agencies such as 72andSunny, Droga5 and Wieden+Kennedy, were represented in the so-called “reverse career fair,” in which the graduates set up their own distinctive interview stations and receive recruiters wanting to meet them, instead of the other way around.
The reverse career fair sees recruiters vying for time with students, many of whom decorate their interview stations to reflect their personalities.
Midway through the two-day Tuesday-Wednesday session, a happy hour for participants was held at Arts & Letters Creative Co.’s Shockoe Bottom office at the Power Plant at Lucky Strike building.
In addition to Arts & Letters, local participants this year included Brand Federation, CapTech Consulting, Elevation, Familiar Creatures, The Martin Agency, Sylvain and West Cary Group.
Brandcenter Associate Director Ashley Sommardahl, a Brandcenter alum herself, said this year’s session reflected a shift in recruiting strategies that has been seen across the industry in the wake of the pandemic.
“We’re all having to adjust recruiting strategies post-COVID, and in a tough hiring climate,” Sommardahl said in an email.
“In past years, it’s been either 100 percent in person or 100 percent virtual. This year, our strategy has been a mix of in-person events, microsite/virtual recruiting, and hosting a series of company/agency info sessions, some in person and some virtually. Basically, we’re trying to accommodate whatever is best for agencies/companies to recruit our students,” she said.
Roughly 250 recruiters from more than 150 companies took part this year. (Photo courtesy Brandcenter)
Sommardahl said the job placement rate for the recruiter sessions is consistently around 95 percent or more, with placements made within six months of graduation. She said five students had accepted jobs as of this week.
The hybrid approach follows three years of virtual-only recruiter sessions. The last session to be held in-person was in 2019, before COVID-19 arrived in early 2020.
This year’s session was also the first held since the Brandcenter’s basement was renovated two years ago. The 10,000-square-foot space was reconfigured with added breakout rooms, phone booths and other features and facilities.
Locally based Suburban Remodeling Corp. was the general contractor on the renovation, which was designed by Architecturefirm valued on a building permit at about $382,000.
The Brandcenter is located at 103 S. Jefferson St., in a former carriage house for The Jefferson Hotel that was converted in 2008.
This is super exciting for the graduates – nothing like being able to REALLY see & feel the energy and excitement in a potential hire – invaluable.
Isn’t overall advertising dollars 5-10% down in 2023? How do these companies hire in a declining market?
Advertising is down, but it’s mostly in technology. The rest seems to be holding steady.