Marketing Ohio State Career Fair

Who: The Ohio State University Office of Student Life: Buckeye Careers

What: University-wide Career and Internship Fair

When: September 18-19, 2024

Goals: Increase student attendance at both in-person and virtual fair as well as increase employer registrations

Audiences: Students attending- Undergraduates, Masters, PhD, and Post-Doctorates searching for their next internship, part-time or full-time job. Employers attending- wide variety of employers who want to choose this career fair over others.

Challenges: Struggle with internal competition for career fairs at Ohio State. There are 40 other career fairs across colleges. Why should employers and students choose this one? How does this one stand out?

Stakeholders: Buckeye Careers team members, Events and Conferences team, University Catering, CampusParc, Handshake, Ohio Union

Deliverables: Emails, Web Banners, Social Media Graphics, Digital Screens, Hot cards, Email Banner, Newsletter image, A frames, Easels, Exterior/Interior Banners, PowerPoints, Notepads, Posters and Promo items

Marketing: Phase 1 (March – May): Focused on employer outreach and emailing employers to encourage them to register for the career fair.
Phase 2 (June – July): Again looked at employer attendance as well as ordering promo items, reaching out to campus partners, looking ahead.

Phase 3 (August-September): Targeted students returning to campus, asking them to register to attend. Big marketing push on campus letting all students know about career fair

Phase 4 (September): Improving our photography assets was identified as necessary because we were struggling to use five-year-old dated photography. I organized a photoshoot with two student models before the career fair and we got branded images that we can use in next year’s career fair promotion to show students what the fair is like.

Results: 2,202 students attended in-person, 150 attended virtually and 200 employers registered. Employers said that students were very prepared. This was the highest in-person attendance ever.

Opportunities for next year: Emphasize virtual fair, highlight the benefits like students don’t have to wait in line to talk to an employer who wil be at the virtual fair.

Marketing Assets: