2024 Virtual Career Expo

2024 Graduate Career Consortium (GCC) Virtual Career Expo (VCE)

Date: Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Time: 12 PM - 4 PM ET / 11 AM – 3 PM CT / 10 AM - 2 PM MT / 9 AM - 1 PM PT
Location: Virtual; CareerEco
Who to contact with questions: Contact Committee Co-Chairs: Colleen Gleeson (vce1@gradcareerconsortium.org) and Caitlin Deis (vce2@gradcareerconsortium.org)

The GCC-sponsored VCE is a virtual recruiting and networking experience designed to connect graduate students, postdocs, and alumni from STEM, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences fields, to employers using the CareerEco platform.

In 2023, the VCE had 52 employers and almost 984 participants from 38 GCC institutions.

Relevant Links & Resources
How GCC member institutions can participate
Important Dates & Deadlines
Frequently Asked Questions

Important Forms (linked)
Host Institution Registration Form
Employer Contacts Submission Form
Template to Send to 30 Contacts
Template to Recruit Employers Individually
Employer Contacts Excel Template

*** Please note, this expo does not target students from professional degree programs.

How GCC member institutions can participate
The partnership between the GCC VCE and GCC member institutions allows students, postdocs, and alumni to take advantage of this virtual recruitment opportunity.

The GCC VCE committee will handle event logistics but we rely on GCC member institutions to recruit employers and advertise the event on campus (the VCE committee will provide all of the marketing materials).

To participate as a GCC member institution, there are two (2) options to choose from based on your institution‘s resources:

Option A: Institutions with access to a Career Center and/or Employer Relations – This option involves emailing and then submitting a list of 30 employer contacts to the VCE planning committee (template will be provided).

Next Steps:

Fill out the registration form and choose the Submit Contacts option.
We ask that you email your contacts with a GCC Virtual Career Expo Save the Date/Early Bird Registration email, prior to submitting your list to the committee. We want them to know a formal invitation is coming. Click here for a marketing template .
After you email your 30 contacts, download the contacts template and send the complete template to vce1@gradcareerconsortium.org and vce2@gradcareerconsortium.org. Deadline to email your contacts and submit is December 1, 2023.
CareerEco will send a formal invitation to your contacts in early December.

Option B: Institutions without access to a Career Center and/or Employer Relations – This option involves recruiting 2-3 employers to participate in the expo (which could include your own institution!)

Next Steps:

Complete the registration form and select the Recruit 2-3 Employers option.
Recruit employers to participate - see editable template.
Please tell your recruits to list your institution‘s name when they register for the question "How did you hear about the fair?" so that you receive credit for their registration.
Once your employers have registered for the event, please confirm (via email) with the committee co-chairs.

Once a school completes all the requirements for the option selected, your school‘s name will be listed on the CareerEco event page as a host institution.

*If neither of the above options work for your institution and you still want to participate, please email the co-chairs to discuss alternatives.

IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES

Nov 1: Event is live on the CareerEco website - employers can begin registering
Friday, Dec 1: Deadline for schools to email and submit contacts (option A)
First week of Dec: CareerEco to email all employers submitted by Schools
Jan 3: Registration opens for students, postdocs, & alumni on the CareerEco site
Jan 15: Employer Early Registration rate ends
Jan 16-Feb 19: Employer Regular Registration rate begins
Feb 19: Last day for Schools to recruit 2-3 employers to participate
Feb 20: Employer Late Registration rate begins
Mar 5: Last day for employer registration

FAQs
Why is the deadline so early?
The deadline is early so that schools can submit their employer contacts, and we can recruit employers before we open registration for the students & postdocs. Employers want to know what schools are participating, and students and postdocs want to know which employers are participating before they sign up. Therefore, it‘s a longer timeline with an earlier deadline.

Why do I have to email the employer contacts first?
Employers respond better to people/institutions they know. Having you send a personal email first encourages them to read the email, to register for the event and prepares them for the invite from CareerEco.

I don‘t have any employer contacts to contact and submit and I don‘t know any employers to recruit, can my school still participate?
Please email the co-chairs at VCE@gradcareerconsortium.org to discuss options.

What about MBAs and JDs?
This fair is targeted to master‘s and PhD students and postdocs from STEM, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences fields. Those with professional degrees are welcome to attend, but the employers recruited are not specifically for those disciplines. We recommend only advertising to those from STEM, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences fields.

What if I don‘t email my employers?
Schools must email their employers to participate in the event.

When should employers register for the event?
As soon as possible! Early registration ends Jan. 15 and regular registration rates end Feb. 19th.

What platform will be used for the VCE?
We are continuing to use the CareerEco platform. They have made improvements to the platform to include video conferencing technologies.

Other than recruiting employers, what else do I need to do? Do I need to do anything on the day of the fair?
Once you‘ve emailed and submitted your contacts or recruited 2-3 employers, all you need to do is advertise the event to your students & postdocs! Marketing materials will be provided. Trainee registration will open in February. No need to do anything on the day of the event!