NC Tech to host virtual exposition with more than 2,000 jobs up for grabs

NC Tech, a trade association representing more than 200,000 North Carolina technology workers, will host a free virtual job expo Wednesday to connect job seekers with 40 area employers, including such names as Google, Microsoft and Toshiba.

More than 2,000 positions will be available spanning technology, sales and marketing, finance and customer support.

“There’s a good number of companies that are hiring for 100 or more positions,” Michelle Calton, vice president of NC Tech, told The News & Observer. “It really differs employer by employer, so we’ll open up the job fair platform early for job seekers to go in and do some research, because 40 employers is a lot.”

The exposition will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Attendees can peruse employer “booths” to learn about company objectives and explore available positions. Recruiters will be available for one-to-one conversations via live chat and video features.

“They’ll have access to corporate information, benefits information; some of the employers have a welcome video and they can get their social media links and career websites,” Calton said. “So there’s a good amount of information in a lot of the booths. It takes some time to go through. And then people can narrow it down to see who they want to go in and speak with about more specific opportunities.”

NC Tech has hosted similar job fairs for years, but always in person. When the pandemic began, Calton wondered if a virtual substitute would engage attendees and foster meaningful introductions between employers and job seekers. To her surprise, virtual job fairs have offered some improvements to the traditional format.

“I think it’s a really efficient way to have a job fair,” Calton said. “I think it makes it easier for candidates, regardless of where they’re located, to be able to participate. We see folks from out of state that are looking at moving to North Carolina. We see folks that are in rural areas, or in the military, that are transitioning and are able to hop on very quickly and meet a whole plethora of employers in the span of a day.”

Companies have also bolstered their engagement in ways they couldn’t when fairs were hosted in finite spaces.

“Instead of having to put together a box of supplies and everything and schlep it over to a hotel or a different venue,” Calton said, “the virtual fair makes it really easy for them to have as many recruiters as possible participate in the actual platform to engage and chat with different candidates.”

To register for the event, visit NC Tech’s event site. Information is also available at nctech.org. There is no cost, but registrants will need to upload a resume and some basic personal information.