How to Run a Recruitment Event for Your Company

Feb 29, 2024 Jesse Liszka (Guest Contributor)

Could recruitment events be the way to go for your next round of hiring? Holding a recruitment event is a great way to grow your talent pool without investing hours of time chasing down individual candidates. It’s not just a time-saving exercise though, meeting potential candidates in person gives you the opportunity to learn more about them than what’s on their CV.
At these events, you can get to know their personality, gauge their enthusiasm for the role, and understand how they might fit into your existing team and company culture. Plus, you can show off what makes your company a great place to work and make a lasting impression on potential employees.

What Is a Recruitment Event? 
Typically, a recruitment event serves as a platform for employers to attract and gather all potential candidates interested in a particular job position or roles within the company. 
These events vary depending on the company; they can range from informal open houses for networking to more structured workshops for assessing candidates. For example, they might include group activities to showcase leadership skills or hypothetical scenarios to assess candidates' reactions in different situations and may include on-the-day interviews. 
Recruitment events work both ways: candidates get to learn about your company, and you have the chance to connect with potential employees in a more personal and meaningful way. 

For example, let’s say you’re looking to expand your customer service team. Rather than just post job ads and hope for the best, you organize a recruitment event. At this event, potential candidates get to meet the current customer service team, learn about the company, and even try out the technology they'll be using. 

Planning a Recruitment Event 
The size of your company and how many people you're looking to hire will influence how you plan a recruitment event. Every event is different, but we’ve put together a general guide that you can adapt to fit your company's specific needs and goals. 

1. Plan in Advance 
Hosting a successful recruitment event takes planning, so give yourself plenty of time ahead of your event to ensure everything runs smoothly. If you’re planning to hold a series of recruitment events throughout the year, you’ll want to start planning these at least a year out. This gives you time to find and secure venues before they get booked up, set goals, decide on a budget, and estimate how many people you want to come to your event. 

2. Find the Right Venue and Set Goals 
Before you get into planning the details of your event you’ll want to determine high-level event logistics. At this stage, consider things like: 

• Who do you want to come to your event? The type of people, like experienced professionals or recent graduates, will shape the format of your event and the content you include. 
• Why are you having this event? Is it to fill roles, boost your company image, or find future talent? 
• Decide if you'll collaborate with other companies or organize the event on your own. 
• Figure out the main theme or idea for the event. 
• Choose the venue – whether it's at your office or a separate venue – keeping in mind things like the number of attendees, picking an accessible venue, and the sort of vibe you want your event to have. 

You want your event to be a fun, engaging space for candidates to interact with your company, so consider having a theme for your event. Get creative and decorate your venue! Everybody likes a freebie, so consider giving out swag bags or even offering prizes and giveaways on the day to attract more people to your event. 

On top of that, make sure you’re providing a variety of valuable insights. Of course, you’ll want to show off your company but don’t forget to also include other interesting HR and recruitment events, such as a discussion about pro’s and con’s of being an exempt vs non-exempt employee or an expert panel on how to prevent employee burnout.
Finally, everybody likes a freebie, so consider giving out swag bags or even offering prizes and giveaways on the day to attract more people to your event.

3. Create a Plan for the Day 
The actual day of your event is likely to be pretty hectic, so make sure you have an agenda and a solid plan ahead of time for how you want the day to run. You don’t want attendees to get bored and potentially leave your event early, so line up plenty of activities to keep them engaged throughout the session. 
This could include things like interactive workshops or panel discussions. For example, if a company is hiring accounting professionals, they could demo their positive pay system and how it helps to reduce admin and builds confidence against fraudulent activities within their teams. 

At the same time, don’t overwhelm people with too many formal presentations or make it a one-way conversation, make sure there's time for candidates to showcase their skills. Provide plenty of opportunities for candidates to connect with your team members, ask questions, and learn more about the company throughout the day.  
To enhance the engagement and experience for attendees, you could set up an AI photo booth for the event, to add a fun and interactive element, making your event memorable for attendees. 
To enhance the engagement and experience for attendees, you could set up an AI photo booth for the event, to add a fun and interactive element, making your event memorable for attendees.

4. Showcase Your Company Culture 
A recruitment event isn’t just about filling job positions; it's also a chance to show off what makes your company special. Plan activities that reveal your values, work environment, and what it's like to work there. Whether it's a virtual tour, stories from current employees, or fun team activities, let candidates see a bit of your company life.
Let’s say you're expanding your HR team, you could use the recruitment day to showcase the HR tools you have in place. Highlight how these tools streamline tasks, making the HR department's work more efficient and contributing to a positive work environment 

5. Market Your Event 
With a good idea of how your event is going to run, it’s time to start spreading the word. Tease some highlights for your upcoming event, show off your company culture, and let potential candidates know why they should mark their calendars. 
Kick off your recruitment marketing and aim for quality attendees rather than just quantity. Look into your mailing list to find people interested in events, those who’ve attended previous events you’ve held, and those who regularly open your emails.
Concentrate your efforts on reaching out to these promising potential attendees. If you have a newsletter, include details about the event. On social media, share bits about the event to create excitement and include RSVP links to keep track of who's planning to attend. 

Additionally, consider recruiting ambassadors for your company who are enthusiastic and passionate about your organization's culture and mission. These ambassadors can help spread the word about the event on their social networks and among their peers, adding a personal touch to your marketing efforts.  

6. Send Out Invitations 
As the day of your event gets nearer, you’ll want to send out invitations. Decide if your event will be free or if there will be a cover fee. While a free event may be more appealing, charging even a small fee can make people more accountable to actually show up so you’re not left with empty seats.

For small events (10-50 attendees), you’ll likely want to keep it invite-only for better control of attendees. For larger events (100+ attendees) like job fairs or networking events, consider keeping it open to the public. 
Send invites six weeks before and follow up weekly until the event, this will help you keep track of numbers through open-rates and RSVPs. 
If your numbers are looking a bit on the low side, consider giving your event an extra boost with some paid social media advertising.  

7. Streamline the Application Process 
Make it easy for interested candidates to sign up for your recruitment event. If you have a dedicated landing page or event website, you can incorporate a registration platform there.
You could even consider using specialized event registration software to ensure a smooth and user-friendly registration process.
Alternatively, utilizing RSVP functions in emails or creating an event page on social media where people can register their interest and attendance. Registering in advance helps track attendance and allows you to send reminders in the run-up to your event, so people keep it on their calendars. 

8. Finalize the Details As your event fast approaches, make sure to finalize important details. First, work out how many people you expect to see at your event based on RSVPs, allowing for some drop-off on the day. Confirm you have enough volunteers to keep the day running smoothly, a good rule of thumb is to allow at least one volunteer for every 10 attendees to make sure everyone gets the attention they deserve. Check that all essential equipment, like speakers and microphones are organized and in working order. You’ll also want to arrange refreshments and any catering based on the expected number of attendees.
People’s first impression of your event when they arrive will be ticketing and registration. so don’t deter them before they even enter with a poorly organized entry process. Whether you opt for digital registration or stick with a trusty pen and paper, make sure you have a system in place and decide ahead of time whether you will allow walk-ins or not.

9. Gather Feedback
Post-event feedback is invaluable for future improvements. Encourage participants to share their thoughts and suggestions through surveys or feedback forms.  Analyzing this feedback will not only help you refine your recruitment events but also provide insights into what candidates value most in their job search.

Planning a Memorable Event 
Organizing a recruitment event for your company requires careful planning, creativity, and a genuine commitment to showcasing what makes your company stand out. 
By having clear goals for what you want to achieve from the day and creating a personalized and engaging experience, you'll not only attract top-tier talent but also build a positive reputation amongst job-seekers. Remember, it's not just about filling positions; it's about building a team that shares your company's vision and values. So, go ahead, make waves, and let your recruitment event be the talk of the talent town with Eventcombo!

About the Author
Jesse Liszka is the Senior Communications Specialist at Paylocity, leading provider of cloud-based payroll and human capital management software. She is a highly experienced communications, client marketing and content specialist, with more than 12 years of experience. You can find her on LinkedIn.