This picture was taken in Nantucket, an island off the US East Coast. From 1900-1918, the island outlawed motorised vehicles. So the mailman put a horse in front of his car while doing his rounds on the island. It’s really a picture that captures the transition from one era to the next.

And in my eyes, online student fairs mark a similar transition. From person-to-person recruitment to recruitment that takes place mostly online.

The advantage of an in-person student fair is that prospective students and recruiters just have to travel to one place, where they can meet with many different institutions.In-person student fairs help Universities in lowering the barrier for prospective students to meet them physically. Students won’t need to travel specifically to one institution to speak to one person.

But since the mode contact at virtual student fairs is already VIRTUAL, what’s the point?There is no added convenience for prospective students. They’re already behind their computers, doing research. It only takes a mouse click to go from one institution to another. Instead of trying to ‘poach’ prospective students from a mass, I believe it’s much more effective to invest time and effort into seeking out your ideal students digitally, with your own campaigns and own pre-recorded digital content.

When your select few ideal students have found you and really buy into your vision, that is the time to schedule a call. Let the system take care of one-to-many, and make more time for recruiters to spend with high-quality candidates.

What do you think?