Hospitality Career Fairs: Student Perceptions of Value and Usefulness

Abstract

The study examined the experience of students majoring in hospitality and tourism management who attended an annual career fair sponsored by the department. The purpose of this study was to ascertain student attitudes regarding their perception of the value of attending career fairs and the recruiting efforts conducted. Questionnaires were completed by students upon departing the career fair. It was found that most students agreed that participation in the career fair increased student knowledge about their specific areas of interest. It was found that student interest in hospitality and tourism careers increased as a result of attendance at the career fair. Different patterns of career fair attendance were found among different demographic groups.

Career fairs: are they valuable eventsc Hospitality and tourism recruiter perceptions of attributes towards participation and activities

“…The perceptions of recruiters about career fairs is also crucial to the administration of hospitality departments as placement rates, location, and position can help attract future applicants to the school (Kwok et al, 2011). In terms of academic contributions, while research has been conducted about students' perceptions of career fairs (Silkes et al, 2010), to the authors' knowledge, recruiters' perceptions of career fairs have not been studied previously. Therefore, the present study adds to research about university recruiting by evaluating the perceptions of recruiters at career fairs.…”

“…In turn, career fairs allow students to learn about different companies and assess their fit with the organisation (Silkes et al, 2010). Another advantage of career fairs is that they allow students to learn about careers and career paths within an industry that they may not have realised existed prior to the fair (Payne and Sumter, 2005).…”

“…These recruiters typically either work in human resources or operations (Silkes et al, 2010). The position that the recruiter holds within the company varies from company to company, but one effective method is to use employees within a university's geographic region as these employees can conduct on-site interviews at the school as well as establish ongoing relationships (Morley, 2001).…”

“…This is an important opportunity because some students only know about the company through the recruiter (Silkes et al, 2010). Applicants are influenced by "(1) how amiable, empathetic, caring, concerned, and how knowledgeable a recruiter is about the company, (2) its positions, and (3) its applicants" [Silkes et al, (2010)0, p.121].…”

“…Career fairs held on university campuses are one way for companies to meet recruiting goals, especially given the competition to attract the best talent (Silkes et al, 2010). Career fairs also allow students to learn about organisations and their recruiting needs (Brennan et al, 2004).…”