By: Peer Career Coach Zahra Khuwaja

With the advent of COVID, like everything else, most conferences have also been moved to the virtual platform. This comes with a lot of flexibility on the recipient end, and if one gets all the little details figured out, virtual conferences can be really beneficial. Here are some tips to help you navigate through your next virtual conference:

  • Get familiar with the platform where the conference is being held AHEAD of time:
      • Check to see if your audio and video are set up on the platform before the conference starts. Ensure that you have given the platform the required permissions on the browser you are using. Watch the tutorials provided to help you navigate the platform.
  • Plan your schedule out ahead of time and be mindful of couple-booking yourself:
      • Oftentimes, you will have to sign-up for certain webinars or for meet and greets with companies attending the conference. Familiarize yourself with the schedule provided by the conference host and create time blocks for yourself on your calendar, with reminders, so that you stay on top of your game and attend all the events you wish to, in a timely fashion. Some events are live, and some are recorded. Plan accordingly.
  • Connect with other attendees:
      • Take advantage of chat platforms provided by the conference host, and connect with other attendees. Be sure to have your LinkedIn URL in hand to copy paste it into chats when connecting with attendees.
  • Have a typed-out pitch ready for virtual conference career fairs:
    • Prepare a document where you type a brief introduction about yourself (including your school, major, expected graduation date and the position you are looking for). It is extremely time effective to simply copy paste your pitch from the document as a message that you may be sending to a recruiter during the conference, instead of typing it out from scratch.

Other than that, be sure to have snacks and water next to you and definitely take screen breaks when required. Good luck!

Navigating Virtual Conferences