Over 80 companies held digital booths at the OC 4th District Virtual Job Fair Wednesday. Job seekers could speak with a company representative, explore career opportunities and upload resumes for potential employers to overview.

The virtual event, which District 4 Supervisor Doug Chaffee organized, included the FBI, Amazon, Tesla, T-Mobile and the California Army National Coast Guard.

Registration for the event was free and simple. After registrants uploaded their resume and profile photo, they were free to browse the virtual lobby area and click on any employer that interested them.

Each hosted event included an overview of the employer’s bio, a link to their website and a live chat where an attendee could speak directly with a representative from the company. Some events also provided job vacancies that the company was looking to hire.

The web-based platform for this event provided a safe way to interact with potential employers without the risk of spreading COVID-19. The virtual ability to explore each digital booth also took away the intimidation of speaking directly with employers while simply learning about the company. Users were free to click in and out of any event they wanted, with the ability to spend as much or as little time exploring what the cyber booth had to offer.

A chat box would keep track of all ongoing conversations with potential employers, which allowed the attendee to maneuver through the event while holding on to discussions with different representatives.

Anna Yore, a representative from the YMCA of Orange County, commented that she felt applicants were more willing to attend a virtual fair because they could do so from a remote location rather than travel to a site.

There were only a couple of disadvantages of attending a job fair virtually. Individuals who wished to attend, for example, would need access to stable internet service and a properly working phone, tablet or computer to access the event. Speaking to company representatives virtually also took away the personal factor of getting to know their applicants.

Still, the event provided an easy and accessible way for job seekers to discover future career opportunities with a broad platform that allowed multiple companies to become easier to connect with.

Fullerton College students wanting information on future job fairs and employment opportunities can find resources on the Orange County One-Stop Center website.