So you have made the decision to participate in CareerNation Hiring Conference. What now? We have been in business for nearly 5 years, and have assembled the most frequently asked questions for you to have an enjoyable and successful conference experience.

Is this like a job fair? Unlike job fairs you may have attended in the past, you will not be passing out key-chains, pencils, and plastic cups in exchange for a pile of resumes of faceless candidates. Instead, you will be conducting one-on-one interviews with qualified candidates screened for the opportunity, location, and salary in a private setting.

Who are your Clients? We have worked with hundreds of companies and government agencies including The Executive Office of The President of the United States, New York Police Department, FedEx, Shell oil Co., Eskom Holdings Ltd, International Rescue Committee, New York Life Insurance Company.  55% of the candidates we present receive offers.

How much does it cost to attend? The only cost to attend is the interview suite(s), and travel expenses for you and for your company’s representatives. The costs usually include breakfast, the Lunch.  Any candidate you interview at conference and choose to hire will fall under the fee agreement between your company and CareerNation. We generally work on a flat fee rate of $2500 per position or on commission bases.

Do I need to get a room? Our conferences take place at locations equipped with suites for our clients to conduct interviews. It provides a quiet, professional location for each company to interview candidates.

What is the Candidate Pool? It is not where the candidates swim. It is what we call
the group of candidates we assemble for each conference. The pool generally consists of
degreed candidates looking for positions in Africa or the United States.

What’s the deal with company presentations? We invite our client companies to give a presentation on their company and the opportunities the candidates will be interviewing for. While not mandatory, it is a good time to showcase why candidates should come to work for you. Successful companies give presentations to get candidates excited about their company and the positions you are interviewing for. In addition to the candidates already screened to interview with your company, the rest of the candidate pool is encouraged to attend and learn about your company. It is a great way to attract candidates that previously were not interested in the location or type of work involved. Those candidates will be added to your interview slate.

Who should do the interviews? The most popular combination is an HR professional
teamed with either the hiring manager or someone who is familiar with the day to day
requirements of the position.

When will I see resumes for candidates? CareerNation is dedicated to the success of our client companies at conference. We understand your desire to review the candidates’ resumes prior to leaving for conference. We will be adding candidates to your interview slate as late as the evening before as candidates learn about the companies during the presentations. Our goal is to have your schedule complete when you arrive at the conference, and provide copies of the candidates’ resumes at that time.

Can you accommodate special requests? Given advanced notice, we can generally
accommodate special requests, such as administering written exams or scheduling on-site
visits the day following the conference.

What happens the day of the interview? Each interview day starts at 8:00 AM. Most interviews will be conducted in 30-, 45-, or 60-minute blocks. If you need more time with a candidate, please let us know and we will make arrangements with that candidate later in the day.

It is very important that you follow your schedule. Each candidate has multiple interviews and if one company falls behind, it can throw off the entire schedule for candidates and other clients.

What happens if a candidate is late? At each conference, CareerNation maintains an Operations Suite that is staffed around the clock. If a candidate is more than a few minutes late to an interview, we ask that you call your Account Executive or the Operations Suite so we can find the candidate for you. In most cases the candidate was in another interview that ran late. We will locate the candidate for you.

What do I do when I’m done interviewing? After interviews are complete, you will need to meet with your Account Executive to review the candidates. Included with the candidate schedule, we include a candidate evaluation form that acts as your scorecard for the day. Your Account Executive will talk about the candidates and which ones you decide to pursue after the conference. Each candidate will in turn out-brief with their recruiter to review the companies they interviewed with. CareerNation then matches our client companies’ top choices with the top companies for each candidate. You will be called shortly after the conference to let you know which candidates you are interested in are worthy of pursuit.

What happens next? If all goes well at conference, you will have a selection of candidates you wish to continue the interview process. While all companies have different hiring plans, there are steps you can take ahead of conference to ensure the candidates you are most interested in come to work for you. Our motto is, “Fourteen days…done!” The majority of candidates attending conference will accept offer within two weeks of the conference. Your best strategy is to pick dates for follow-on interviews and site visits before the conference, and block out time with any additional managers to expedite the post-conference process. If your company has a complicated hiring plan that will extend past two weeks, then it is to your advantage to keep the candidates informed and let them know you are still interested in them. The companies that say, “We’ll call
you,” and wait three weeks to contact the candidates generally lose their top choices to
other companies.

Any more questions?
Please give us a call at 646-435-0075 or email expousa@CareerNation.com. It is our job to make your conference experience as successful as possible. Together we will make that happen.