The Virtual Career Fair That Felt Surprisingly Human

Most people do not hear the words virtual career fair and think ‘warm’ or ‘personal’, or ‘human.’ They think awkward networking, a sea of resumes, carefully rehearsed elevator pitches, and recruiters bouncing between conversations while candidates try to stand out in tiny squares on a screen. And why not?  Career fairs often feel transactional even in person, so it’s easy to imagine a virtual one feeling even more distant.

And yet, when attendees reflected on Forté’s recent Virtual Career Fair, they rarely started by talking about jobs. They talked about connection. Confidence. Community.

“What surprised me most about the Forté Virtual Career Fair was how human it felt,” shared Natasha Nayak. “I had conversations that felt genuine and encouraging, not transactional.”

That sentiment came up again and again. Attendees described recruiters who felt approachable and willing to answer questions honestly. They talked about conversations that felt lower pressure and more personal than they expected. Several people mentioned that the experience helped them feel more confident, not just about pursuing a role, but about how they presented themselves professionally.

Stephanie Booker reflected that Forté events consistently help her “identify how to best present my ‘off-resume’ self to recruiters and employers.” That phrase stuck with us because so much of career growth happens in the space beyond credentials. People are trying to communicate things that don’t fit neatly into a resume bullet point: how they think, what motivates them, how they approach challenges, and what kind of teammate they are likely to become.

Traditional recruiting processes don’t always leave much room for that. In many cases, candidates are trying to convey an entire professional identity through a short application, a quick introduction, or a handful of polished interview answers. What surprised many attendees about the Virtual Career Fair was that the format actually created more space for conversation, not less.

“I can't think of any other opportunities when candidates would have such immediate access to employers,” shared Nora Manz. That direct access changed the dynamic. Instead of trying to fight through a crowded room or deliver the perfect thirty-second pitch, attendees described conversations that felt more open and exploratory. Questions felt easier to ask. Recruiters felt more accessible. Networking felt less performative and more like an actual exchange between people trying to learn about one another.

For Stuti Talati, that access also created clarity and encouragement during the recruiting process. “The recruiters were so welcoming and genuinely interested in getting to know us,” she shared. “It made the process feel much less intimidating.”

And for some participants, the experience shifted how they thought about networking itself. “It changed how I think about networking,” Natasha explained, “not just as finding opportunities, but as building a community.”

That idea feels especially important right now. As recruiting becomes increasingly digital, automated, and fast-moving, it would be easy to assume that human connection matters less. If anything, these conversations suggest the opposite. The more technology shapes the hiring process, the more meaningful genuine interaction becomes.

Yes, the Forté Virtual Career Fair is designed to connect talented women with employers and opportunities. That absolutely matters. But the feedback from attendees suggests something else matters too: helping people feel more confident not just about landing a role, but about seeing themselves in it. 

And sometimes that can happen through a screen.