Jess Bauldry: Happy tenth anniversary. To what extent have the companies and profiles changed for this edition compared to previous editions?  

Florane Giolat: Thank you, Jessica! The Moovijob Tour Luxembourg job fair has always aimed to bring together a large number of Luxembourg companies from all sectors of activity, coming to meet a wide variety of profiles, to give them the chance to be more than just a CV.

This year, the fair will gather together around 170 companies. From the announcement of the virtualisation of the Moovijob Tour Luxembourg and all our other recruitment events until the end of the year, we have worked hard to provide a platform for all types of companies to meet all types of candidates, even the most novice computer users, as simply as they did in person last year.

The flyer mentions 10,000 job and training offers. That’s positive. How does this compare to past years of the event? Which sectors are most dominant this year?  

Indeed, when Moovijob organised the 1st edition of the Moovijob Tour Luxembourg, our goal was to gather all Luxembourg companies to this event, including very large organisations with dozens of job advertisements published online all the year round. In 2020, the Moovijob Tour Luxembourg is celebrating its 10th anniversary and what better way to celebrate than a new challenge?

That is what we are trying to do in proposing 10,000 job and training offers in one day. Even though all industries are represented, the most dominant sectors this year are finance, industry/construction and the IT sector, which is constantly growing as a result of new digitalisation processes of companies, creating new recruitment needs.

Besides the event being 100% virtual, to what extent has covid-19 impacted Moovijob? 

At the beginning of the crisis, when companies started to close down and send their staff home, the number of jobs ads published on Moovijob was halved (we have around 3,000 jobs offers online).

When governments decided to ban the organisation of events because of the virus, we had to take action. The decision of virtualising our events will therefore allow us to enable safe meetings between candidates and companies, and also to compensate for the significant drop in traffic.

To what extent have the costs and responsibilities of hosting Moovijob changed thanks to covid? 

As an event organiser, Moovijob has been at the very forefront of this crisis. As for many companies, the financial consequences of the crisis have been very painful, yet we have taken the decision to invest significantly in order to organise our events in a safe and secure way.

Recruitment events as well as our website generate thousands of recruitments every year. It is our responsibility towards jobseekers but also towards the economy of the country to continue to guarantee recruitment solutions.

Can virtual recruitment ever fully replace face-to-face, physical encounters between recruiters and candidates? 

If there is only one positive consequence to remember from this crisis, it is everyone's ability to innovate. It is not our ambition to totally replace physical encounters with virtual ones, but if we have to do it again in the future, we know that we will be ready.

Both types of meetings (virtual and physical) have advantages and disadvantages, such as the cost of transportation to an event or the feeling of a recruiter towards a candidate that may be less perceived virtually, but we know that in all cases, promises to find a new opportunity through an event will be respected.

Is there anything that candidates attending this fair can work on that would differ from a physical fair? Perhaps you have some tips on how to network virtually or give a lasting impression in an online interaction? 

We have tried to create a virtual platform that is as similar as possible to a physical event, so that each user can participate as if they were there. However, some preparation steps will be slightly different, such as testing the microphone, the webcam or the "background decor" (which should preferably be as neutral as possible).

The outfit must also be smart, just because you are at home doesn't mean that you shouldn't be professional. Preparation shouldn't be neglected either. We also advise the participants to practice the elevator pitch, which is a quick presentation technique. Finally, it is important to learn properly about exhibitors and the opportunities they offer, before meeting them.