Cultural Barriers

I wrote on Monday about how the intelligence community is using virtual career fairs as a way to save money and draw the kinds of tech-savvy candidates it is seeking. Late last month, the Veterans Administration and the Labor Department also held a virtual job fair exclusively for veterans and military spouses. The online event, which used a virtual platform developed by Milicruit.com, included virtual booths where participants could learn about job opportunities at various public and private sector organizations, submit resumes and take part in virtual interviews.

Participants in the career fair included companies like Amazon, CDW, Raytheon and Verizon, as well as federal agencies like the Navy Department. Last month, the Navy announced it would participate in the career fair as a way to find information technology professionals to fill cybersecurity job openings.

Kevin O'Brien, CEO of Milicruit.com, said Tuesday that the event was a tremendous success, with 5,975 veterans and military spouses registered to attend. Of that number, 3,976 logged into the career fair, with participants staying an average of 71 minutes and visiting an average of 9 booths, he said. The event included 28 employers representing more than 25,000 jobs, he added.

The event is available on demand until May 28, and employers have the option of manning the booths, O'Brien added.

I tuned into the on-demand event on Tuesday morning, and I was really impressed by the platform's various tools and overall ease of use. Still, I wonder whether such an approach to recruiting and hiring would work for many federal agencies. The technology obviously is readily available, but some agencies have faced cultural challenges, particularly when it comes to implementing Web 2.0 technologies and telework programs. What do you think? Is the cultural issue again at play when it comes to changing the ways the government uses technology to recruit and hire new employees?