Steve Edwards is not just the CEO; he is also the founder of Premier Virtual. After nearly 9 years hosting in-person career fairs, Steve recognized the shift to digital and launched Premier Virtual, the most efficient online career fair platform.
Challenges Surpassed
Attendance at in-person events continued to decrease as job seekers preferred to apply online, rather than wait in line. In 2018 Steve decided to take his company 100% virtual, and many of his peers in the industry mocked him for it.
In 2019, Premier Virtual launched and after just a handful of events, we all know what happened in March of 2020…Covid hit!
The pandemic forced everyone to consider other ways to conduct business, which included how to hire without meeting in -person. While Zoom made video conferencing a common option, it did not provide the extensive features and benefits that the all-in-one Premier Virtual platform does. The cutting edge tools and ease of use increased efficiency and productivity.
Time and cost to hire went down, and employers were able to meet their staffing goals despite all of the disruptions. Since then, employers have recognized the benefits of virtual hiring, and will not go back to the ‘old way’ of doing things.
Exclusive Services Offered
Premier Virtual’s online career fair platform is not just for hiring events. The company provides a 24/7 Virtual Hiring Room, as well as a virtual job board that allows clients to always leverage the platform. Its state-of-the-art platform was made by recruiters for recruiters, so it provides everything you need to succeed. Events are completely customizable, from the registration page to the lobby to the booths.
Under Steve’s excellent leadership, the company also makes it possible for hosts to monetize events by selling sponsorship and booth packages. With the Premier Virtual platform hosts can print QR codes to create hybrid events that allow visitors to register and/or attend the event virtually or in person. Its dynamic search function is the most powerful search tool of any virtual platform and rivals the large job boards system.
Premier Virtual is always upgrading features and adding new ones based on its client’s feedback to maintain its top ranking in the industry.
Milestones Achieved
Premier Virtual has powered the largest ever virtual hiring event, In November of 2021, hosted by MassHire of Massachusetts. It had over 1,700 employers and attracted more than 70,000 job seekers. The company has now powered over 7,500 virtual hiring events connecting more than 70,000 employers to over 1M job candidates.
On asking Steve what is the most memorable thing in his life, he says, “Getting married and being a dad to two young boys remain the most remarkable moments in my life, but I’ve been blessed with many great moments.
Jumping out of planes in the Army as part of the 82nd Airborne was a dream come true. launching premier virtual in 2019, and seeing it become what it is today, and the great team we have is what keeps me going each day.”
A Strategic Future
Steve asserts, “We see so many opportunities, partnering with Vets4Life and the military to help transitioning military personnel find civilian work is a great passion for us. There are so many schools, tech organizations, non-profits, trade organizations and even non-profits that can benefit from our platform, we know this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
The Driving force of Steve
Providing for his family is all Steve needs to keep himself motivated. He strongly believes his company can provide a path to financial freedom and being able to offer that opportunity to the employees is also very inspirational. He loves to see his team growing and helping them succeed is a powerful motivator as well.
“Nothing makes me happier than knowing our company is providing opportunities for our team members to be financially secure. I see our company breaking through and rewarding all of those who have been there since day one and loyal to PV“, says Steve.
Piece of Golden Advice
On advising the budding entrepreneurs, Steve states, ” Every business is tough, but Tech can be especially challenging because it changes so quickly. We are in version 2.0, which quite honestly can be branded at 5.0 by now. Even as we talk, we’re preparing to re-tool the whole thing! It’s what you have to do to stay on top.Innovation is key, and innovation is always thinking 6 months to a year ahead. If you are trying to do what your competitor is doing, you already lost. “
