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Virtual Roadshow to Austria – WORK in AUSTRIA links Austrian companies to international talents
05. December 2024How can more than 250 skilled workers from all over the world come together to talk to renowned Austrian companies in a very uncomplicated manner? It is not difficult at all to answer this question: they meet virtually.
WORK in AUSTRIA created the framework for this via its first “Virtual Roadshow to Austria.” This served as the basis for an innovative approach designed to link companies with applicants. And its success justifies the underlying format. At the beginning of November, twelve Austrian companies such as Zumtobel and Austrian Post presented themselves to international talents from more than 50 countries. The virtual event particularly targeted graduates and students from selected universities of technology. The participants came from countries such as Brazil, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Spain.
Margit Kreuzhuber, Head of WORK in AUSTRIA, explains the background:
For many companies, it is a challenge to fill vacant positions in a timely manner with suitably qualified people, especially in the fields of IT, technology, and life sciences. For this reason, we support them with services and formats such as the ‘Virtual Roadshow to Austria’ to search for employees abroad.
How did the “Virtual Roadshow” proceed?
The Virtual Roadshow was built upon experiences gained with the highly successful “analogue” roadshows in which skilled workers from abroad got to know innovative companies from various Austrian federal states face to face. Naturally, the number of participants at these events is extremely limited. Accordingly, the idea originated to create a “Virtual Roadshow” in which companies and applicants could interact with each other – free of charge, and completely without the need for anyone to travel a long distance. For the participating companies, the offering of a Virtual Roadshow particularly provides the advantage of establishing valuable contacts with qualified applicants who would otherwise be quite difficult to reach. In this way, companies gain timely access to international talents with valuable qualifications and urgently needed know-how.
To bring the companies together with particularly suitable applicants, these individuals should fulfil the following criteria:
- have good English-language skills,
- concluded at least four semesters of their studies at selected universities of technology,
- display an interest in working for, doing an internship or a holiday job at an Austrian company.
For companies, participation in the event made sense if they could offer jobs, projects, or internships.
The companies took advantage of the opportunity to introduce themselves via videos, presentations, and short Q&A sessions. The firms also published specific job vacancies in their profiles and shared them via an “online marketplace.”
Applicants and participants could already create profiles of themselves several weeks before he actual event as well as arrange personal meetings online by using a platform for the duration of the Virtual Roadshow. Of course, both the applicants or the companies could reject or accept the proposed personal appointments. More than 160 online meetings actually took place during the event.
And what do the participants say?
This participant is one example of the added value provided by the event:
A large number of companies and initiatives for people who want to work and live in Austria were introduced to me at the ‘Virtual Roadshow.’ The event offered valuable insights into professional opportunities as well as the extensive job placement and integration support which is available.
I have been living in Austria with my family for three years. The quality of life here is spectacular and there are many opportunities. Taking part in this event was extremely motivating and informative. The direct contact to companies, the great network and the interesting answers helped me very much.
I participated in the Virtual Roadshow to Austria in November 2024 and I was truly impressed with the experience. The event allowed me to connect with various companies and professionals and explore opportunities in my field. It also provided valuable insights into what living and working in Austria could be like. Since then, I’ve started applying my resume for positions in Austria, and I’m hopeful to find a match soon. Thank you to the organizers for this amazing opportunity!
The companies were also satisfied with the outcome of the event:
Participation in the ‘Virtual Roadshow’ enabled Austrian Post to gain valuable experience in its interaction with international applicants. Highly motivated candidates displayed their interest in contributing their know-how to the company.
The Austrian Business Agency understood the needs of companies which are negatively impacted by the shortage of skilled workers and internationally oriented, i.e., a virtual event offering the possibility of presenting companies and the business location to students from different countries and of coming into direct contact with them.
In addition to the team of WORK in AUSTRIA and the participating companies and skilled workers, the regional business promotion agencies also made an important contribution to the success of the new, digital format. A further objective of the event was not only to introduce innovative Austrian companies to the participants, but also to present Austria as a particularly attractive country to live and work.
For this purpose, WORK in AUSTRIA also brought the business promotion agencies of various federal states on board, namely Business Upper Austria, ecoplus (Lower Austria), the Vienna Business Agency and Wirtschafts-Standort Vorarlberg GmbH. These business promotion agencies presented themselves and the distinctive features of their respective federal states during the event. Furthermore, ABA’s partners from the federal states were involved in the organisation and promotion in the run-up to the event. In this way, the participants gained a particularly good overview of the various Austrian regions.
The “Virtual Roadshow“ fits in very well with the comprehensive service offering that WORK in AUSTRIA makes available to Austrian companies and international talents. The “Virtual Roadshow to Austria“, the Talent Hub and the Personal Guide are only just a few examples of how WORK in AUSTRIA promotes Austria as an attractive work location and brings together companies and skilled workers.
