COVID-19 has been a great challenge for the community industry. And so, over the week of July 22-30, we put on the first ever CMX Career Fair. We created this virtual event to enable community professionals to land dream community jobs and network with others in the industry! The event was four sessions long, and included two lessons with Jono Bacon, a hands-on workshop, and a career fair with nearly twenty recruiting professionals presenting in interactive sessions.We took away some learnings and insights from the planning and execution of this event, and we’d like to share them with you! So what did we find out?

The role of the community professional is changing

Recruiters are looking for new skills when hiring community professionals. First of all, the ability to run a virtual event is now crucial. Being a virtual event host takes a new and more tailored kind of approach to your events. See our Guide to Hosting an engaging Virtual Event.Company executives and recruiters are asking community builders one big question: “How can you measure the business impact of community?” As a community professional, you need to have this essential ability. Being able to quantify the value of your community is huge.While this may sound daunting, there are a growing number of tools that you can use to tie your community to business metrics. In our recent Masters of Community podcast episode with Mary Thengvall, she introduces the concept of CQLs or “Community Qualified Leads” that helps community professionals quantify the impact that they are having on company leads.

Check out our CMX Academy course, The Community MBA, to learn more about driving the business value of your community. Being able to talk about the business value that you can create is a skill that will aid you in every community role and during the interview process!As a community professional, part of your job has always been to empower local leaders. This ability to lead and empower is critical. With the development of new and better community tools, there are more ways for you to do this. Give local leaders what they need to succeed. At CMX, we use Bevy to measure and scale our event communities. With this tool, community leaders get to own attendee data and can even send out their own surveys post-event.

The Community Industry Continues to Grow!

In the next few years, we’ll see the rise of the “Chief Community Officer” role, growing community teams, and an increased appreciation for community building. The value of community is getting realized, globally. COVID-19 has halted global travel and forced international corporations back to their local roots. Local communities are coming together to look out for each other and support each other through this trying time, and that shift is here to stay.Community building was already on the rise, and COVID-19 has massively accelerated the societal need for community building. Organizations who did not have communities before the pandemic are beginning to build them now. Leaders in every industry are realizing that customers who are part of a brand-related community are the most loyal customers.The rise of virtual is helping existing communities grow exponentially. Duolingo has hosted 1000+ events within their first 6 weeks of going virtual. One huge benefit of virtual events is that there are no longer many physical barriers to entry. Participants can join virtual events and communities from all around the world!

How to find your dream community job

If you missed the CMX Career Fair or haven’t landed your dream job from the fair yet:

1. Check out the CMX Job Board to stay up to date with what’s out there.
2. Head to the Monthly Job Post in the Facebook group!
3. Join #job_opportunities in the CMX Slack Workspace