Campus Interview 2020 – Special Edition

It’s 6 a.m. and the sun hasn’t even risen yet when, one-by-one, we stumble into the empty lobby of the Mövenpick Hotel. Decked out in navy blue suits and with matching black masks we stand there, eagerly waiting for the Campus Interview to start. It will be a long, long day.

Exhausted from weeks of preparation, we each grab a strong coffee and a “Gipfeli” at the breakfast bar. The caffeine slowly surges through our veins, but we barely have any time to enjoy it. Despite the thorough preparation, there are still so many tasks that need to be double-checked before the event starts. Even though the Campus Interview is a recurring event, this year things are a little different. Indeed, COVID-19 created several challenges for the 2020 edition.

We first had to make sure that our event and safety concept met the official guidelines imposed by the government and ETH. Due to the constantly-changing regulations caused by the surge in COVID-19-cases, our planning-phase was overshadowed by uncertainty. We soon realised that a purely in-person event would be unfeasible and had to plan for two different scenarios in parallel: a hybrid version and an entirely online event. The hybrid version combines in-person with online interviews, as a few companies didn’t wish to attend and preferred to conduct their interviews online. The situation was so uncertain that it wasn’t until 3 days before the event that we decided on the hybrid version since many companies wanted to conduct their interviews face-to-face.

Apart from the special format of the event due to the unusual circumstances, we also faced additional organisational hurdles. Communication within the team was more demanding than in past years, as everybody was coordinating their tasks from home, trying to avoid physical contact as much as possible. It would have been a shame if right before the Campus Interview half the team had tested positive for COVID-19!

But back to the present: The event is about to start and it’s time for a last-minute sweep of the place before the first company representatives arrive.

Plexiglass walls? Check.
Masks? Check.
Disinfectant? Check.

Has anybody checked the face-to-face interview rooms? Does everything look neat and well organised? Lighting, water bottles, name tags, interview schedules...? Great. How about the computers in the online-meeting rooms? Are they charged? Are the microphones and cameras switched on and working? Awesome. May the Campus Interview begin!

As it dawns, the first company representatives and students enter the venue, all dressed up and with masks covering their faces. The representatives settle into their assigned rooms; the students grab a drink and wait their turn in the lounge. Some seem a little nervous, others appear to be smiling – hard to tell behind the mask.

Throughout the day, students enter and leave the interview rooms. Between each interview the surfaces and door handles must be disinfected. Lunch, too, was a little more difficult than in past years. Since we were not allowed to use the dining hall due to social distancing regulations, we prepared lunch bags for each and every student and provided room service for the company representatives.

As the sun sets, the last companies take their leave without having participated in a networking aperitif as in previous years. Nevertheless, during the entire day we received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the company representatives regarding this year’s hybrid solution. While changing into more comfortable clothes and shoes, we realise and are delighted that, despite these uncertain times, we were able to help students feel more secure about their future. And we can’t help but grin, because the special edition of the Campus Interview was a huge success!