By ANDRA LIM Published January 6, 2010, 9:02 pm in News, Campus
While many UCLA students log on to Skype or videoconferencing Web sites to chat with friends and family, departments across campus are revolutionizing the way this technology is used.
By conducting preliminary job interviews via video rather than face-to-face, recruiters looking to fill high-level positions such as dean or associate director save money, increase productivity and lend the environment a helping hand.
“For our (upper level) jobs it’s important that we look nationally, or even internationally, for qualified candidates, but we can’t afford to bring everybody here to campus,” said Jan Wildman, executive director of the external affairs administration. “This technology is a very affordable way to have an initial interview.”
Out of all the departments, external affairs has integrated the technology most extensively into their hiring process since implementing Bruin Meeting, a virtual interview site, through the company Green Job Interview. Unlike Skype, Green Job Interview provides secure, browser-based technology that does not require a software download. It also looks more professional and allows multiple interviewers to be online.
UCLA was Green Job Interview’s first college client, followed by the University of Michigan and Pennsylvania State University. A rising number of colleges and companies nationwide are now recognizing the flexibility and affordability of the video option, said Greg Rokos, president and founder of the company.
Previously, one interview could cost up to $2,000 after UCLA covered the candidate’s transportation, hotel and meals, said Amy Rueda, director of strategic talent management for external affairs. The trip would also have to be planned a month or so ahead.
Now the department can fill positions more quickly and cheaply, paying $49.99 for every half hour of video time. Job candidates simply log on to Bruin Meeting, and they need only a webcam and Internet access to be interviewed in the comfort of their own home or office.
“It’s a colossal waste of time for me and two colleagues to fly eight hours and, jetlagged, interview an incredibly nervous candidate while sitting on the edge of the bed at a Holiday Inn,” said Tim Tangherlini, professor and chair of the Scandinavian Section, who has relied on Skype and Polycom to interview candidates who are from Europe.
Additionally, recruiters can stop worrying about the expense of meeting with a lot of candidates and widen the pool of people they are considering.
“We want to have options, we want to get the best talent,” said Rueda, who uses the technology four to six times a month. Bruin Meeting can be more convenient for candidates as well.
When Philip Murphy, who will move from Boston to start working at the UCLA Anderson School of Management this month, was interviewed by Stanford University, he had to go to a FedEx Kinko’s to use their network of videoconferencing sites.
“I appreciated the fact that I was able to use the technology employed by UCLA to engage in the conference in my room,” Murphy said. “I thought it was very productive.”
Students can look forward to partaking in video interviews as they search for a post-graduation job. In fact, some companies, such as Kohl’s and Walmart, have been placing webcams in college career centers through Green Job Interview so they can network with students.
The UCLA Career Center is discussing a future implementation of this technology, said John Andriacchi, assistant director of finance, marketing and operations.
The downside to videoconferencing is its tendency to disrupt the natural flow of a conversation, said Traci Considine, manager of executive searches in the office of the chancellor, who has used Polycom to meet with potential deans that were in the United Kingdom and Japan.