Hi-Tech Computer Technology Assists UB Students In Job Searches

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Graduating students at the University at Buffalo and prospective employers now have access to cutting-edge computer technology designed to assist them in job searches that have become more difficult due to corporate downsizing.

UB is one of three institutions that recently completed a pilot program of InterVIEW, a two-way, PC-based, videoconferencing network that brings prospective employees and employers face-to-face at a cost of only 75 cents a minute.

At a time when many corporations are cutting back on the number of campus recruiting visits they make, InterVIEW allows them to interview prospective employees face to face without ever having to leave the comfort of their offices, says Eugene Martell, director of the UB Office of Career Planning and Placement.

"In the old days, it was a seller's market -- companies flocked to campus to recruit students in all disciplines," Martell says. But with the recent recession and subsequent trend toward corporate downsizing, the number of companies recruiting on campus has decreased dramatically, he notes, adding, "It's now a buyer's market.

"We're always looking for new ways to get companies to 'buy our product'."

Enter InterVIEW, an interactive software package developed by VIEWnet, Inc., of Madison, Wisc.

The system consists of a computer, monitor, camera and microphone that connect to AT&T data transmission lines.

To initiate a pre-arranged interview, a candidate presses a button to automatically dial the employer. When the connection is made, the employer and candidate appear on their respective monitor screens. Also appearing on the screens are each person's mirror image and a copy of the candidate's resume, which is pulled electronically from a database. Candidates can highlight or underline parts of their resumes using a mouse and several icons at the top of the screen. Special features allow either employers or candidates to alter the size or placement of any image displayed on the screen.

InterVIEW is not intended to replace on-campus interviews, Martell points out. But employers can use it to narrow their choices for subsequent personal interviews.

"The corporate user pays the cost, which is about 75 cents a minute. At that price, it would only cost a company $22.50 for a 30-minute interview. That's about the cost of parking at an airport," he notes.

Martell believes interactive interviewing will be the wave of the future in job recruiting.

"Within the next five to 10 years, the majority of on-campus interviewing will be done through some type of phone-in televiewing process," he predicts. "The next thing will be 'Beam me up, Scotty'."

InterVIEW is just the latest weapon in the Office of Career Planning and Placement's "arsenal" of job-placement services for UB students and alumni.

Students and alumni also have access to the offices' Automated Placement Services, which include the Job Vacancy Hotline providing 24-hour access to thousands of available positions via touch-tone phone; resume prescreening and on-campus interview sign-ups via touch-tone phone, and resume referral to hundreds of employers through the office's referral service and national employment networks.