Prosperity. Happiness Works.

An online video tool that has an application in recruitment was the winner of the Bank of Ireland Bright Ideas Challenge Grand Final last week.
Sonru.com allows recruiters to conduct an interview with candidates without both parties having to be online at the same time. It mimics a live interview, candidates don’t see the questions in advance – they are given 30 seconds to read each question and have a specified amount of time to provide their answer.
Candidates and jobseekers also have the option of trying out the Sonru VIP product, which is a video interview preparation tool that allows them to test themselves and hone their interview skills.

The brainchild of founder Edward Hendrick, the Sonru.com concept has been developed by CTO Chris Horan over the past two years. Fergal O’Byrne, CEO of Sonru and former CEO of the Irish Internet Association, says it is neither Skype nor YouTube. “We are educating the market. Companies think that anybody can see the video and that it’s like another YouTube. Unlike Skype the interviewer and interviewee don’t have to be online at the same time.”
According to O’Byrne, the main users of this innovative online video tool in recruitment are large companies and recruitment agencies wishing to recruit numbers of people remotely. Feedback has been very good from both recruiters and candidates. The real thing that candidates liked, he says, is that it gave them back some time; they didn’t have to take a day off work.
“From the candidates’ perspective it means they can be interviewed on their time and their location without having to incur the expense and the hassle of travelling to do an interview. That’s been the big plus from the candidates’ point of view.”
In addition, one of the reasons it appeals to both employers and candidates is that it’s secure. As it’s behind a password-protected area it’s not shared with the whole world and is not going to be a YouTube viral hit.
However, candidates must remember that as it mimics a face-to-face interview and is videoed, the recommendation is to dress appropriately, have proper lighting and not to have a messy room behind you.