Ovia has built a platform for asynchronous video interviews — that is, interviews where both parties don’t necessarily have to be present at the same time. It works like this: A recruiter or hiring manager records a set of questions for candidates and then determines how much time those candidates have to answer each one. They typically then send an email with a link to the interview, where candidates record their responses to questions.

Candidates can then respond to the questions through the Ovia platform at their leisure. Rather than having to set up a phone interview or sneak away from their desks during work hours, candidates typically record their responses in the early morning before work, or in the evening after they’ve finished. And just like in a real interview, there are no do-overs. Once a candidate has recorded his or her answer, there’s no opportunity to erase or re-record it, so first impressions still matter.

On the recruitment side, hiring managers can evaluate all video responses whenever they have the time, rather than having to set aside certain blocks of time to set up phone meetings. And the videos can be shared among different decision makers within an organization, instead of doing multiple interviews of each candidate.

The goal, according to founder Rodrigo Martinez, is to do away with the phone interview and provide a more efficient method of screening applicants. According to him, a good deal of time that enterprises spend evaluating potential hires is wasted on unqualified candidates. The asynchronous interview reduces that bottleneck by enabling companies to screen out those who aren’t suited for the job before making it to later stages of the hiring process.

But in addition to saving everyone the time and hassle of scheduling meetings with multiple candidates, there are other benefits as well: Because video questions are pre-recorded, everyone gets the same questions in the same order and can be judged on them equally. Also, without going through a lengthy interview process with a dozen or more candidates a day, there’s no fear of fatigue on the part of interviewers.

Ovia has seven employees and is in the latest class of 500 Startups’ Accelerator program. But it’s already doing pretty well for itself: Using a pay-per-position model, Ovia has been tapped by companies like Turner, AT&T Interactive, Best Buy and Hard Rock Cafe for their hiring needs.

Photo courtesy of (CC BY 2.0) Flickr user Alan Cleaver.

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First, don’t mess up the obvious. Clearly you want to look presentable and be in a professional enough space. Your gear should be working (test it beforehand) and if the interviewer is halfway around the world, make sure you’ve worked out the time difference correctly (different countries don’t always switch daylight saving time on the same day).

But let’s assume you have the basics down and are looking for more advanced tricks. The Internet offers a few. Blog Cube Rules, for instance, has a great post on the surprisingly tricky issue of eye contact. Where should you look when you’re giving your answers?

If there is just the camera, focus on the camera and nowhere else. If the interview is between you on one side of the camera and another person on the other side of the camera, focus on the camera. If you notice all of those television talking heads, when the news gets read, there are only two places they look: into the camera or at their notes. They don’t look off to the side, they don’t look up in the air, they don’t glance sideways; no, they look into the camera or at their notes…. Staring at that camera is hard work. But look at it you must.

On the other hand, you could have a person in the room with you and a person on the far end both doing the interview. In this case, if the person in the room is asking the question, answer the question to the person in the room by looking at that person. If the person on the far end asks the question, answer the question by looking into the camera.

As remote working becomes more common, interviews using video probably will too, so now is the time to train yourself to excel at them. One way to do that is through recording and reviewing your efforts, which is relatively simple if you’re using Skype. Inc. has video interview tips geared towards interviewers, but their advice on how to set up recording could just as easily apply to those answering the questions:

When you first set up a Skype account, there’s not a direct ‘record’ button for you to push, but there are several plugins that are compatible with Skype. A popular plugin is Vodburner, which records video and audio from both sides and also allows you to edit it and upload the content to YouTube and other platforms.

How? Simply click on the ‘Extras’ option located under the ‘Tools’ tabs on the menu bar. From there click on the ‘VodBurner Video Call Recorder’ tab and download the plugin.

Sure, watching yourself interview might be wince-inducing, but if you’re brave enough, it’s also a great opportunity to objectively see what impression you’re making and which answers are still in need of some improvement.

Image courtesy Flickr user jsawkins.

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Telecom giant Alcatel Lucent’s research and development arm Bell Labs is hoping to replicate the feeling of in-person interaction with a fascinating concept it calls Immersive Communications. It differs from existing video products by using “mixed reality,” using cloud-based processing to insert the video feeds of real people into customizable artificial environments, and may offer some insight into what video communications may look like in the near future, as this promotional video shows:

Immersive Communications uses cloud-based video processing to take the video feeds from each user’s camera and remove the backgrounds — using facial tracking and other technologies to obviate the green screen background normally required in traditional chroma key applications — and then inserts that processed video into a virtual world.

This mixed reality environment means that, for example, instead of having a series of separate windows for multiparty video calls, all of the participants can be naturally brought together into a virtual space — perhaps seated around an artificial boardroom table. It also means that documents and other digital elements (whiteboards, for example) can be brought into the virtual space for collaboration, and even manipulated using gestural control.  Immersive Communications is perhaps similar to using virtual environments such as Second Life for conducting meetings, but, crucially, instead of making use of unrealistic avatars, the system uses video to give users an impression of natural “face-to-face” communications.

While the promotional video certainly looks exciting, with its Minority Report-style gesture control, Bell Labs thinks that the Immersive Communications concept has practical application, and addresses several shortcomings with the current crop of video chat offerings:

• Better user experience. Most current video chat applications take too many steps to get up and running and initiate a call. Immersive communications encourages spontaneous, intuitive connections from any device.
• Minimal client hardware requirements. Unlike expensive telepresence systems, Immersive Communications doesn’t have elaborate hardware or infrastructure requirements; all the video processing is done in the cloud. It will use thin clients (Flash-based browser apps, native apps for devices that don’t support Flash, and likely HTML5 web apps in the future), which means that it can be easily used by remote workers, and can also be accessed on mobile devices.
• Natural communication. Traditional multiparty video chat applications generally present each person in a separate window. This is unnatural, and can become confusing, especially as the number of participants increases. Placing the participants into an artificial environment allows for much more natural communication.
• Privacy protection. Automatic background extraction protects the privacy of participants.

In addition to the obvious uses for Immersive Communications in the enterprise, Bell Labs also sees many other potential applications for the concept, such as in remote learning, gaming and social media.

Immersive Communications has no definitive launch date yet. One stumbling block to commercial release could be the server requirements. Having the heavy lifting of the video processing done in the cloud is necessary if the concept is to work on multiple platforms, including mobile devices, but even though Bell Labs says it has developed a highly efficient virtualized GPU, real-time background extraction and processing video on a commercial scale would require considerable server resource, particularly if Bell Labs’ vision of a product that could be used as part of social networking tools were to be realized. (If you’re interested in the cloud computing and infrastructure technologies that support projects like Immersive Communications, you should really check out our Structure conference later this month).

According to Alcatel Lucent’s Marketing Director Thomas Kallstenius, early feedback on the concept has been good, however, and the company is currently undergoing usability trials to see what aspects of it should be brought to market. So while the first Immersive Communications product may not end up exactly as depicted in the promo video (gesture control is intriguing, but may not be all that usable, useful or relevant in many applications, for example), it’s likely that we will see a commercial product based on this concept soon.

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VoIP/Phone service

• Google Voice. Voice is Google’s phone service, which launched to much fanfare in March 2009. It provides free PC-to-PC voice and video calls, free PC-to-phone calls within the U.S. and cheap calls elsewhere (for users in the U.S. only). One of Google Voice’s most useful features (again, only available to U.S. residents) is that it enables users to have one number that they can use anywhere — any calls placed to that number will ring all of the users’ configured phones. The service also provides a range of useful additional features, such as voicemail, SMS, conference calling, call screening and transcription of voicemail messages.
• Vbuzzer. A VoIP and IM service that, unlike Skype, is based on open protocols like XMPP and SIP. It offers free PC-to-PC calls, as well as paid-for PC-to-phone calls, with typically cheaper rates than Skype. It also features voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID, web conferencing and fax service.
• VoxOx. VoxOx is trying to be an “all-in-one” messaging app for both the desktop and mobile devices. It combines phone calls, IM, SMS, video chat, conference calling and even fax. It also provides similar “one number anywhere” functionality to Google Voice, and outgoing calls can be placed at competitive rates. While Charlie didn’t particularly like the Mac client when he reviewed it back in January, finding some shortcomings, it’s worth a look. The iPhone app is interesting because rather than relying on VoIP, it uses callbacks — the service can ring you on any convenient nearby phone line.
• Viber. iPhone users looking for a way to make free VoIP calls should take a look at Viber, a VoIP app that allows iPhone-to-iPhone calling over 3G and Wi-Fi connections. The app is free, runs in the background, doesn’t have any ads and won’t charge you anything to make calls. Android and BlackBerry apps are apparently in the works, which would extend the app’s reach significantly.
• Grasshopper. Looking for a step up from Skype to a more business-oriented virtual phone system? Grasshopper provides many of the features found in expensive office PBX systems for a fraction of the cost, including support for multiple users, each with their own extension, individual greetings, voicemail, web access and notifications by email or text message, as well as the ability to have local or toll-free numbers for people to call you on. Charlie was impressed by the product and its slick web interface when he reviewed it back in 2009. The type of advanced functionality you get comes at a higher cost than consumer-focused offering like Google Voice and Skype, however, with a range of plans available.
• 8×8 Virtual Office Pro/Solo.  8×8 provides another useful VoIP-based virtual business phone system. It’s available in two editions, Virtual Office Pro for businesses requiring multiple extensions, and Solo for individuals (see Charlie’s recent review). The system includes business numbers, voicemail, call waiting, music on hold, caller ID, three-way calling and the ability to record calls for storage as digital audio files. It costs $49.99 per extension per month for the Pro Edition or $7.99 per month for the Solo edition.

Video Chat

While some of the options listed above, like Google Voice,  provide video calling as part of the services they offer, there are also some dedicated video chat apps:

• Tinychat. For multiuser video chats, Tinychat is great. It’s dead simple to use, requires no login, and has a clean interface. It’s Flash-based, so it should work in most browsers and up to 12 people can join a video chat simultaneously. The basic service is free.
• ooVoo. ooVoo also provides free multiuser (up to six people simultaneously) video chat, and has clients available for Mac, PC and a wide range of mobile devices. It even allows for high-quality video calling over 3G wireless networks.
• FaceTime. Apple’s video chat application is no longer just for iPhone users. With the launch of FaceTime for Mac in February, it works on Macs and any iOS device with a forward-facing camera, it makes it possible to place Mac-to-Mac, Mac-to-iPhone/iPod touch/iPad, and iPhone/iPod touch/iPad -to-iPhone/iPod touch/iPad calls. Video quality is high, supporting up to 720p resolution on more recent Macs.

What are your favorite alternatives to Skype?

Photo courtesy Flickr user DanBrady

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Since video and voice chats require a plugin, if you click the button and your chat buddy doesn’t have it installed, Gmail will invite them to install it first.

Google’s Josh Teague notes that a similar change on iGoogle and orkut resulted in a significant uptick in the number of video calls made. Indeed, small changes like this help to bring the day that video chat is ubiquitous a bit closer.

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The report breaks down the estimate of number of video calls made over PCs, mobile devices and TVs. From 2013 onwards, mobile and TV calls are expected to start accounting for a significant proportion of the total, with growth on those platforms seen accelerating sharply while growth in PC video calls declines.

Such staggering growth in video calls is good news for web workers. Many of us were among the first to take advantage of the cheap video calling available through services like Skype to help us stay connected with colleagues who we rarely, if ever, see in the flesh; mobile video chatting will help us to maintain that connection even when we’re out of the office.

Perhaps more significantly, though, we’re likely to see a rapid acceleration of innovation in video chatting tools as demand rises  — Skype’s recent addition of group video chat is just the start. Developers will also start to integrate video features into many existing tools, enhancing their collaborative potential. This should bring the kind of advanced functionality currently only seen in expensive corporate telepresence systems to within the budget of freelancers and small businesses, which will allow even more people to adopt a web working lifestyle.

To read more about the future of the consumer video chat market, check out the comprehensive report on GigaOM Pro (subscription required).

How do you see ubiquitous video calling changing your work?

It’s a busy space, Goober competes with desktop multi-IM programs like Pidgin, Adium, Trillian and Digsby; web-based services like Meebo; mobile apps like Fring and Beejive; and programs that add social networks to the mix, like Socialite. It also wants to compete with services that add voice and/or video chat functions, like VoxOx and Nimbuzz. The elephant in the voice and video communication arena, of course, is Skype, which has just rolled out a Windows-only beta of group video chats. Google Talk already offers video chat, and its acquisition of Gizmo5 will certainly result in upgrades to Google Voice. And Goober also gets to compete in the silly name contest.

So why do we need another multi-protocol communication service? Goober claims it has the following advantages over Skype and other VoIP providers:

• Users can call more countries (277), although Goober doesn’t offer incoming landline calls like Skype and Google Voice.
• Users can chat with users of protocols including ICQ, MSN, Google Talk, Jabber,
  AOL, Yahoo and QQ.
• The program integrates with Facebook and Twitter.
• Goober will offer six-way video conferencing on both PC and Mac (during the beta, conferences are limited to four).
• Outgoing call costs are 25-50 percent less, with calls in the US and Canada offered at a “record low” $.01 per minute.

I’ve tried the Mac beta, and while it’s usable, it’s not as elegant as the app from Nimbuzz (although it beats VoxOx’s ugly interface by a mile). The cluttered interface is not enhanced by obtrusive, animated banner ads.

Entering one’s IM and social network accounts is simple enough, although one must provide passwords, as there is no support for oAuth or Facebook Connect. It is possible to enter more than one account from the same service, but I wasn’t able to use Google Apps credentials to add Gtalk accounts.

Its tools for managing contacts are limited. Goober allows users to create groups, but if a contact appears twice (for example,  as a Gtalk and Facebook connection) the entries can’t be merged. One can’t sync or import address books, either.

I’m disappointed that Goober doesn’t support Growl, having opted instead for non-standard on-screen notifications. Goober also has mobile and web versions, but these are really different products with less robust feature sets.

For Mac users, Goober offers video conferencing options not (yet) available on Skype. For daily IMing, though, I’ll probably continue to use Adium.

Goober is offering the first 5,000 people to download the beta of Goober 3.0 a free voucher for $5 in credit. Try it, and let us know what you think in the comments.

A friend of mine who is new to teleworking was complaining that her overseas prospects wanted to speak with her on the phone. Since she didn’t want to have to pay for international calls, she turned down these lucrative offers. “I don’t want my fees to be consumed by phone bills,” she said.

“You don’t need to use the phone, you can always use voice chat or VoIP,” I suggested.

“What’s that?”

It seems that not everyone who sets out to do web work knows how to establish their communication methods. There are many tools that allow us to sidestep more traditional — and usually more expensive — means of communicating with our clients, such as client visits and phone calls. For those who are just starting out, here are your options:

Email

Sometimes I still see online contractors with casual email addresses like “sexychick2009@example.com.” While you can use any email address to communicate with friends and family, stick to something more formal for professional use. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of checking multiple inboxes and notifying personal contacts about your new email address, you can easily use multiple email accounts instead, and access all of them via one master inbox.

To avoid having your email addresses plastered all over the Internet (and attracting spam), set up a contact form on your web site. In my experience, potential clients often prefer a contact form they can fill out on your site, since they don’t have to open their email client to send you a message.

Instant Messaging

Instant messaging (IM) is real-time text chatting over the web. IM is useful for real-time client support and quick exchanges that are too short for email.

Some people have trouble expressing themselves via instant messaging, so don’t make this your only option for client support. Also, if you have clients that aren’t tech savvy, they rarely want to communicate this way. Still, many corporate remote workers I know stay in touch throughout the day via instant messaging. Here are some IM applications you can use:

• GTalk
• Windows Live Messenger
• AIM
• Skype

If you need an IM app that allows you to handle multiple accounts using the same interface, you might want to look at Lifehacker’s roundup of the five best instant messengers.

Phone, VoIP and Voice Chat

Although it might seem simpler to have one phone line for both business and personal contacts, it’s wise to keep them separate. You don’t want to provide 24/7 phone support for colleagues and clients, and you don’t want your workday to be interrupted by a call from your mom, either.

But what if you’re working with people who are overseas, as in the case mentioned earlier? That’s where VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) comes in. Instead of using regular phone lines, VoIP transmits audio through the internet. We’ve covered VoIP here at WWD before, including how you can use it to cut business costs.

There are many available options for VoIP and voice chat apps, including Skype, Truphone, Vonage, Gmail Voice and Video Chat, Calliflower, Phonefusion One and FreeConference.

Fax

While I’ve never felt the need to purchase my own fax machine, there are still some situations that call for faxing. For those of us who primarily deal with local clients, a regular fax machine might be enough even if it’s a second-hand unit. But if you’re mostly working with people overseas, sending faxes back and forth can be costly. Online faxing solutions such as efax and MyFax can be much cheaper in the long run.

Postal Mail

If you’re wary about giving your home address out to clients and business contacts, you can use a PO box or take advantage of online mailbox services such as Earth Class Mail or its European equivalent, Swiss Post Box. There’s also Private Box for those who want mailboxes in New Zealand.

Establishing multiple ways for clients to communicate with you isn’t that hard. When you’re starting out, it’s usually enough to have two different ways for clients to reach you (say, email and phone). Should you need more, the apps and services above give you plenty of options to choose from.

How do potential clients usually contact you? Which method do they use the least?

Image by tecknare from sxc.hu

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Google just launched video and voice chat today for both PC and Mac. My first reaction? That is so cool.

The only problem is the announcement went out before they had actually activated many accounts. Including mine. Luckily, I had the email address of the Google contact who sent out the announcement, and he spent some time troubleshooting with me. First order of business? Getting my email account activated as well as that of my initial Gmail voice and video chat guinea pig, Scott from Alaska HDTV (@alaskapodshow on Twitter).

After about an hour, Scott still could not see the video options in his Gmail chat box. While he and I continued to restart browsers and compare notes, I received a text chat message from my friend Kris, a multimedia producer and documentary filmmaker in Brooklyn (@krisbritt on Twitter). She had seen my Tweets about my attempts to test out the new Gmail voice and video chat.

I invited her to video chat and within moments and after just a few rings, the video chat window opened, and there was Kris. The picture was clear, the sound was clear.

Right away I thought “This is much better than Skype.”

Don’t get me wrong. I love Skype, but it can fizzle and pop now and then.  WWD blogger Samuel Dean also tested Gmail voice and video chat and points out that it falls short compared to Skype because it doesn’t connect calls to landlines and doesn’t offer voice mail. It does, however, allow you to record a video chat. Ah, the possibilities!

Right away, Kris echoed my feelings that Gmail voice and video chat is convenient and a great addition to the Google suite of tools – perfect, for example, to use while reviewing a Google Doc with someone else. Having video and voice chat within Gmail also means you’ll get more functionality with less open applications and windows.

Some quick things to know before you dash off to download the video chat add-on for your browser:

1. Your account must be activated by Google for video, and this could take a few more days.

2. Your chat friend must have Gmail voice and video chat add-on installed for it to work. Otherwise they will be directed to the download page for the add-on.

3. You can tell if a friend is video-chat enabled by a little video camera icon to the left of their name on the contacts Chat List in your Gmail account.

4. You can invite someone to video chat with the Video Options button at the bottom of the chat box.

5. You can pop out the video into it’s own window and move it around as well as open it to full screen.

One possible software conflict? The latest Flash player may interfere with the proper installation of the video add-on (this is just a guess from Scott who eventually switched computers and was able to video chat immediately).

Troubleshooting tips? Make sure your browser is closed before you install the add-on. Then you may have to restart your browser a few times until it takes. Just something anecdotal. Probably not in the manual.

Have long did it take to get Gmail voice and video chat to work for you? What do you think you’ll use it for?

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With the new application, you do not have to be on TokBox’s website to accept or make video calls. Installing is a breeze (something that is common to applications built using Adobe AIR). When installed, it acts like your usual instant messaging application. Just click on a friend or colleague will enable you to do video calling and get immediate notification when someone is calling.

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