Helping students find employment in appropriate work settings is a major component of cooperative education programs. Given the general budgetary restrictions to which managers are subjected, fewer companies are opting to conduct campus interviews outside their metropolitan areas. Instead, students are hired typically on the basis of their resume coupled with a telephone interview. Given that 65 percent of face-to-face communication is nonverbal (Birdwhistell, 1970), it follows that supervisors using telephone interviews rather than interpersonal ones severely limit the information on which they base their hiring decisions. The lack of nonverbal information inherent within the telephone interview generates a number of obstacles to the interview outcome. First, it can result in inappropriate or mismatched hirings. Second, managers, assuming that institutions have imparted the requisite "technical" skills, are more interested in assessing students' interpersonal competence. Neither the telephone interview nor the resume can yield the degree of information required to make these appraisals. And third, students from smaller communities, compelled more often to engage in telephone interviews rather than a face-to-face exchanges like their metropolitan counterparts, are set at a disadvantage when they vie for coop employment opportunities in urban centers. With the exception of their tone of voice, distance students have no way to convey their nonverbal selves and thus are not able to create the kind of impression that is possible in an interpersonal exchange. In response to this dilemma, we propose that co-op coordinators supply likely employers with both a paper and a video resume. A video resume, meant not to replace the actual employer interviews but rather to supplement the student application, is defined as a generic interview. It is designed to furnish the hiring agent with insight into the candidate's character and communication style.Employers are receptive to the proposal. In fact, the model was developed in consultation with several corporate managers. Not only were they interested in its installation, they advised us on interview content and on the interview technique which would best yield the appropriate information.
Using video technology in the interview context is becoming more widespread. Northern Telecom, for instance, employs an interactive model called VISIT TECHNOLOGY which allows a manager to interview candidates across Canada via computer imaging, provided the compatible technology is available. A comparison of the VISIT TECHNOLOGY program with telephone interviews indicated that students participating in the VISIT program find its effectiveness centers on the availability of nonverbal information. They made comments such as, ''breaks the phone barrier by showing that you're talking to a living, breathing human being," "shows person's actions, to a certain extent, to indicate responses to pressure," "can see other person, can get more nonverbal cues," "neat, makes interview stick in mind of interviewee, projects a leading edge" (Northern Telecom, 1993, pp. 11-12). Although the VISIT Program differs in many respects from the video resume modeL its implementation substantiates the need for and acceptance of video technology in the work experience process.
Students, too, are willing participants in this program because the videos are produced in conjunction with a communication course which teaches interview theory and technique. Participation in the video resume model is a course requirement. Producing the video resumes during the students' second year promotes further cooperation because students have matured as a result of their first work experience. Finally, graduating students, supplied with a copy of their interview, recognize the value of this tool in their personal search for permanent employment.
We think the implementation of a video resume model is advantageous to all the key players. Employers can glean information that is not attainable from a paper transcript or a telephone interview; students from remote areas can gain more equal access to potential employers; applicants can hone their interview skills; students can make quasi interpersonal contact with employers; and, the videos can serve as a marketing strategy for both the cooperative education program and the educational institution as a whole.
This work describes an innovative video resume pilot project currently being initiated at the University College of Cape Breton (UCCB), Nova Scotia, Canada. Delineating the model's specifications might be useful to others interested in developing such a project.
The Video Resume Packet. This being a "viewer friendly" system, a prospective employer receives from the co-op coordinator a packet containing the paper resumes, the videotape housing the student interviews, and a program guide. On the top right hand side of the first page of each paper resume is (a) the student's name, (b) the resume/ interview number, and (c) the video footage where the interview may be accessed on the video tape.
The interviews (each possessing a resume/interview number that matches the corresponding paper resume) are presented on the videotape in alphabetical order. The name and resume/interview number of the student being interviewed, as well as the running video footage indicators, are displayed continually at the bottom of the video screen. This should permit a supervisor to conveniently refer to a student's paper resume if so desired. The program guide indexes the names, resume/interview numbers, and the video footage numbers where each student can be accessed. This format affords the employer the option of reviewing each interview or fastforwarding to one or more that may be of particular interest.
The videotape itself is comprised of three segments and the total video footage of each is indicated in the program guide. Segment I opens with scenes of the educational institution followed by a pan of the specific area where students are trained. If, for example, chemical technology students were being featured, shots of the chemistry lab might be inserted. This auxiliary visual stimulation should facilitate in the employer a deeper understanding of the students' training. Segment II incorporates an introduction to the interviewer followed by an outline of the specific cooperative education program being presented. Courses and/or supplementary training unique to the program and success stories of graduate students might comprise the program review. Finally, Segment III headlines the actual interviews conducted in a context relevant to the particular co-operative education program.
Interview Content. Researchers report that effective communication is a major concern for employers. Wolvin and Coakley (1991) maintain that, "Internal communication of employees, managers, and executives, as well as external .:ommunication to an organization's publics, are important determinants of productivity and, thus, are considered to be crucial channels for accomplishing the mission of the organization" (p. 152). Recent studies indicate that after the age of thirty-five, employees are promoted less on the basis of performance criteria and more on their communication style (Sherwood, 1989). Managers in contact with cooperative education offices continually emphasize the need for students to possess practical interactional abilities. One manager reported that he hires on the basis of students' demonstrated interpersonal skills, rather than the grades they attain.
Given the emphasis placed on communication competence, the generic interview provides a vehicle for rating a student's communication abilities. Adler, Rosenfeld, & Towne (1989, p. 18-22) maintain that communication competence is demonstrated when individuals possess a large repertoire of communicative skills coupled with a rhetorical sensitivity; that is, the ability to match the skill with the context. A minimum of stereotyping, a shared experience, and a willingness to self-disclose are characteristics displayed by good communicators. They also engage in involvement, empathy, cognitive complexity, and self-monitoring. Employers find that students exhibit a mastery of communication in the employment context when they act as team players, possess self-knowledge, give and accept criticism in a reasonable manner, handle conflict situations effectively, demonstrate the ability to laugh at themselves, and deal well with others when they themselves are stressed.
The behavioral interview model is particularly well suited to communication proficiency assessment. Based on the notion that the best predictors of future behavior is past behavior in similar circumstances Oanz, 1986 ), this style shifts the focus from the candidates' credentials and opinions to their actual prior experiences. This eliminates the possibility of interviewees formulating fitting responses to the hypothetical questions typically posed in the traditional interview model and which render little indication of how candidates might truly behave in comparable predicaments. In the behavioral model the interviewer might, for instance, summon the respondent to describe a genuine episode where she or he worked with a difficult individual. Follow-up and probing questions would press the student to provide specific examples of how the situation was managed. This line of questioning extends to viewers a more accurate grasp of the communication style most likely to be exhibited in the employer's particular organizational setting. The following are examples of stock questions used in the model. Provided merely as a guide, each open ended question necessitates further personalized probing/follow-up inquiry in order to extract additional relevant details.
(1) What attracted you to this program? Describe the aspects that you like most? (2) Describe a time in your life when you were juggling several responsibilities at once and someone asked you to take on yet another task. (3) Recount an event where you had to criticize a fellow worker's behavior, work, or attitude. Describe an instance when you were criticized. ( 4) How did you respond when at one time or other, a fellow employee or employer made you angry. What did you do? (5) Did an employer ever ask you to do a task that you felt was beyond your ability. Tell me about it. (6) Tell me about an incident when you were engaged in your daily routine duties and someone, other than your immediate supervisor, asked you to do something for him or her. (7) What do you do when you finish a work assignment before the end of the day? (8) Share with me a time in your previous work placement when you felt embarrassed or unsettled about something and now, upon reflection, you see the humor in the situation.
Interoiew Set-up. To simulate the actual interview process, camera/s and operators will be positioned in an unobtrusive location to minimize distraction. Further, students do not meet the interviewer prior to the session nor are they privy to the stock interview questions. Enough questions are devised so that none need be often repeated, thus deterring students from drafting premeditated answers. For instance, one can pose numerous questions to determine how a student acts under pressure. Question number two from among the sample stock questions should extract such information. Others that focus on this issue include:
Developing questions such as these should help to maintain interview equity and consistency among the candidates and to allow the interviewers to rate candidates' responses to the question category.
The interview process is a highly structured, goal oriented communicative event designed to elicit certain types of information. To facilitate self-disclosure on the student's part, a particularly salient feature in the behavioral model, the interviewee must feel a sense of ease and trust. Corbin, MacPherson, & Rolls (1993) allege that, "The responsibility for creating a supportive and open climate, which is essential for a successful interview, rests with the interviewer" (p. 14). Consequently, it is imperative to designate one who displays "warmth (seasoned with professional restraint), interest, and genuine personal concern for the interviewee" (Andrews & Baird, 1989, p. 153).
A climate of trust and goodwill can be initiated by engaging in both verbal and nonverbal communication that encourages conversation (smiling, shaking hands, assuming an open posture, nodding, engaging in small talk, and commencing with an open, non-threatening question). Having set the interview tone, the interviewer introduces the stock questions and provides ample time for students to generate their answers.
Video Interview Preparation. In the model being tested at UCCB, student preparation occurs via mandatory enrollment for one semester in a hybrid public communication course which focuses on interview techniques, small group dynamics, and public speaking. The course contains a strong experiential learning component and students regularly engage in videotaped structured learning exercises. Rolls (1993) found that '1eaming by doing" in this course works. Students report that they " ... gain insight into their communication strengths and weaknesses, become more sensitive communicators, and make better classroom presentations" (pp. 193-194). Thus, students successfully completing this course possess a knowledge of interview theory, are well prepared affectively, and have had practical experience engaging in the interview process. These students are ready to participate in the video resumes and expect to do so in order to satisfy their communication course requirements. However, at institutions where no comparable communication course is available, students will require training to the extent that they are comfortable in and adept at the interview process.
There are a number of pragmatic issues that must be resolved prior to final implementation of this model. For instance, one must consider the financial implications of producing a video resume for every student in the co-op program. Decisions need to be made regarding if or how much of a monetary contribution will be expected from students. A student policy statement is required to address issues like extreme apprehension on the part of students, redoing the video resume should students not like their performance, or not wish to have it forwarded to employers, and so forth. Too, there is the possibility that some students will not be hired or interviewed as a result of their video resumes. Oearly, this model will require follow-up assessment to evaluate its overall effectiveness.
However, given that companies and organizations are going the way of telephone interviews rather than interpersonal ones, we hold that placements based on the paper/video resume will be better matched than those completed merely on the basis of the paper credential and/or the telephone interview. Further, as more educational organizations embrace the cooperative education pedagogy, the potential for placement shrinks, making this process a competitive one. Hence, co-op coordinators are forced to adopt more of a marketing stance - they are obliged to sell their institution, their programs, and their students. The video resume model aids in this endeavor. AB pictures create lasting impressions, the distribution of video resumes can supply prospective employers with supplementary nonverbal and interpersonal information that, we believe, will benefit all stakeholders.