Online job interviews becoming more popular

MADISON (WKOW) -- New technology is allowing candidates to meet hiring managers face-to-face without ever leaving their living rooms.

Liz Markman knew she wanted to move, but she needed a new job first. Going back and forth for job interviews was becoming a real pain.

"Traveling every single weekend, going to interviews, making all these phone calls."

So, she was excited when a high-tech PR firm asked her to do something a little different, an online interview using a webcam.

The hiring manager says she loves the cyber connection.

"You're having social cues, you're making eye contact, you're laughing, you're interacting with the person in the same way you would face-to-face," says Meghan Cavanaugh, human relations manager with Launchsquad.

More and more companies are seeing webcam interviews as fast, cost-effective ways to screen potential job candidates.

Zappos.com has been conducing webcam interviews for the last year.

"For people who don't have a webcam, we actually will send them out a webcam with a return label, so we're not requiring them to go out and buy anything to do it," says Christa Foley, recruiting manager for Zappos.com.

As for Liz, the webcam interview went great and soon after the PR interview, she got an offer.