1. Under what conditions would it be practical for a company to send recruiters to college campuses to interview prospective employees, and when would it be impractical? What kinds of companies would you expect to see on your college campus? What kinds would you not expect to see?
2. Why do you think Liberty Mutual adds a face-to-face interview of candidates who did well in their online interview? Do you think it’s worthwhile to fly a candidate across the country before making a selection decision? Why or why not? What additional information, if any, could be gained from the effort?

Everyone’s tightening belts these days, and HR budgets are by no means exempt from the cost-cutting efforts. Even during lean times, many companies are hiring, but they are trying to pick the best people while trying to keep expenses down. For some companies, that includes thinking twice about flying or driving to college campuses to interview prospective employees.
That doesn’t mean recruiters have stopped communicating with students. In more and more cases, it does mean the conversation may take place over a distance, using state-of-the-art technology. The interview setup can be as simple as two laptops loaded with Skype software, which allows phone calls and webcam images to be transmitted over the Internet. Or it may involve thousands of dollars’ worth of videoconferencing equipment for a more natural approach.