Irish tech firm Sonru cuts interview costs


11 Feb 2009

The most expensive part of the interviewing process for any firm is undoubtedly the first round, where an SME will have anything of up to 100 candidates to get through, person by person, before the numbers can be whittled down.

Irish technology start-up Sonru, which provides a remote-video service, aims to cut the cost of booking conference rooms and the manpower needed, by introducing the video interview.

After registration, a firm can create an interview with relevant questions, select a time limit within which questions have to be answered and add a closing date.

This is completely free, as is sending out the interview to candidates who have applied for the job in question.

After this, the interviewees simply respond to the questions and the company is only charged per video viewed. The collaborative element is that multiple users can log on to view videos and add notes for others to see.

“Our remote-video service is not intended to replace the traditional interview process. It is designed to leverage the latest internet technologies to make the process more convenient for the client and the candidate,” said Edward Hendrick, Sonru founder and CEO.

“Unlike other video services, the interviewer and candidate do not need to be online at the same time, radically improving the convenience and time-saving elements of Sonru’s offering,” he added.

Sonru, which is the Irish for ‘to stand out’ or ‘make a statement’, will have its official launch on Friday 27 February at the Enniscorthy Enterprise and Technology Centre (EETC), and will be attended by Paul Kehoe, TD and Fine Gale Chief Whip.

“We are delighted to launch the Sonru service in Wexford and intend to base our expanding operations here,” said Sonru chairman, Fergal O’Byrne.

“Sonru is an Irish-owned company that is ideally placed for expansion overseas via its state-of-the-art web channel.”

By Marie Boran