Face-to-Face Electronically:
SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS GAIN
TECHNOLOGICAL EDGE IN '97 JOB SEARCHES

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 9 -- Students at top Southeastern
universities are using something new in their job searches this year
-- something students at other universities don't have. 
	They will participate Nov. 18-22 in the nation's first
Virtual Job Fair. On 19 campuses stretching from Maryland to
Louisiana, students will meet corporate recruiters from around the
country face-to-face during real-time interviews conducted over
specially equipped computers. The students are vying for
approximately 300 positions, ranging from entry-level management
spots to highly technical ones requiring advanced engineering
degrees, at 20 major corporations. 
	If selected from the 12,000 rsums submitted, students will
be screened by recruiters, sitting in the comfort of their home
offices, through InterVIEW, the first interactive videoconferencing
system designed specifically for college recruiting and placement.
Recruiters, who will simultaneously see the candidates' faces and
rsums on their computer screens, will be able to highlight in yellow
students' qualifications on the rsums as they talk.
	The Virtual Job Fair is a joint enterprise of the Madison,
Wisconsin-based VIEWnet, Inc. and career centers in SEACnet, an
electronic consortium of nine Atlantic Coast Conference and 12
Southeastern Conference universities.  VIEWnet officials estimate
that as many as 1,000 students will be interviewed during the fair.
	"We are confident that job candidates and employers will
find that the new technology, with its excellent audio and video
quality, allows for complete interaction, resulting in successful
screening interviews," said Lawrence A. Simpson, a charter board
member of SEACnet and director of the University of Virginia's
career planning and placement office. 
	In October, students submitted their rsums to career centers
at their home institutions. SEACnet members participating in the
Virtual Job Fair include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Duke,
Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Kentucky. Also: Louisiana,
Maryland, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and U.Va.
(Florida State and the University of Mississippi cannot participate
because the digital telephone lines required for the InterVIEW
system are not available in their areas.) 
	By mid-November, recruiters will notify the career centers
of candidates selected to be screened for job openings.  (To date,
approximately 200 U.Va. students have been chosen.)  Those selected
call a toll-free telephone number to reserve an interview time and
date. They also receive materials describing how to conduct a
videoconferenced interview. Students will participate in the
interviews at their universities' career centers Nov. 18-22. 
	The interviews will be conducted at no cost to students.
Because InterVIEW allows recruiters to conduct these initial
screenings from their offices, eliminating transportation costs and
lost productivity, employers are covering all expenses of the
Virtual Job Fair. 
	Among the corporations participating in the fair are AT&T,
Shell, IBM, Procter and Gamble and NationsBank. 
	"The Virtual Job Fair is only the first step in SEACnet's
efforts to incorporate new technology in helping students find jobs.
We anticipate future videoconferenced interviews with international
corporations and small employers who do not have the time or
personnel to recruit at U.Va. or other campuses," Simpson said.
###
November 8, 1996
	For more information, contact Lawrence Simpson at (804)
924-8904. 

	Notice to reporters:  It is possible to observe students
being interviewed during the fair and to track their experiences
throughout the job-search process. To arrange such, call either
Simpson or the U.Va. News Office at (804) 924-6857.  Television
reporters should call our TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.