In a new form of job recruitment, 20 UW-Madison students met with Sony executives online Wednesday to discuss the slumping job market from their personal computers.

The hour-long chat, hosted by HotU.com and the L&S Career Services Center, offered students the chance to ask Sony college relations manager Louisa Laniewski questions about finding a job in the sagging economy and what Sony wants in an employee.

HotU.com intern Angela Gosz said the chat offered students good advice.

“[Laniewski] said that [the economy] was down; however, Sony was still hiring and taking applications,” she said. “She encouraged students to pursue their interests.”
Gosz said the focus of the chat was to help students form relationships with recruiters.

UW junior Jenna Carpenter participated in the chat and said Laniewski “had some good things to say.”

“I asked her what type of people Sony is looking for in this job market and what students can do to differentiate themselves from others,” Carpenter said.

Laniewski told Carpenter to make contacts within the industry, be outgoing, and not to have any fear.

“Based on the chat, I’m going to take more of an initiative,” Carpenter said. “I’m going to broaden my horizons.”

Although most of the questions were serious, students found the chat to be an informal experience, in contrast to previous forums with recruiters face-to-face. Carpenter said she enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere.

“I did like the informal setting because she would crack jokes,” she said. “You feel like you could relate to her.”

Gosz agreed the atmosphere was beneficial to students.

“The questions can be serious, but we were also joking around last night,” she said.
Although they enjoyed the informality, some students would have preferred a face-to-face meeting with Laniewski.

“I think I would have rather had a small session with real contact,” Carpenter said.

UW senior Jason Royer said contact with representatives in person is valuable to the job searching process.

“Certainly, face-to-face is a little more personal and you can give them your résumé,” he said.
Gosz predicts online chats such as these will become more commonplace, since some companies cannot afford to fly representatives to colleges. Companies still want to have a presence on campus, and online chat is a cheap way to do so.

“The employers are definitely more than happy to answer students’ questions,” she said. “They wish that this was around when they were in college. They love dealing with students. [Online chat sessions] are a superb way to reach students all at the same time.”

HotU.com posts announcements about upcoming chat sessions and events. The site also offers students an automated scheduler, where students type in the classes they need to take and get help in picking a favorable schedule. HotU.com’s services are free to students.