HireVue is an online video system developed to help companies speed up the process of job interviews.

From Monsterboard to Craigslist to YorZ, advertising jobs online has become a standard part of the recruitment process.

The part of recruiting that has been lagging in its uptake of online technology, is the job interview. By conducting automated, online video Q&A sessions, HireVue (spotted by our friends at PSFK), aims to revolutionize how recruiters view and select candidates. Instead of sifting through resumes, they can watch candidates answer a set of specific questions, allowing in-depth screening before inviting people for face-to-face interviews.

Hiring managers submit questions, which appear on a candidate's screen for 30 seconds before a webcam begins to record his or her response. Videos are then posted online for recruiters to view when and where they want. HireVue expects to be running 4,000 interviews a month by the end of the year.

The advantages are obvious: video 'pre-interviews' enable companies to widen their net and evaluate more candidates, without the time and money required by traditional first round interviews. In addition, recruiters can replay certain answers, compare responses by various candidates, or use the video to refresh their memory before the actual interview.

One to partner with if you're in human resources or the recruitment business!

Following in the footsteps of vineyard sharing concepts like WineShare and St. Helena Winery's Adopt-A-Vine, Nudo lets customers adopt an olive tree.

Founded by two former British television producers who decided to ditch the rat race for a farm in rural Italy, Nudo is an olive grove that offers trees for adoption. Customers pick their own tree from one of eight sections of the grove. Each plot of land is described in detail; for example, Il Sogno: "Reached via the (friendly) farmer’s field next door and a small bramble forest, the trees here are more au naturel but seem happy that way."

For GBP 60 (USD 110/EUR 90) per year, plus shipping, customers receive all the produce from their adopted tree. Besides an adoption certificate and booklet about the tree, this includes a spring package containing extra virgin olive oil, and an autumn package of lemon olive oil and handmade soaps. (To be precise, the oil doesn't come from the actual tree, but is a share of the crop produced by a section of trees.) So far, 548 of the 881 trees have been adopted.

The exact amount of oil depends on the year's harvest, but each tree normally produces between one and three litres per year. Which makes for fairly expensive olive oil, but of course the charming story is a large part of the deal. Not only can customers drizzle their salads with oil from their very own tree on an Italian hillside, but if they decide to visit the grove, adopters are offered a picnic under the shade of their knotty olive.

Everyone benefits: consumers can connect to the source of their (organic) food; new, entrepreneurial farmers gain a steady income; and small scale, artisanal farming helps keep the countryside looking quintessentially Italian.

Turkish diaper brand Evy Baby is reaching out to parents by placing changing rooms in shopping malls.

Evy Baby is showing parents of nappy-clad infants some well-deserved sympathy. The diaper manufacturer has installed changing rooms in 12 shopping centers, and is planning to open more in the near future. Each clean and cheerful baby room has a changing table and comfortable chairs for nursing. And, of course, samples of Evy Baby's products.

Letting customers sample your wares in a branded environment that offers them something they really need -- that's where tryvertising meets brand spaces. Whether it's free wifi in an airport, or a changing room in a busy shopping mall, everyone values a helping hand. Check out trendwatching.com's brand spaces and tryvertising briefings for more great examples. Meanwhile, P&G and Kimberly-Clark: what are you waiting for?

Demonstrating yet again that everything can be upgraded, London's Harrods recently opened a luxury convenience store across the street from its famous Food Halls.

Dubbed Harrods 102, the new store brings luxury and convenience together in a one-stop concept. Besides selling groceries and wine, Harrods 102 also houses a Yo! Sushi bar, a Krispy Kreme stand, florist, pharmacist, dry cleaning service, and oxygen bar.

“These additional retail and service offers put Harrods closer to their customers’ everyday needs and delivers a new emotional relationship,” says Stephen Cribbett of Landini Associates, which designed both the store and its brand identity. (Landini also developed redroomdvd, which is to Blockbuster what Harrods 102 is to 7-Eleven.)

Adding to the convenience, Harrods 102 features a concierge service that will hand-deliver goods to local residents. Open from 7 am to 11 pm, the shop's cool, modern interior combines dark timber, stainless steel and natural stone, and is drawing droves of well-heeled shoppers. We wouldn't be surprised if Harrods opened
102 stores in other UK cities, and there's little doubt that time-starved urban consumers across the world would welcome similar retail combinations of food, well-being and convenience.

Back in 2004, we wrote about ClubMom (Moms get their own executive benefits), a free membership program in the United States that rewarded mothers for shopping at participating online and offline retailers. It also provided them with tips and time-savers, and ways to connect with other moms.

Although rewards are still part of the offering, ClubMom recently shifted its focus to the community aspect, pitching itself as "the premier online destination for moms, by moms – bringing together the best of what real moms have to say on topics they care about most."

Aiming to be the first social network for mothers, ClubMom's MomNetwork lets mothers create profiles, set up blogs, and connect with other moms with shared challenges and interests. For advice on everything from dealing with ADD to gardening, the network's users can consult both experts and Go-To Moms.

Given the popularity of mommy blogs and social networks, it isn't surprising that ClubMom wants to attract more visitors by building a community. One to watch, and copy to other countries. After all, where mommies go, advertisers follow!