When Avoca School District 37 in Wilmette, Ill., on Chicago's North Shore, has a job opening, hundreds of teachers apply. It's a highly ranked school whose students feed into the prestigious New Trier Township High School.

Chris Brown, chair of professional development and district technology coordinator at Avoca, said applicants come not only from around the Chicago area, but from around the country and world.

To even the playing field for out-of-town applicants, the hiring committee, including Dr. Deanna Reed, interview them via Skype video calling, he said. Applicants can see the committee and the committee sees a projection of the applicant.

Chris jokingly referred to the "Skype test" these teachers must pass--they need to set up and use Skype and then show up for the interview. He said most teachers can jump over that hurdle because Skype is so easy to set up.

A recent interview round included Skype interviews with teachers from Japan and the Virgin Islands. Neither got the job.

But Chris said it's only a matter of time for Avoca's first "Skype hire."