A few days ago, I wrote about a website called "Blue Chip Expert," which purports to be like a "MySpace for Job Seekers."
In doing a little more Googling, I found that this isn't a unique concept ... either in the U.S. or abroad. For example, I found two United Kingdom-based sites, Zubka and Jobtonic, that fulfill similar functions. They engage job seekers, referrers (like resume writers, recruiters, or other job seekers), and hiring managers or recruiters and provide a pay-for-performance model that rewards referrers for connecting job seekers with hiring managers and recruiters.
It reminds me of another site that dates back several years, Who Do You Know for Dough. I never did earn any commissions from that site ... but I never did have any clients that fit their openings particularly well either. (I see that the site is currently serving job seekers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
Have you had experience with one of these sites? I'd love your feedback.
Ideas, information, and resources for professional resume writers.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Website Basics
Last week, I gave a presentation to about 30 small business owners on marketing their services. One of the hot topics was websites. I think websites are an important took for small businesses, but they are certainly not the "be-all, end-all" of marketing.
So it was with great interest today that I came across this website, ResumeAnswers.com, and it reminded me of some of the basics that resume writers should remember when developing their website.
These are:
So it was with great interest today that I came across this website, ResumeAnswers.com, and it reminded me of some of the basics that resume writers should remember when developing their website.
These are:
- Make it easy for prospective customers to contact you. Maybe it's my browser, but I can't find a phone number or e-mail to contact the site owner/business owner -- despite several statements about "contact me for 'x'".
- Establish your credentials. I get the feeling that this individual works in a recruitment agency, or maybe in hiring in general. But I don't know who he or she is, or any of their credentials, because they're not spelled out anywhere on the site.
Monday, November 10, 2008
MySpace for Job Seekers?
Going through some old articles I'd clipped out, I came across an article from Business 2.0 magazine (no longer in existence, unfortunately), about a website that was touted as "A MySpace for Job Seekers." I looked up the company ("Blue Chip Expert") and it's still in business.
Here's how the concept was explained in the article:
"While interviewing with the CEO of a top Silicon Valley e-commerce firm, Scott Langmack got the idea for a company of his own. Langmack, a PepsiCo and Microsoft veteran, was a shoo-in for the position of chief marketing officer. But then the CEO complained that his headhunters had scoured thousands of resumes and that he'd spent three months interviewing shortlist candidates. A lightbulb went on in Langmack's brain, and he turned down the job.
Instead, he spent his own money creating Blue Chip Expert, a San Mateo, Calif., startup. Blue Chip is designed to make the kind of match Langmack's interviewer was seeking -- but in hours, not months. Think of it as a MySpace for top-level job seekers, except Langmark is offering thousands of dollars to any user who makes a successful referral. As he says, 'viral networks don't have to happen by accident.'"
Resume writers should consider signing up as a "Networker" and seeing what it's all about.
Here's how the concept was explained in the article:
"While interviewing with the CEO of a top Silicon Valley e-commerce firm, Scott Langmack got the idea for a company of his own. Langmack, a PepsiCo and Microsoft veteran, was a shoo-in for the position of chief marketing officer. But then the CEO complained that his headhunters had scoured thousands of resumes and that he'd spent three months interviewing shortlist candidates. A lightbulb went on in Langmack's brain, and he turned down the job.
Instead, he spent his own money creating Blue Chip Expert, a San Mateo, Calif., startup. Blue Chip is designed to make the kind of match Langmack's interviewer was seeking -- but in hours, not months. Think of it as a MySpace for top-level job seekers, except Langmark is offering thousands of dollars to any user who makes a successful referral. As he says, 'viral networks don't have to happen by accident.'"
Resume writers should consider signing up as a "Networker" and seeing what it's all about.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Employment Stats - November 2008
Here are some useful/interesting job search-related statistics, courtesy of Office Solutions magazine (January 2008):
71% of executives say the use of temporary workers has a place in their overall human resources budgets.
- OfficeTeam
2,356 people go into business for themselves every day in the United States. 20.4 million Americans are currently self-employed.
- U.S. Census Bureau
26 percent of Americans spend six or more hours each day on the Internet. 54 prcent spend 1-4 hours online.
- IBM
82 percent of HR professionals say that the way employees dress at work directly affects their prospects for promotion.
- Yahoo! HotJobs
43 percent of workers say a job interview is the most anxiety-inducing situation.
20 percent say the first day on a new job is the most anxiety-inducing situation.
- Monster.com
88 percent of executives say that sending a thank-you note following an interview can boost a job seeker's chances of landing the job. But 49 percent of applicants don't send thank-you notes. 52 percent of executives prefer to receive a handwritten thank-you note.
- Accountemps
71% of executives say the use of temporary workers has a place in their overall human resources budgets.
- OfficeTeam
2,356 people go into business for themselves every day in the United States. 20.4 million Americans are currently self-employed.
- U.S. Census Bureau
26 percent of Americans spend six or more hours each day on the Internet. 54 prcent spend 1-4 hours online.
- IBM
82 percent of HR professionals say that the way employees dress at work directly affects their prospects for promotion.
- Yahoo! HotJobs
43 percent of workers say a job interview is the most anxiety-inducing situation.
20 percent say the first day on a new job is the most anxiety-inducing situation.
- Monster.com
88 percent of executives say that sending a thank-you note following an interview can boost a job seeker's chances of landing the job. But 49 percent of applicants don't send thank-you notes. 52 percent of executives prefer to receive a handwritten thank-you note.
- Accountemps
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