No, I am not referencing Steve Jobs, though he was great and powerful. I am actually referring to jobs -- what we do to make money. I got my first paying gig when I was only 12. I took in ironing from my mom's friends. I charged $0.25 a shirt -- it was a pretty good gig for a 12-year old, many, many years ago. And I learned the value of work which turned out to be more than a perfectly ironed shirt. It was having a return engagement. It was that second, third, and fourth piles of work that showed up at my door because I had done my job well the first time.
Many of us face unemployment and a dreaded job search every single day. Unemployment does not make for an easy regular day, let alone an enthusiastic holiday shopping season. Fear and dread hang in the air where sparkly holiday lights should. But there is hope! Working in the "jobs" industry sometimes allows me an up-close look at new job search technology and inventive ideas that benefit those wanting to fill a job and those wanting to take a job.
The Wicked Search of the West
Searching or hunting for a job can be brutal. Especially when the competition among job seekers is so fierce. Finding the right job can be daunting and feel like a never-ending story. But trust me, finding the right applicant to take a job can be just as unnerving. Recruiters and hiring managers with job openings must filter through application after application, resume after resume. If only they had a crystal ball to see who the right fit is, who will be best for their open job...
Job Boards, Career Sites, Job Aggregators, Oh My!
Job boards have been the traditional way to hunt for jobs for nearly 20 years, with Monster's first job posts going live in 1994. And since then, job boards have had their ups and downs. Company websites were created, and looking for ways to save money and increase employment brand awareness, company career pages were born. The uprising of job posting aggregators like Indeed and Jobrapdio has altered the online job posting / job search business a bit, but not enough. Enter Jobsite.com, they want to change all that. Jobsite launched in the U.S. just recently, on November 12, and considers themselves The Next Generation of the Job Board. One of their taglines is even, "This ain't your momma's job board."
Here's what they have going on: job postings directly from company career sites/pages, job-to-resume matching technology, the ability to score and store applications for hiring managers, and auto email responses to job seeker and recruiter. All at no cost to the job seeker and at very little cost to the hiring company - but only if they like the applicant and want to contact them. And why? Why would Jobsite.com do this? Because they can -- they know how. They have combined technology powers and the wicked world of job search is in need of conquering.
Pay Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain
Because that curtain needs to be pulled and jobseekers need to see some light, a ray of hope in a 7.9 percent U.S. average unemployment rate.
Jobsite launched in Beta -- they are testing the product every minute to iron out kinks and shoe away the flying monkeys. But they have an idea -- an idea for a revolution and it's time. It's time to sweep away a bad economy with a new broom and kick the old broom to the curb.
That Witch Is Dead
it's a good time to try on some new ruby slippers and see if they fit. I'd like to welcome back Jobs, the Great and Powerful. There's no place like home...