You say you wouldn't interview with Company X if they paid you?
A startup called NotchUp is betting that's a bluff.
Debuting this morning at Network World's DEMO 08 in Palm Desert, Calif., NotchUp founders Jim Ambras and Rob Ellis tell me that 15,000 people a day are signing up for their new eBay-like employment service - based solely on word of mouth. The founders are convinced employers will pay hundreds of dollars directly to people they would like to interview -- especially those not actively in the job market -- because it will bring them better candidates faster.
They're also convinced that once job seekers start getting paid for interviewing that they'll never go back to giving their time away for free. Almost 100,000 have already signed up, says Ellis, including "10,000 or so software engineers working mostly for top companies." Almost 1,000 companies have registered to participate in the NotchUp pilot, they say.
The viral deluge literally overwhelmed the Notchup site.
"We were prepared for 1,000 people, not 100,000," says Ambras, adding that they've subsequently beefed up their backend.
How's it work? From the NotchUp site:
To get started, simply register, create a profile (which is similar to an online resume), and set an interview price. Your interview price is the price at which you'll talk to prospective employers. Once you've created your profile, companies will search it and make you paid offers to interview if you have the skills and experience they're looking for. Accept the offers you're interested in, go to the interviews, and we'll collect the money and transfer it to you.
Haggling over price is allowed.
Ambras and Ellis swear they're prepared to protect the privacy of job seekers and protect employers against "professional interviewers." An eBay-like reputation service will help weed out those who are looking for a quick buck rather than career advancement.
In the works for about a year, NotchUp is looking to cut out the head hunter from the recruitment process.
"The hard part of finding great people and hiring them is getting them in the door," Ambras says. And, since recruiter fees can hit $30,000-plus for a hire making $100,000, he believes employers will see NotchUp as an economical alternative.
Of course, price won't matter unless the process produces quality interviews and hires.
"We only get paid if the system works," Ambras notes.
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The Leader in Network Knowledge
Interview price calculator
The site has a cool calculator that gives you an estimate on how much you should charge companies for the right to interview you. I guarantee that half the audience here at DEMO clicked on that link to see what they were worth.
This could change job recruitment on its head, especially with the amount of money that big companies are paying recruiters to try and find quality candidates.
Gotta disagree, and gotta
Gotta disagree, and gotta encourage you to read their Terms of Service to understand what rights to your personal information you could be giving up, and what they take responsibility for. Compare it to LinkedIn's policies.
Everyone seems to be jumping on board to chase some money, but they don't realize what a massive list they've just helped the company generate, potentially, allegedly, of course.
Frankly, I'm disappointed by the media's take on this--and how quickly they've missed the Terms of Service--everyone seems to click the box, but not read what the implications are.
Shame on you.
Check out:
http://www.userglue.com/blog/2008/01/27/notchup-privacy-down/
Also, compare their site design to that of GrandCentral.com.
Re: Gotta disagree, and gotta
One of the things we pride ourselves on is your privacy - we don't reveal your name or email address to potential employers, let you block any companies you want from finding you, and never sell your personal data.
In short, you're right, and we'll be changing our privacy policy to make sure it's more user-friendly and in line with our values.
Thanks,
Rob
co-founder
Then prove it and change
Then prove it and change your Terms of Service.
Until that point in time, your TOS sucks, doesn't protect anyone and does not--AT ALL--back up what you just typed above and on other websites.
Until it is changed, you have the freedom to do as you please. Your own TOS states that if you want to protect your privacy, the best way to do so is to NOT UPLOAD A RESUME.
Stop trying to fool people.
Fix the problem now--make it a priority. Make it a Press Release.
Show the world you're every bit as serious about our Privacy as you have been about putting your site out there to get people in.
We'll be waiting.
What About GrandCentral???
What about the OBVIOUS rip off of the GrandCentral.com site design? You even copy their rollover effect.
omg, that is pure plagarism!
omg, that is pure plagarism! they completely ripped off the design
And as a result, the site is
And as a result, the site is temporarily shut down for "maintence" redesign, lol.
Bug in Contact Upload / Who Do I Provide Feedback To?
I hope they fix these two items, first, when I went to upload friends I unchecked people I currently work with. However, all of them got uploaded!
Unfortunately when I went to provide this information on their site directly there was no where to provide feedback. Yet another usability issue.
Nice Drupal sites
this one as well as Notchup.com.