Why JibberJobber, and where are we headed

Why JibberJobber, and where are we headed I thought Id take a break from the typical job seeker postings today and answer a few questions about JibberJobber: Why did create JibberJobber? Partly out of frustration, and partly out of opportunity. In my own job search after getting laid off I thought I knew what a job search was all about, and after about 5 weeks of spinning wheels I learned that I was wrong. I starting figuring some things out (based on input and advice from career counselors and experts) and reorganized my job search. Underlying themes included make sure you dont forget to do anything and keep track of where you apply and build your network and stuff like that. The best anyone could offer was buy a spiral notebook and write it all in there. For such an advanced industry (universities have had career counselors forever) I was amazed that no one had free software for Joe Jobseeker. My previous jobs included developing software similar to this so I had the experience to put this together I just needed to develop a strong team and help lead it and thats how it all started. If you want to hear me talk about this for 40 minutes you can check out this free podcost by interview master Peter Clayton (yes, this was a blast to do)! How (successful) has it been so far? Well, I wont give up specific numbers sorry But Ill say that I have signups from over 10 countries, I have a healthy average number of signups per day, I have regular visitors from all over the U.S., I have a number of people that use JibberJobber daily, my traffic has been building steadily, and Im fairly pleased. Hows that? I say fairly pleased because Im a rather impatient person I hoped for about 500,000 sign-ups by now ?? But looking back on that last 10 weeks I really cant complain about where weve come from and the trend that we are continuing. What does it do? JibberJobber obviously helps a job seeker organize their job search. But it does a whole lot more.   It helps a professional organize their network in a way that Outlook, Goldmine and LinkedIn dont. It is made to complement other services, not compete with them. It allows you to have a coach who can peek into your numbers and help make sure you are on the right track. It has a recruiter interface to allow your recruiter to see where you have or have not applied so they can help you better). Theres a place to track job-related expenses and then (if you are premium) get an e-mail on February 1 of the potential tax deductions for your annual filings. Lots of stuff, too little room to write.   Go signup and poke around! Who is it for? Job seekers. Unhappily employed. Anyone that might get laid off. Anyone that understands that they might be in a job search before they retire. Anyone that wants to manage their network. Anyone that wants to be prepared for the unexpected at work (as a direct result of political crap). Gosh, who isnt it for?? When should you use it? All the time. Not as much as e-mail, but if you find out something about a new company that you are interested in, log their info (contact names, phone numbers, website address, etc.) If you meet someone that you want to keep in touch with, and they might be valuable in your network, put them in. Even if you are not in a job search now, you should be building this information up. I have a buddy who is a sales exec who SHOULD NOT BE LOOKING but he said hey, if you know of any sales exec positions in your area, let me know. I was floored when he told me that. But why not? As Ferrazzi says an employer offers very loyalty (ya right in my experience try NO loyalty) and an employee offers very little loyalty (Ive found too many people offer too much loyalty right up until they get booted). Where is JibberJobber headed? 10 weeks ago when we released JibberJobber we did so with a bare-minimum set of features. Since its release we have had multiple updates including a printable phone directory that is super customizable, the import/export tools and a bunch of other things. We have an exciting feature coming out in the next 7 days which Im jazzed about. I have a list of ideas that I get from users that is long enough to last me a while. These are cool interfaces, features, user-interface enhancements, etc. So there is the core functionality of the system and lots of cool enhancements coming. Ill announce anything new on my blog so stay tuned. And if you have any ideas on making it easier to use, more useful or anything, just use the contact us form! It has been an exciting 10 weeks mostly exciting because of all the job seekers that Ive met and worked with. I love this cause and Ill be around for a long, long time! At least until the cradle-to-grave jobs come back, with pensions and all! Why JibberJobber, and where are we headed I thought Id take a break from the typical job seeker postings today and answer a few questions about JibberJobber: Why did create JibberJobber? Partly out of frustration, and partly out of opportunity. In my own job search after getting laid off I thought I knew what a job search was all about, and after about 5 weeks of spinning wheels I learned that I was wrong. I starting figuring some things out (based on input and advice from career counselors and experts) and reorganized my job search. Underlying themes included make sure you dont forget to do anything and keep track of where you apply and build your network and stuff like that. The best anyone could offer was buy a spiral notebook and write it all in there. For such an advanced industry (universities have had career counselors forever) I was amazed that no one had free software for Joe Jobseeker. My previous jobs included developing software similar to this so I had the experience to put this together I just needed to develop a strong team and help lead it and thats how it all started. If you want to hear me talk about this for 40 minutes you can check out this free podcost by interview master Peter Clayton (yes, this was a blast to do)! How (successful) has it been so far? Well, I wont give up specific numbers sorry But Ill say that I have signups from over 10 countries, I have a healthy average number of signups per day, I have regular visitors from all over the U.S., I have a number of people that use JibberJobber daily, my traffic has been building steadily, and Im fairly pleased. Hows that? I say fairly pleased because Im a rather impatient person I hoped for about 500,000 sign-ups by now ?? But looking back on that last 10 weeks I really cant complain about where weve come from and the trend that we are continuing. What does it do? JibberJobber obviously helps a job seeker organize their job search. But it does a whole lot more.   It helps a professional organize their network in a way that Outlook, Goldmine and LinkedIn dont. It is made to complement other services, not compete with them. It allows you to have a coach who can peek into your numbers and help make sure you are on the right track. It has a recruiter interface to allow your recruiter to see where you have or have not applied so they can help you better). Theres a place to track job-related expenses and then (if you are premium) get an e-mail on February 1 of the potential tax deductions for your annual filings. Lots of stuff, too little room to write.   Go signup and poke around! Who is it for? Job seekers. Unhappily employed. Anyone that might get laid off. Anyone that understands that they might be in a job search before they retire. Anyone that wants to manage their network. Anyone that wants to be prepared for the unexpected at work (as a direct result of political crap). Gosh, who isnt it for?? When should you use it? All the time. Not as much as e-mail, but if you find out something about a new company that you are interested in, log their info (contact names, phone numbers, website address, etc.) If you meet someone that you want to keep in touch with, and they might be valuable in your network, put them in. Even if you are not in a job search now, you should be building this information up. I have a buddy who is a sales exec who SHOULD NOT BE LOOKING but he said hey, if you know of any sales exec positions in your area, let me know. I was floored when he told me that. But why not? As Ferrazzi says an employer offers very loyalty (ya right in my experience try NO loyalty) and an employee offers very little loyalty (Ive found too many people offer too much loyalty right up until they get booted). Where is JibberJobber headed? 10 weeks ago when we released JibberJobber we did so with a bare-minimum set of features. Since its release we have had multiple updates including a printable phone directory that is super customizable, the import/export tools and a bunch of other things. We have an exciting feature coming out in the next 7 days which Im jazzed about. I have a list of ideas that I get from users that is long enough to last me a while. These are cool interfaces, features, user-interface enhancements, etc. So there is the core functionality of the system and lots of cool enhancements coming. Ill announce anything new on my blog so stay tuned. And if you have any ideas on making it easier to use, more useful or anything, just use the contact us form! It has been an exciting 10 weeks mostly exciting because of all the job seekers that Ive met and worked with. I love this cause and Ill be around for a long, long time! At least until the cradle-to-grave jobs come back, with pensions and all!