Ed Gutman

The state of online job applications blow. It’s archaic at best. In this new era of social networking, tagging, and semantic search, most job/employee finder apps can do little more that handle a few web forms, search, and collect a Word doc. Worst of all, it’s not standardized. One company’s job application mess can differ from another’s in any number of ways.

Take for example the following job search web page from a fairly high profile tech company.

Look familiar? It should if you’ve been looking for a job long enough. Just about every tech company uses a similar (or the same) template, which design and function-wise, is very 2001: lots of HTML and some rudimentary JavaScript. This particular app is run through Hire.com (which is now Authoria). Comparable options are available through Microsoft or any number of sites, such as this. As a potential job seeker, it’s a clunky, repetitive interface, which only encourages candidates to merely upload the same resume (and maybe a cover letter if they feel like it) to multiple jobs and move on.

Some may argue this is all that is necessary; let the recruiting software and HR do the rest of the work. I would argue that it loses good candidates more often than not (which I’ll get into later).

There is hope: sites like JobScore, LinkedIn, eMurse, and to an extent, Craigslist, provide a new way of bringing potential employees and employers together. But alone, they aren’t an optimal solution. New rough economic times call for new technology: this series of posts will formulate what I think a newer, better way of finding a job should look like.

You posted a job opening for a CrunchBase Junior Analyst. I really really really want that job. No, seriously, I want it. But why should you hire me? Excellent question, glad I asked.

Let us start with a list:

• Omnipresence. There are rumors that I live on the internet. These rumors are true. I may have a physical body somewhere, doing God knows what, but for all intensive purposes, my spiritual presence is on the web. I might even consider transferring my collective consciousness over to the TechCrunch servers if you were to hire me.
• Cheap. I will take that job for peanuts. Honestly. If you guys (and gals) paid me just more than my unemployment, I would take it. Heck, I’d pay you a finder’s fee.
• Connectitude. I have worked for three of the companies on CrunchBase. That’s right, three!
• Knowledge. I know a thing or two. Or three.
• Name dropping. Michael Arrington. Sarah Lacy. Erick Schonfeld. Now I don’t personally know these people, but I can drop their names on command.
• Alpha(beta). I don’t take ‘beans’ from anyone. So those interns should be afraid. Very afraid. But only a few times a year. 90% of the time I’ll be their best friend.

So seriously, you should pick up your iPhones, G1s, Crackberrys and get to emailing me for a good time to interview (which is technically anytime, since I live on the internet). You can reach me at ed@edgutman.com

Many worded resume can be found here: PDF

Sincerely,

Ed “Hired” Gutman

I’m coming up on nearly four months of unemployment and the job search has been pretty dry. I must admit I’ve been a bit picky; I’ve enjoyed my last couple of jobs and would like my next job to be just as enjoyable.

So far, my tally is:

• Facebook: 5 phone interviews, 1 onsite.
• Blackbag Technologies: ∞ phone interviews, 2.5 onsites.
• Plaxo: 2 phone interviews, 1 onsite.
• Netflix: 2 phone interviews.
• Loopt: 1 onsite.
• UC Santa Cruz: 1 phone interview, 1 onsite
• FBI: 1 passing exam, 1 pending interview.
• Approximately 10-20 random phone interviews
• Applied for over 200 jobs

I did the math: for those 200 or so jobs I’ve applied for, 3% got me an onsite interview. My “successes” month-to-month vary, due to the fact any luck I have that month is based on jobs I applied to the month before. Most of the interviews I’ve had with these companies went well (at least from my point of view), but I haven’t really been able to judge how successful they actually were (obviously not ultimately successful, otherwise I’d be working right now).

I’ve been vigorously trying to get interviews at Apple, Adobe, and IDEO as well, but to no avail. Facebook (my 1st choice) has actually been the most responsive, but they appear to be in a hiring freeze; there’s one role that looks good for me opening next quarter, but I would preferably want a job before then.

While applying at these companies has worked well, I’m also finding that posting ads on Facebook has gotten some positive attention. It’s relatively inexpensive and can be sharply targeted to specific companies or locations.

Most of the companies I want to work for are in tech, be it offline or online. However, I’m definitely open to working for a nonprofit. If I could combine the two, that would be great. I’m seriously thinking about going back to school (economics, stats), but pretty sure I don’t have the money for that right now. Teaching (computers, math, or science) may also be a good option if I can get it. Lastly, the FBI gig is still an ongoing process.

I’ve completely over-analyzed this (this is the condensed version; I have graphs as well). Blerg.