New mousetraps: strange, interesting, and unusual online recruiting sites

The months fly past when you’re doctoring job boards – really! It’s been 146 days since I last looked at strange, interesting, and unusual online recruiting sites. So it’s time for an update. Startups never sleep, as you know!

• Throng: Apart from a cool name, Throng uses semantic matching to put iPhone and Android users in touch with jobs and people near them. Interesting idea (though it wouldn’t work with my somewhat aged HTC Android phone).
  
• KROW: Did I say semantic already? Well, KROW also uses semantic matching to analyze your CV and create ‘your personal work DNA’. Isn’t that illegal? Seriously, this Belgium-based company wants to use that data to feed you jobs. At least you don’t have to eat crow! (argh. Sorry. I couldn’t resist.)
• Pingsta: An interesting twist on the professional association site – Pingsta (great name, too!) is a ‘collaborative platform’ for internet network experts. Members (by invitation only, and screened) can ask each other questions and monetize their own expertise in the process. The model is of course well suited to technologists, but I could see it working in other fields as well.
• Jobylon: What happens when you marry crowdsourcing, social media, job ads, and bounties? You get Jobylon, of course. Submit a job ad, assign a cash or product bounty; Jobylon sends it into the social networks. If you get a candidate, Jobylon takes a cut (there’s a free option as well). If greed works for hiring, maybe this will, too.
• Jahbly: Apparently 100% candidate-focused, Jahbly sends you hand-selected jobs that match your criteria. You can get 5 jobs a week for free; more than that will cost you. They use a combination of automation and manpower – the question is, will it survive and scale?
• Whitsy: What if you could negotiate your salary before your job interview? If you think this is possible, then Whitsy is the site for you.  Post your profile, peruse the jobs  – and submit your ‘bid’ when you apply.  Employers pick the bids/people they like, and the rest is, as they say, ‘history’.
• HireArt: It wasn’t immediately obvious to me what HireArt was: a video interviewing platform? a job board? a staffing site? Well, after some digging, I discovered it was all three: candidates in 4 specific niches take the HireArt ‘challenge’ (a screening test aimed at their specialities); then HireArt employees review and pass on the best to their employers. Interesting idea.
• Gozaik: Gozaik is a job board focused primarily on Twitter. You search, find a job, apply via Twitter (you create a Gozaik resume with video, etc) or the company website, and use GoMail to communicate with potential hirers. Employers can (of course) promote their jobs; other services are on the way.
• Foosle: Although still in beta, the UK site Foosle marries on-demand video interviews, job ads, and ‘smart’ employer profiles (basically, a normal profile with some branding capabilities). It comes with a slick exterior and some pretty good user guides. Will it last? As with most sites, that depends on the sales team.

Man! I obviously need to do this more often – there are still unusual online recruiting sites in the hopper that I didn’t cover. Next time!

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