Social recruiting gets a kick in the pants with JIBE, a platform that uses the power of your friends to get hired.
I got my invite today to try out the newest platform for job seekers and recruiters alike. Currently in private beta, JIBE is the epitome of leveraging social graphing for finding candidates as well as positions — job listings are ranked by how often they are viewed and employers can “unlock” applicant profiles and then see who that applicant is connected to. The whole premise builds on how we’ve seen social media used for recruiting thus far and takes it to the next level. And it’s pretty freaking exciting if you ask me.
First off, I created my profile and immediately connected it to my Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. JIBE is supposed to integrate with your Twitter account as well; however, I haven’t been prompted or seen how this is done yet. Completing your profile builds your bank of credits, which you will need to apply for positions (additional credits can be purchased as well).
Once you have created your profile, you can search for jobs and leverage your social network connections by seeing who you know that is at that company and send a private message those connections for advice or recommendations.
On Jibe, job seekers sign in with Facebook Connect. It pulls in their work and education history from their Facebook profile to pre-populate their Jibe profile. They can link their account to LinkedIn and Twitter as well (the service is targeting the 24-and-under crowd, who tend not to have LinkedIn accounts). Then for every job posting, they can see if they are connected to anyone at that company. Jibe allows members to message those people directly to ask for a recommendation or job advice.
Jibe still charges applicants to apply for jobs, but is now using a credit system. Applicants earn credits by linking their Jibe account to their various social networks, broadcasting their job search, sending private messages through the system, or updating their work history profile. They can also buy 500 credits for $5.
Each job listing is ranked based on how many times it’s been viewed, saved, or applied for. The jobs that rank higher turn up at the top of job searches. Employers can post jobs for free, but pay $15 to unlock an applicant’s profile. By unlocking the profile employers get to see the applicant’s name, who else they are connected to in the company, and they can send them a direct message. Candidates whose profile gets unlocked the most appear on a leaderboard
Jibe turns Facebook’s social graph into an internal recruiting graph for each candidate, showing the HR person or hiring manager who else in the company is connected to the candidate. Anyone who refers more than 10 friends for jobs will get their profile highlighted to their employer. Companies can also turn fans on their Facebook page into “job ambassadors.” A corresponding Facebook app will allow employers to put their job listings in their fan pages, where people can apply directly. Jibe is also making this recruiting graph available to college career centers in the hopes that they will use it as a tool to help students apply for jobs.
The current job boards are broken and dying. Injecting social elements into the job search makes much more sense. The best jobs always come through people you know.
TechCrunch: Social Recruiting: Localbacon Relaunches As Jibe
